# Newbie question on Ruby module support **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [February 4, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-question-on-ruby-module-support/84438 "2007-02-04T16:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/harry)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-question-on-ruby-module-support/84438/1 "2007-02-04T16:40:46Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/harry)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-question-on-ruby-module-support/84438/2 "2007-02-04T18:19:57Z")
Harry wrote: > 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.blogspot.com/](http://borasky-research.blogspot.com/) If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire. ---
**Author:** ![harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@harry](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/harry)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/newbie-question-on-ruby-module-support/84438/3 "2007-02-05T03:05:40Z")
On 4 feb, 12:35, “Harry” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) 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](http://www.rubyforge.org) and the older [http://raa.ruby-lang.org/](http://raa.ruby-lang.org/) 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.