First let me put on my flame-retardant suit I'm certain this post will
draw fire from the militants of both camps.

Disclaimer: this is a commercial-market-space argument, and has
nothing to do with virgins. :)

Comparing Ruby and Python is a waste of time.  Both languages
drastically improve upon their predecessors.  The real contest isn't
between Ruby and Python, but rather between Perl & Ruby and Perl &
Python.

Just as in the olden days no one got fired for recommending IBM, and
nowadays no one gets fired for recommending the (dreaded) Microsoft,
so too, no one gets fired for recommending Perl.  Whether Python is
better than Ruby or visa versa, they will both remain a distant second
to Perl for a long time to come.  The way I see it, from a commercial
non-academic viewpoint, the winner of the Python v. Ruby battle, will
be whoever first to overtakes Perl.

The only way to beat Perl is to be better at the very tasks that
popularized Perl: CGI, text processing, database connectivity, and
terse one-liners.  Semantically, both Python and Ruby are undoubtedly
beyond Perl.  Perl on the other hand, is still much better at Perl
than either Ruby or Python. Python and Ruby have to become undoubtedly
better than Perl--at Perl's strengths.

From my following of both the Python and Ruby news groups, it would
appear that Ruby is on a faster track of overcoming and improving upon
Perl than Python.  Python evangelists seem to be focused more on
programming in the large; as a replacement for C++ and Java.  Whereas
Ruby adopters seem to be focussed more on replacing their use of Perl
with Ruby.

I have been using Python for a number of years now and just recently
started using Ruby.  Both are outstanding languages, they both make me
want to program, like a new car makes me want to drive--just to drive.
 Sports cars are nice, but there can only be one winner--start your
engines....

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