# Re: Why Ruby?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-why-ruby/183187>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 9, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-why-ruby/183187 "2010-02-09T18:27:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Schmidt-Do](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/65b543/32.png) [@Jonathan\_Schmidt-Do](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jonathan_Schmidt-Do)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-why-ruby/183187/1 "2010-02-09T18:27:45Z")

</div>

> > There are also some nice specials like blocks and  
> > mixins.
> 
> Those aren’t specials; they’re core language features.

Specials = Feature which are not part of most OO programming languages.

> Depends on the implementation. MRI is slow (I wouldn’t say “terribly”  
> slow). Ruby EE and YARV are faster. JRuby is probably faster yet. All  
> are plenty fast enough for most general-purpose applications.  
> For really expensive algorithms it is terribly slow, sometimes you need  
> static  
> C arrays or STL…  
> Any experiences with Rubinius?

> Java, but I’ll use it over C++ any day. And of course the JVM is  
> fabulous when coupled with a _decent_ language like JRuby.

Why is Java inconsistent?  
-no compatibility between built-in and complex types (missing operator  
overloading, complex datatype=dynamic memory…)  
-inconsistent containers in stdlib (compare the operations of a built-in  
array, a List and a Map)  
-Not as much OOP as in Ruby  
Of course C++ is also inconsistent, it is not so OOPish, but in my  
opinion it  
is easier to live with C++'s inconsistence, it is sometimes ugly, but it  
is at  
least no problem to change container-types or to switch between  
built-ins and  
complex types.

* * *

Operating System: GNU/Linux  
Kernel: Linux 2.6.31.8-0.1-default  
Distribution: openSuSE 11.2  
Qt: 4.6.2  
KDE: 4.4.62 (KDE 4.4.62 (KDE 4.5 \>= 20100203)) “release 2”  
KMail: 1.13.0

> **[The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement](http://www.gnu.org/)**
>
> Since 1983, developing the free Unix style operating system GNU, so that computer users can have the freedom to share and improve the software they use.

> **[Home](https://kde.org/)**
>
> KDE is an open community of friendly people who want to create a world in which everyone has control over their digital life and enjoys freedom and privacy.

[http://windows7sins.org/](http://windows7sins.org/)