Alexander Kellett <ruby-lists / lypanov.net> wrote:
> i'm really puzzled by this.
> why python? or even worse. vb??!!

How is a total beginner going to learn Ruby?  By reading Pickaxe?  I'm
not talking about a CS student here.  My dad lives half-way around the
world from me.

Besides, Python is a more restricted and syntactically uniform
language.  Ruby is more flexible and expressive, but IMHO to really
understand the code you have to know more CS concepts and have a
deeper understanding of the syntax than some people like to admit.

Even though in Ruby you can abuse the syntax or treat it glibly --
which makes it look like a nice thing for experienced programmers -- I
think it is better to understand what you are doing first.  Python
forces you to understand these issues.

I prefer Ruby but I think Python will be easier for a beginner to
grasp at the beginning, and it has less hurdles as well
documentation/book-wise -- I even saw one of the beginner books
describe how to implement a neat graphical game in a few steps.

And yeah, VB has wizards and stuff on top of plenty of documentation.
Like I said, quicker gratification can be a good thing.  Someone used
to fancy windows and GUI stuff probably isn't going to be happy stuck
at the command-line level.  Joao makes a good point, of course.

Cheers,
Navin.