This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------33AD76476990ADEB4848156B Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Warren Postma wrote: > I was looking at the Ruby editor/IDE for windows and was disappointed with > RubyWin, although it is definitely coming along. I noticed the smalltalk > like immediate mode (Type code, hit ctrl-J, results inserted into the > buffer) but did not see any debugging features. Are such features > (debugging, syntax highlight) in the works for this? Is there going to be a > cross-platform gui other than Tcl/TK for Ruby? I love Python and I love the > wxPython effort, but I also like a few things about Ruby better than python. > They are: > > Chief Irritants In Python: > > 1. After using Python seriously for 6 months, I must confess I still > dislike the "whitespace as syntax". I like the fact that Ruby uses block > markers (begin, end) instead of tabs. This means cheifly to me that I don't > need to worry about how my editor handles tabs and spaces. Having something > look correct on the screen, but not work because of misuse of tabs versus > spaces, or incorrect indentation, is something that still continues to bug > me. I'm in the pro-whitespace club. However the number one most obvious improvement in python would be to simply make tab characters illegal. This would neutralize your complaint, which I have to agree with. > 2. Python uses ":" to introduce a new scope, something I find extraneous, > and more irritating than begin/end or Ruby's def and end for functions, for > example. A matter of taste. > 3. Python is much slower than Ruby, in my informal tests. > > So here are the things I'm still wondering, and perhaps there is a "Python > to Ruby FAQ" somewhere to answer it: > > 1. What is the Ruby equivalent of Python's ability to import a module and > view its contents through code: > > import somemodule > print dir(somemodule) > > 2. What is the Ruby equivalent of eval, and exec? > > 3. Is there a decent Language Reference guide similar to Pythons? > > 4. Is there a reference guide to writing extensions in C for Ruby similar to > Pythons? > > I am by no means going to abandon Python, as it is more mature, it solves > many problems, and Python has extremely advanced Windows integration (the > windows extensions give more COM and DCOM and WinAPI functionality than > Ruby) and a more thorough set of GUI toolkits, and a better set of database > toolkits, and I can live with the whitespace-as-syntax as long as I have the > right kind of editor. Python is truly a joy to work with. However, I forsee > room for both Python and Ruby in my repertoire in the future, and I see that > Ruby will be a success as both a scripting and an application development > language. > > You want a killer Ruby feature? I suggest static typing and a Ruby to C > converter that accelerates 2x or more over ruby. > > Ruby is a great language. If I had to make it even, by criticizing something > in Ruby, it would be that I am not sold on some of the Perl idioms ($_ > anyone? Blech). But I like Ruby's syntax, and I don't have to use the perl > headspace if I don't want to. :-) > > Warren -- Ken Seehof kens / sightreader.com starship.python.net/crew/seehof Hi! I'm a .signature virus! copy me into your .signature file to help me spread! --------------33AD76476990ADEB4848156B Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; name ens.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Card for Ken Seehof Content-Disposition: attachment; filename ens.vcf" begin:vcard n:Seehof;Ken tel;home:(208) 562-1787 tel;work:(208) 562-1787 x-mozilla-html:TRUE url:www.sightreader.com adr:;;;Boise;ID;; version:2.1 email;internet:kens / sightreader.com note;quoted-printable:Neural Nets Development tools Windows GUI development Web Development Zope fn:Ken Seehof end:vcard --------------33AD76476990ADEB4848156B--