I must be a complete loser, because I can't see where Ruby is such hot shit. I'd love to read a story, "What you're not getting about Ruby and why its the tits."

Ditto

Same here...

I wonder why there aren't any articles like that?

I love writing ruby code, it is so expressive and elegant. I am writing more and more web application in ruby on rails these days.

It is nice to have choices.

Here is a simple example of the expressiveness of ruby:

def shutter_clicked
capture_image unless @camera.off? || @camera.memory_card_full?
end

http://www.softiesonrails.com/2007/5/22/ruby-101-clear-code

Even better (I should have read the full article first) :

def shutter_clicked
capture_image if @camera.on? && @camera.memory_available?
end

What is this obssesion with "expressiveness"? Go write poertry if you want to be expressvive.

All the Ruby geeks I've met are hackers -- code-and-load scripters who have never worked on enterprise applications that have a full SDLC. They suffer from a severe case of programming ADD mixed in with OCD (they keep changing their mind about what programming langauge to obsess over). ROR is great for Web 2.0 startups, flipmeat, and MySpace clones trying to get the first round of VC funding. After that, the wheels fall off.

But Microsoft is chasing its tail by trying to court this crowd. M$ has, for the most part, made robust, useful, and tightly integrated suites of IDEs and tools for the enterprise developer. The Alphas can't handle that overhead -- they have to code, right now, in nothing more than a command line or text editor. It is part of their immediate gratification mindset.

It is not a matter of "expressiveness" for expressiveness's sake. We all design and build software systems. Transferring these designs to the computer is slow and cumbersome; I find that the ruby syntax is closer aligned to how my brain works.

Your anecdotal evidence is hardly damming, I could counter it with some of my own (but, what’s the point?). Ruby, Rails and hundreds of other languages and frameworks increase our options. You choose your toolset and I'll choose mine.

Interesting article, but It's a shame that the comments turned into a flame war.

yesthatmcgurk: Scott Hanselman posted a "Why Ruby is the tits" post yesterday in response to your comment here.

http://dotnetkicks.com/other/What_you_re_not_getting_about_Ruby_and_why_it_s_the_tits

Ya, it was a bummer that the flame war started.

Sorry if my post came off sounding like a personal attack on Ruby developers (who, IMHO, do take things a little too personal), but I've spent the last six months sitting next to a wanna-be Ruby programmer. He got hired as a contractor to do Delphi/C# programming and spent his days bashing Microsoft, ranting about Ruby, and building hello world ROR apps on the company's dime. Whenever an ad-hoc technical discussion arose, he shouted out non-sequiters about how great Ruby is and how it would solve all of our problems. He bitched because SQL wasn't dynamic or expressive enough -- even though after years as a contractor, he could barely write SQL.

Anecdotal? Perhaps, but the Ruby camp is starting to be a little obnoxious with all its religious ferver. Sure, it's another choice, but please don't stroll into a Microsoft shop with a chip on your shoulder and start picking your own platform to develop on.