Update on Me

A quick update for what it’s worth.

Python vs Ruby - who will win.

Recently I’ve decided I need to add another language to my list, the candidates being Python and Ruby.

Originally I picked up the book, Rails for Java Developers. It gets straight to the point and only includes the details you need to know, probably not for a beginner but it says that in the title. After reading this book I really like the syntax/feel of Ruby, it just strikes me as a very well designed language with the everythings-an-object approach and lots of functional programming bits. I still can’t think of any real problems with the language, maybe just that it’s a bit popular/trendy at the moment.

Python on the other hand, doesn’t feel quite as nice syntactically as Ruby. For instance what’s up with the self as the first argument, seems like a dirty great bit wart on an otherwise nice language. I suppose you’ll get used to it. The upsides for Python really center around the size of the community, quality of the libraries and the Google factor (incase I land a job at Google it would be nice to know the language).

So currently I’m using Python to build a simple compiler for a toy language and doing some reading up on Django.

Regarding the site in general, I’m doing a bit of design work using Rapid Weaver to try and give it a nicer look and feel. It’s coming along but I’m still not 100% convinced that I need to get specific software for the job.

Guitar butchery 101 - how to sound awful and have fun trying. I’ve picked up a cheapish learners guitar and have started learning some chords and songs via online lessions. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while so it’s nice to finally get around to it. Now to get good at it :-)

FP-Syd: I’ve missed the last couple of meetups due to bad health, but I was finally able to get back to it this month. The highlight was Manuel Chakravarty’s presentation on Data Parallel Haskell. He’s such an energetic and passionate presenter that you can’t help but get caught-up in the talk , the slides should be posted to the google group sometime soon.

So much for the 1 post per month goal for this year, maybe next year.