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It depends what you're learning. If all you're learning is to memorise blocks of code, then Ruby is probably easier to learn because there's less of it. If you'
by mike-cardwell 16y ago
It depends what you're learning. If all you're learning is to memorise blocks of code, then Ruby is probably easier to learn because there's less of it. If you're trying to learn what a programming language is actually doing, I don't think Java is any more difficult than Ruby. If anything, most Java code is a lot more clear about exactly what is going on.
FWIW, I learnt and tutored Java at University and have recently been learning Ruby and Ruby on Rails for fun.
- michaelchisari 16y agoWe also can't underestimate how much of an effect being familiar with a certain style and syntax has an effect on our judgment of languages which break from that style. Since I started with Pascal and C++, and then branched to Perl and PHP, the first time I looked at Ruby code, it looked like gibberish. But Java and Google Go immediately looked very familiar to me. I've since learned Ruby better, and it's kind of come into focus, but I think that's definitely something to keep in mind when we're teaching programming to others.
- SlyShy 16y agoLearning what a programming language is actually doing is good, but arguably that is a different course than an intro to CS course. One big advantage Ruby has over Java is that irb is simply a snap to use.