Asp Forum - Newbie question on Ruby module support.

Harry

2/4/2007 3:36:00 PM

Hello,

I'm very new to Ruby. Like its elegant syntax very much, so much so
that I instantly feel like dumping Perl. However, I'm also hearing
that the number of modules (or, packages) that come with Ruby are far,
far less compared to Perl.

Since I'm not sure whether (or, how much of) this is true, I'm
wondering whether switching to Ruby from Perl for my scripting, sys
admin, and general programming tasks would be a wise decision. Could
someone from the community please advise? Thanks!

Regards,
Harry

5 Answers

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

2/4/2007 5:19:00 PM

Harry wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm very new to Ruby. Like its elegant syntax very much, so much so
> that I instantly feel like dumping Perl. However, I'm also hearing
> that the number of modules (or, packages) that come with Ruby are far,
> far less compared to Perl.
>
> Since I'm not sure whether (or, how much of) this is true, I'm
> wondering whether switching to Ruby from Perl for my scripting, sys
> admin, and general programming tasks would be a wise decision. Could
> someone from the community please advise? Thanks!
>
> Regards,
> Harry
>
It depends on how much of CPAN you need. Yes, there's a lot more in CPAN
than there is in the Ruby libraries. But everything for "general" system
administration and scripting is in Ruby or its libraries.

One thing to watch out for, though, is the 'economics' of a language
switch. If you've got a huge Perl code base that needs to be maintained,
someone is going to have to do that if you start writing all the new
code in Ruby.

--
M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
http://borasky-research.blo...

If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.

gga

2/5/2007 2:04:00 AM

On 4 feb, 12:35, "Harry" <simonsha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm very new to Ruby. Like its elegant syntax very much, so much so
> that I instantly feel like dumping Perl. However, I'm also hearing
> that the number of modules (or, packages) that come with Ruby are far,
> far less compared to Perl.

It is probably not true, unless you are a true Perl expert that knows
each module inside out and uses a lot of obscure features. For most
tasks, you should be able to find equivalent or better modules than
you find in Perl (this, speaking as Perl guy with 5 years experience).
My guess is that the best way for you to find out about modules is to
make a list of what you need and ask about what the equivalent ruby
library is. If you find something big missing, Ruby may not be for
you (yet).

>
> Since I'm not sure whether (or, how much of) this is true,
>

My guess is that it is FUD. You can also try checking www.rubyforge.org
and the older http://raa.ruby... for what you might need.
Between both, they cover pretty much all libraries available to Ruby.
Some libs come with a low version number (but sometimes that's not an
indication of how reliable or finished they are). Most libs are
pretty mature, and, in the case of rubyforge, are available with a
very similar (and better) system to CPAN.

>I'm wondering whether switching to Ruby from Perl for my scripting, sys
> admin, and general programming tasks would be a wise decision. Could
> someone from the community please advise? Thanks!

Probably yes, unless you are maintaining a huge Perl code-base that
you would be forced to port. And even then, you may still consider it
if you think Ruby's elegance will save you time and money over the
years.

shawn

5/14/2012 1:03:00 AM

On Sun, 13 May 2012 20:19:08 -0400, Robin Miller
<complex.gal@invalid.com> wrote:

>shawn wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 13 May 2012 16:35:23 -0400, Robin Miller
>> <complex.gal@invalid.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> There were 11 shows from the five over-the-air networks that I watched
>>> more or less faithfully this season, and only three of them were
>>> renewed. Most weren't surprises; the ones I'll miss are Missing and
>>> Awake (in particular), Unforgettable (because I grew to like the
>>> secondary cast) and Terra Nova (because I'm a sucker for scifi). I also
>>> enjoyed Ringer quite a bit, but the story had come to a pretty natural end.
>
>>
>>
>> 11 dead and buried, 13 alive and kicking. That seems to be about
>> normal. Though I expect that at least a third of the returning shows
>> won't make it to a third season.
>
>
>
>Well, you batted almost .500 and did about twice as well as I did. My
>new shows were pretty well wiped out. If I include the cable networks,
>it would bump up my average, but then the cable networks in general tend
>to keep their series going for a while.

Yes, if we limit it just to the broadcast network shows then the
numbers look much worse for my report. 10 cancelled, 5 returning.
Since I end up watching almost as much on the cable/pay networks as I
do from the broadcast networks I tend to combine them. That wasn't the
case probably ten years back but the cable channels have come a long
way. None of them are really able to go up against the network but
each of those focusing on scripted programming seem to be able to find
a few winners which adds up to a significant chunk of the total
programming universe.

Robin Miller

5/14/2012 1:26:00 AM

shawn wrote:

> Yes, if we limit it just to the broadcast network shows then the
> numbers look much worse for my report. 10 cancelled, 5 returning.
> Since I end up watching almost as much on the cable/pay networks as I
> do from the broadcast networks I tend to combine them. That wasn't the
> case probably ten years back but the cable channels have come a long
> way. None of them are really able to go up against the network but
> each of those focusing on scripted programming seem to be able to find
> a few winners which adds up to a significant chunk of the total
> programming universe.
>
>

Oh, I definitely agree. I was limiting my list to the OTA channels just
because it's that time of the year ... I watch at least as many shows
on the cable networks, and generally enjoy them more.

--Robin

Nancy R.

5/14/2012 2:05:00 AM

On Sun, 13 May 2012 18:52:11 -0400, shawn <nanoflower@gNOTmail.com>
wrote:

>Cancelled shows that were new last year
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>ALCATRAZ
>AWAKE
>DEATH VALLEY
>FINDER, THE
>FREE AGENTS
>GIFTED MAN, A
>MISSING
>RIVER, THE
>SECRET CIRCLE, THE
>TERRA NOVA
>UNFORGETTABLE
RINGER
PRIME SUSPECT

I'll mostly miss Free Agents and Prime Suspect. The other two that I
tried but dropped eventually were Terra Nova and Alcatraz.

>Returning shows that were new last year
>---------------------------------------------------
>ALPHAS
>AMERICAN HORROR STORY
>COMIC BOOK MEN (makes for a good filler waiting for Talking Dead)
>FALLING SKIES
>GRIMM
>HOMELAND
>LOST GIRL
>ONCE UPON A TIME
>PERSONS OF INTEREST
>SUITS
>TALKING DEAD
>TEEN WOLF
>TOUCH

I'm enjoying Persons of Interest immensely, and can't wait for Suits
to start up again. I've also been watching Alphas, Grimm and Once Upon
a Time fairly regularly, so I'm glad they got renewed. I'll get around
to Homeland on DVR eventually.

That makes 6 renewed, 2 cancelled.

comp.lang.ruby

Newbie question on Ruby module support.

Harry

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

gga

shawn

Robin Miller

Nancy R.

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