Pixel wrote:
> 
>...
> 
> ok, let's say instead that the differences between Python and Ruby are getting
> smaller (i didn't say converging :)

Fair enough. Perl 6 is probably converging on a similar place also.

Problem: as these languages converge it will be harder and harder for
new programmers or managers to choose between them. "I like Python
because in some vague way it feels more comfortable than Ruby. Or vice
versa. Hope that helps you to choose!" 

On the one hand the competition is demonstrably good for the technical
development of the languages. On the other hand, the corporate world is
blasted with ALL JAVA from Sun and C#/VB from Microsoft and
Perl/Python/PHP/Ruby/Tcl/... from the open source world. I think the
fact that we don't converge makes the open source language world look a
little like individualistic, idiosyncratic eccentrics. If the whole open
source world united behind one scripting language it would be a
formidable competitor to Java. But I'm not willing to back down on my
choice of language and I'll bet nobody else is either. :)

 Paul Prescod