WHY is python slow?

[John J. Lee]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2001, Niklas Frykholm wrote:

> >now, if we accept the postulate that premature programme optimisation
> >is an evil and that python has been around much longer than ruby, has
> >much better documentation and that in Bruce Eckel's words:
>
> >"...For some reason, the creator of the language saw Python and
> >decided to do a clone, and people who had never used Python thought
> >it was a good idea. Harsh, maybe, but that's my impression: if you've
> >used Python at all, you wouldn't give Ruby a second glance.
>
> Sad to see someone like Bruce Eckel engage in language bashing. The
[...]

I think you're misreading what he wrote -- I think he just meant by 'you
wouldn't give it a second glance' that it was not sufficiently original to
justify learning it if you already know Python.  That does seem to be the
case, from what I can see (unless there's something written in it that you
want to use).

I guess he's also saying that it's a shame to divide people who could be
working together, for no particularly good reason, and I think he's right
to say that, too.

I don't think he's 'bashing' the language at all.  In fact, if he likes
Python, presumably he likes Ruby too, from your quote.


John