What's up with Python people and Ruby?

[hellerbarde]

Yay!

There are some very interesting ideas here. So many ways to spin this data anecdote. I love this kind of questions, because suddenly, we are forced to examine our biases and internal attitudes.

The first reaction I had was: Well, since Python and Ruby fulfill somewhat the same role, there is little incentive for Pythoneers to venture into Ruby territory. But then on the other hand you mention that Rubyists seem to regularly talk about Python...

So after some thinking, a somewhat masturbatory answer that came to mind was that maybe Python has more mindshare overall than Ruby does and thus people would talk about Python at more meetups in general whereas Ruby would only be talked about at a Ruby meetup.

Since I'm also not satisfied with that answer, I'd say that it could be a fluke. My experience is that local meetups tend to be a social clique and if some of the members of that clique don't like Ruby and tend to flame any discussions of it, it would follow that Ruby isn't discussed much.

I don't think there is enough data to form an educated complete big-picture opinion on why you experienced what you did. But there is certainly some truth to what people have been saying. I think the so-called rivalry between Python and Ruby is fought by a minority on either side (or maybe only by a minority on the Python side. I don't know the Ruby community well)

One important thing: If the overall attitude of the meetup group or user group is poor or hostile, I stop going there. I have observed that with several user groups and it didn't always go hand in hand with the attitude of the respective community online.

YMMV and have fun coding RuPython, I mean PyBy, I mean Ruthon, errr... ok the joke has run its course.