I know they are very similar and that I could learn both, and ideally I
would. It's not so much that I am intimidated by learning another language
as it is that I don't want to start a project in Python and then realize
75% through the project that Module X doesn't work with Filetype Y and
that the community no longer exists and that I have to rewrite the whole
thing in Ruby. (This is exactly what happened when I tried to build a
SUSHI client in PHP and realized PHP's SOAP libraries were not compatible
with the style of SOAP responses specified in the SUSHI standard, and it
was a big headache I'd like to avoid in the future.)

Josh Welker
Information Technology Librarian
James C. Kirkpatrick Library
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO 64093
JCKL 2260
660.543.8022


-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Jon P. Stroop
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 3:04 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby

s/ruby/any_language/

Why not learn both? As with spoken languages, knowing more than one makes
it easier for you to think at a higher level of abstraction and therefore
a better developer, and, as others have alluded to, will allow you to
choose the 'right tool [framework, library, etc] for the right job'.

Plus, as Giarlo said, they're not really that different.

________________________________________
From: Code for Libraries [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Chris
Fitzpatrick [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 1:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby

One thing to factor in is that if you learn ruby you run the risk of
becoming one of those people who constantly talks,tweets,blogs, posts to
this mailing list about how great ruby is. This can have a very negative
impact on your work productivity.

On Monday, July 29, 2013, Dana Pearson wrote:

> Josh,
>
> I work exclusively with XSLT but specialize in metadata only no need
> for content display choices
>
> maybe a candidate for library programming language...XSLT 2.0 has
> useful analyze-string element to cover Roy's point
>
> by the way, Josh, live just down the road in Leeton
>
> regards,
> dana
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 12:04 PM, Roy Tennant
> <[log in to unmask]<javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> > On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 9:57 AM, Peter Schlumpf
> > <[log in to unmask]<javascript:;>
> >
> > wrote:
> > > Imagine if the library community had its own programming/scripting
> > language, at least one that is domain relevant.
> > > What would it look like?
> >
> > Whatever else it had, it would have to have a sophisticated way to
> > inspect text for patterns -- that is, regular expressions.
> > Roy
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Dana Pearson
> dbpearsonmlis.com
>