On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:11:13 -0800, lennart wrote: > Hi, > > I'm planning to learn a language for 'client' software. Until now, i > 'speak' only some web based languages, like php. As a kid i programmed > in Basic (CP/M, good old days :'-) ) Now i want to start to learn a > (for me) new computer language. > > I like Python. Its free, easy to learn and some favorite programs of my > are written in Python / can understand Python (like OpenOffice) etc. > > But I'm not a full-time programmer. I know, that I've only time & > possibility to learn one (= 1) language good. So i ask myself is python > the language I'm looking for? ...
I've been hesitant to write this in the past but seems like a good time. I'm at the same stage, but (and this is NOT a troll) I'm tossing up between Python and Ruby. I know this has been discussed numerous times but I'd like to come at it from a different angle. I've been 'playing' with both languages and to be honest it's a case of 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. If I'm using python I 'think' python and if I'm using Ruby I 'think' ruby (if that makes sense). Ie I don't find I'm more productive in one over the other to any great extent (pretty unproductive in both ATM to be honest ;-)) . In the foreseeable future I suspect I'll stick with one and just use it for things I personally will use/need. But (and here's where I finally get to a question) I use Linux, I love the whole idea of open source and contributing in some way. So if I ever get to the stage where I can give something back is one preferred over the other? I would have thought no but I read on the Ubuntu site somewhere that they prefer contributions written in Python/ pyGTK?? Is this just a 'preference' or because python is installed by default? (whereas Ruby isn't)? Is it just Ubuntu or Linux distros in general? I hope you can see where I'm coming from here. I don't want to start a Python/Ruby flame war. That's not the question. The question is "is one preferred over the other when contributing software and is this just a particular distros preference"? cheers, -- Mark -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
