# Why should I add Ruby to my programming toolbox **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [March 21, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-should-i-add-ruby-to-my-programming-toolbox/262627 "2022-03-21T16:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nealrm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@nealrm](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nealrm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-should-i-add-ruby-to-my-programming-toolbox/262627/1 "2022-03-21T16:49:49Z")
I am currently taking a bootcamp to add Ruby for Rails to my programming toolbox (I already know several others). I am really starting to question if I want to continue. Is the language as quirky as it initially appears? All languages have their pros and cons, but it appears that I am missing something with Ruby. I keep hearing that it is a “fun” language and you can program as you speak. But all I am seeing is weird wording, non-standard term usage, and internally inconsistent coding. Does it get better with use? What am I missing? Is it worth it? ---
**Author:** ![delon](https://www.ruby-forum.com/user_avatar/www.ruby-forum.com/delon/32/2957_2.png) [@delon](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/delon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-should-i-add-ruby-to-my-programming-toolbox/262627/2 "2026-09-12T19:33:02Z")
Preferences with programming languages are to a large extent a matter of taste. Of course, one can “acquire” a taste of something if they give it enough time. That’s what happened for me with Ruby for example. What about the language seems odd to you? What languages have you used so far that you’re comparing it to? ---
**Author:** ![AndyMaleh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/user_avatar/www.ruby-forum.com/andymaleh/32/2475_2.png) [@AndyMaleh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/AndyMaleh)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 4:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-should-i-add-ruby-to-my-programming-toolbox/262627/3 "2026-09-14T04:27:26Z")
That’s not true at all from a Software Engineering point of view. Every programming languages has pros, cons, and trade-offs, plus specific situations where it is the best fit. For example, building operating system kernel libraries needs low-level languages like C, C++, or Swift, building scripts needs a dynamically typed or untyped language like Bash, Perl, or Ruby. Servers that require high throughput at a very large scale could benefit from languages like Java and C#. It really depends on the problem. Not all programming languages are created equal at all. Ruby is the cream of the crop when it comes to high-level dynamically typed languages for business domain modelling and problem solving when algorithms aren’t very performance sensitive. Otherwise, it would be recommended to mix Ruby with other programming languages. Fundamentally though, if we were to make all Python, JavaScript, and Ruby libraries available in any of those languages, Ruby is easily the most expressive and fluent of them with the most readable English-like code. It objectively needs the simplest code with the best readability to solve problems. That said, I’d use Crystal or Java if performance intensive algorithms are involved because they’re statically typed and can better optimize performance as a result. I’d use a lower level language if I needed to build operating system hardware drivers. So, in summary, a Software Engineer has to consider the pros, cons, and trade-offs they care about for the problems they’re solving before they could pick the best programming language to use. And, Ruby definitely excels in certain areas for certain problems in ways that beat the competition objectively. ---
**Author:** ![alexanderevans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@alexanderevans](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/alexanderevans)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/why-should-i-add-ruby-to-my-programming-toolbox/262627/4 "2026-11-12T18:30:47Z")
Some of the quirkiness is Ruby’s deliberate flexibility: blocks, implicit returns, symbols, and method names ending in ? or ! are conventions that make Rails DSLs read like English. If you’re coming from Python or JavaScript, Ruby’s Enumerable and block syntax are genuinely pleasant once they click. A lot of what looks inconsistent in a Rails bootcamp is Rails’ metaprogramming and DSL magic, not core Ruby. Pick one style guide early and avoid treating every valid alternative as a rule—that helps Ruby feel less arbitrary.