Joe Leo

Author
+ Follow
since May 13, 2019
Merit badge: grant badges
For More
Cows and Likes
Cows
Total received
6
In last 30 days
0
Total given
0
Likes
Total received
1
Received in last 30 days
0
Total given
0
Given in last 30 days
0
Forums and Threads
Scavenger Hunt
expand Ranch Hand Scavenger Hunt
expand Greenhorn Scavenger Hunt

Recent posts by Joe Leo

Well, because Node, Python, and Ruby are typically "fast enough" for the needs of a web server. Despite being faster at runtime, it will typically take longer to build, deploy, and maintain a Java application. A Java developer will write more code and wait longer (for the code to compile hundreds or thousands of times) to build and maintain her application. The dynamic nature of Ruby allows her to build an application and iterate on it faster, which speeds time to market, time to get feedback from users, and lowers the burn rate of cash used to pay the developer for her time. So asking "is this language fast enough for the task at hand?" is typically a better question than "what is the language with the fastest runtime?"
4 years ago
Hi, Raymond:

Ruby and Python performance metrics are similar because they're dynamic and interpreted at runtime. Even if Ruby 2.6 and 2.7 have made performance improvements (you're correct in saying they have), the difference in runtime speed is still negligible between the two languages. Ruby 3 has the audacious goal of being three times faster than Ruby 2. If/when that happens, Ruby may be faster than Python, but probably not so much faster that you should use it as the sole deciding factor of which language to use.

Regardless of whether Ruby 3 achieves its goal, Java is and will remain faster at runtime. Java is a statically-typed, compiled language, which gives it distinct speed advantages at runtime. JRuby's speed metrics are similar because it also runs on the JVM, though anecdotal evidence suggests it is still a bit slower at certain tasks than Java.
4 years ago
Hi, everyone:

I don't think popularity has waned much, if at all. For awhile there was a lot of buzz about Ruby and how it was going to topple the giants - Java, Python, C#. But that never happened, and when people look back on, say, 2010, and compare it to now, they don't see the same level of excitement or hopefulness. That's understandable, but doesn't necessarily reflect a decrease in usage or, certainly, utility.

I view the history a little differently. I love Ruby (obviously), and I think the language maintaining its status as an underdog gives it distinct advantages. It doesn't have to support every release ever made (Java) or lock itself into only one right way of doing things (Python). It's free to experiment, take suggestions and contributions from an active community, and cultivate it's already strong following. In programming, as in life, the most popular things are not always the best!
4 years ago