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Ruby or Python? I'm getting mixed signals!

by kyro 19y ago

rms 19y ago
Try both and see which one feels better. For what it's worth, Ruby programmers are more in demand than python programmers.
- euccastro 19y ago
  What?
- SwellJoe 19y ago
  "For what it's worth, Ruby programmers are more in demand than python programmers." Only in one small segment of the industry (the one that hangs out here). Python jobs in almost every other area are more common. And, of course, Perl is still more popular than both. And PHP and Java and C# dwarf all of the interesting languages.
  - rms 19y ago
    Are startups still fighting for Ruby programmers in the Bay Area?
    - SwellJoe 19y ago
      The dumb ones are. I'm not saying they're dumb because they're using Ruby. I'm saying they're dumb for hiring based on one language on the resume. I'd hire a great Python/Perl/Java/Lisp programmer to work on a Ruby app before I'd hire a mediocre Ruby programmer. In my own experience, I've seen a great Java developer become an amazing Python developer in the span of a couple of weeks...while a mediocre Python developer could remain a mediocre Python developer for the rest of his days, even though he may have years of Python experience. Being a good developer knows no language boundary (within reason), and the same is true of mediocrity. When I saw the Auctomatic guys at demo day, they were talking about how easily a Ruby guy they'd just brought on board picked up Smalltalk (obviously the Ruby to Smalltalk gap is smaller than most languages, but the point still stands). Hire good developers, not good X developers, where X is the trendy language of the moment. The language(s) will take care of themselves.
      - michaelneale 19y ago
        brilliantly said. It seriously takes minutes to pick up ruby. In any good team, any decent developer would be productive by the afternoon. And honestly, who hasn't really looked and noodled with ruby, even if their day job has nothing to do with it (its probably the sign of a decent programmer really isn't it).

Ruby or Python? I'm getting mixed signals!

by kyro 19y ago

Ruby or Python? I'm getting mixed signals!

rms 19y ago

Try both and see which one feels better. For what it's worth, Ruby programmers are more in demand than python programmers.

euccastro 19y ago
What?
SwellJoe 19y ago
"For what it's worth, Ruby programmers are more in demand than python programmers." Only in one small segment of the industry (the one that hangs out here). Python jobs in almost every other area are more common. And, of course, Perl is still more popular than both. And PHP and Java and C# dwarf all of the interesting languages.
- rms 19y ago
  Are startups still fighting for Ruby programmers in the Bay Area?
  - SwellJoe 19y ago
    The dumb ones are. I'm not saying they're dumb because they're using Ruby. I'm saying they're dumb for hiring based on one language on the resume. I'd hire a great Python/Perl/Java/Lisp programmer to work on a Ruby app before I'd hire a mediocre Ruby programmer. In my own experience, I've seen a great Java developer become an amazing Python developer in the span of a couple of weeks...while a mediocre Python developer could remain a mediocre Python developer for the rest of his days, even though he may have years of Python experience. Being a good developer knows no language boundary (within reason), and the same is true of mediocrity. When I saw the Auctomatic guys at demo day, they were talking about how easily a Ruby guy they'd just brought on board picked up Smalltalk (obviously the Ruby to Smalltalk gap is smaller than most languages, but the point still stands). Hire good developers, not good X developers, where X is the trendy language of the moment. The language(s) will take care of themselves.
    - michaelneale 19y ago
      brilliantly said. It seriously takes minutes to pick up ruby. In any good team, any decent developer would be productive by the afternoon. And honestly, who hasn't really looked and noodled with ruby, even if their day job has nothing to do with it (its probably the sign of a decent programmer really isn't it).