You've probably heard of Python, the other popular, dynamic, multi-paradigm programming language. It occupies much of the same space as Ruby, has many similar language features, and the syntax even looks pretty similar. But what are the specific strengths and weaknesses of Python when compared to Ruby? What use cases are conducive to one language versus the other?
In this talk, we look at similarities and differences in the design of each language, exploring how they affect application development and maintenance. Later, we look at some specific problem domains (web development, scientific programming, etc) and show how much traction each language has for those domains.
In this talk, I'll show you that (a) jumping between Ruby and Python is very easy, and that (b) learning Python will make you a better Ruby Programmer.
This is a new version of my "Python for Ruby Programmers" talk. It was first
presented at Los Angeles RubyConf 2013, and it made the front page of Hacker
News. I received lots of useful feedback from that; this version features
better material for advanced programmers and better idiomatic code samples.