Python vs. Ruby

[Mike C. Fletcher]

Why post sarcasm to the Python list?  To convince a Python user (or 
heck, any user who's used to polite society ;) ) of the superiority of 
Ruby you might try something along the lines of:

"""Ruby was created a long time after Python and PERL.  It tries to be a 
better language based in part on observing these older languages and 
does these things differently as a result:

    * implementing "purer" object orientation (methods on numbers and
      the like)
          o explain that some find this to be a "foolish consistency",
            while others find it useful
          o discuss the philosophical approach of both languages
          o present thoughtful and well-reasoned explanations for your
            point-of-view.
    * using delimiters instead of indentation-based block structure
          o give pros and cons, note the debates, explain why this is a
            compelling argument against Python when most Python users
            consider it a great strength of the language.  
          o If you don't feel like doing this, just point to the long
            (and wearisome, and pointless) debates elsewhere.
    * breaking object-orientation to return new objects when sorting
      sequences ;)
          o explain the Python wart (I too consider it a wart, but it's
            an object-orientation-consistency-generated wart)
          o explain why Ruby has a better approach, and how it fits into
            the Ruby philosophy of purer OO
          o might also want to explain that it's not a hard thing to fix
            at some point in Python (if the powers-that-be want to) by
            adding "sorted" and "reversed" methods to the list object
            (no clue why you want "append" to create a new list, sounds
            silly to me ;) ).
    * put the rest of your reasoning here...

"""

Appologies if the sarcasm was intended to demonstrate the futility and 
silliness of "my language is better than yours" threads (the sarcasm is 
discussing what many consider to be one of the greatest features of 
Python, the lack of extraneous syntax, so that's certainly possible). 
 There weren't any other strong indicators of ;) -y-ness (save that the 
"sort" and "reverse" are "the ugliest warts" of Python (strong praise 
indeed)), so I took it at face value.

Peace all,
Mike

John Roth wrote:

>"Fred" <fred_news at lrc.puissante.com> wrote in message
>news:_YhQ9.391356$GR5.119074 at rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
>  
>
...

>[sarcasm]
>Ruby, of course, has brackets for code blocks which seems
>to be a nicety that Python missed.
>[/sarcasm]
>
>It also has a solution to one of the ugliest warts in Python:
>the fact that the .append(), .sort() and .reverse() methods
>don't return an updated value, so you can't chain them.
>
>The rest of the differences other people have pointed out
>(other than the size of the library) are, to me, relatively
>minor.
>
>John Roth
>  
>
...

_______________________________________
  Mike C. Fletcher
  Designer, VR Plumber, Coder
  http://members.rogers.com/mcfletch/