programming languages

Rank

C vs Ruby

  1. This is a low level language

    92% 8%
    C 316 out of 342 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  2. I learned this language early in my career as a programmer

    90% 10%
    C 144 out of 160 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  3. Writing code in this language is a lot of work

    89% 11%
    C 298 out of 332 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  4. I would use this language for writing programs for an embedded hardware platform

    89% 11%
    C 243 out of 271 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  5. This language makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot

    88% 12%
    C 196 out of 221 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  6. Programs written in this language tend to be efficient

    88% 12%
    C 298 out of 337 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  7. This language is suitable for real-time applications

    87% 13%
    C 232 out of 265 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  8. This language is likely to be around for a very long time

    87% 13%
    C 245 out of 281 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  9. I would use this language for writing embedded programs

    86% 14%
    C 72 out of 83 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  10. This language has a strong static type system

    85% 15%
    C 285 out of 333 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  11. This language allows me to write programs where I know exactly what they are doing under the hood

    85% 15%
    C 271 out of 317 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  12. I use many applications written in this language

    82% 18%
    C 270 out of 326 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  13. This is a mainstream language

    82% 18%
    C 115 out of 140 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  14. This language is good for numeric computing

    81% 19%
    C 197 out of 242 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  15. Code written in this language tends to be verbose

    81% 19%
    C 266 out of 328 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  16. This language is minimal

    79% 21%
    C 230 out of 291 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  17. This language is good for scientific computing

    77% 23%
    C 243 out of 312 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  18. There are many good commercial tools for this language

    76% 24%
    C 222 out of 289 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  19. Programs written in this language will usually work in future versions of the language

    76% 24%
    C 234 out of 307 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  20. There is a lot of accidental complexity when writing code in this language

    75% 25%
    C 237 out of 316 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  21. This language has a high quality implementation

    75% 25%
    C 111 out of 148 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  22. This language is unusually bad for beginners

    73% 27%
    C 241 out of 327 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  23. I find it easy to write efficient code in this language

    72% 28%
    C 249 out of 342 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  24. The thought that I may still be using this language in twenty years time fills me with dread

    72% 28%
    C 205 out of 283 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  25. I use a lot of code written in this language which I really don't want to have to make changes to

    71% 29%
    C 70 out of 98 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  26. It's unusual for me to discover unfamiliar features

    71% 29%
    C 219 out of 307 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  27. Programs written in this language tend to play well with others

    70% 30%
    C 211 out of 300 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  28. Developers who primarily use this language often burn out after a few years

    69% 31%
    C 148 out of 212 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  29. This language is built on a small core of orthogonal features

    69% 31%
    C 161 out of 231 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  30. This language has an annoying syntax

    69% 31%
    C 107 out of 155 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  31. There is a wide variety of open source code written in this language

    65% 35%
    C 202 out of 307 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  32. This language has a very rigid idea of how things should be done

    65% 35%
    C 216 out of 329 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  33. I often feel like I am not smart enough to write this language

    64% 36%
    C 76 out of 117 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  34. I would recommend most programmers learn this language, regardless of whether they have a specific need for it

    64% 36%
    C 111 out of 171 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  35. If this language didn't exist, I would have trouble finding a satisfactory replacement

    64% 36%
    C 159 out of 246 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  36. I often get angry when writing code in this language

    63% 37%
    C 75 out of 118 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  37. I would use this language for mobile applications

    62% 38%
    C 209 out of 333 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  38. If my code in this language successfully compiles, there is a good chance my code is correct.

    62% 38%
    C 82 out of 131 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  39. This language has a niche outside of which I would not use it

    59% 41%
    C 178 out of 300 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  40. There are many good tools for this language

    59% 41%
    C 193 out of 327 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  41. This language is well documented

    57% 43%
    C 185 out of 319 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  42. This language is frequently used for applications it isn't suitable for

    57% 43%
    C 145 out of 251 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  43. This language excels at concurrency

    57% 43%
    C 169 out of 296 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  44. I know this language well

    57% 43%
    C 1655 out of 2899 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  45. This language matches it's problem domain particularly well.

    56% 44%
    C 61 out of 108 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  46. I know many other people who use this language

    56% 44%
    C 185 out of 330 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  47. When I run into problems my colleagues can provide me with immediate help with this language

    55% 45%
    C 159 out of 288 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  48. This language has a very coherent design

    54% 46%
    C 151 out of 276 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  49. I would list this language on my resume

    54% 46%
    C 147 out of 270 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  50. Learning this language improved my ability as a programmer

    53% 47%
    C 186 out of 345 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  51. It is too easy to write code in this language that looks like it does one thing but actually does something else

    51% 49%
    C 126 out of 243 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  52. Third-party libraries are readily available, well-documented, and of high quality

    51% 49%
    C 167 out of 323 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  53. I usually use this language on projects with many other members

    50% 50%
    C 158 out of 313 picked C over Ruby Ruby

  54. This language has a niche in which it is great

    49% 51%
    C 163 out of 323 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  55. The resources for learning this language are of high quality

    49% 51%
    C 152 out of 301 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  56. There are many good open-source tools for this language

    48% 52%
    C 165 out of 319 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  57. I am reluctant to admit to knowing this language

    47% 53%
    C 136 out of 259 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  58. Code written in this language tends to be very reliable

    47% 53%
    C 160 out of 304 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  59. I can imagine this will be a popular language in twenty years time

    46% 54%
    C 149 out of 279 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  60. I would use this language for writing server programs

    45% 55%
    C 179 out of 328 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  61. This language is good for distributed computing

    43% 57%
    C 168 out of 297 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  62. Learning this language significantly changed how I use other languages.

    43% 57%
    C 90 out of 158 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  63. This language is best for very large projects

    42% 58%
    C 170 out of 298 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  64. Libraries in this language tend to be well documented.

    42% 58%
    C 80 out of 140 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  65. It is easy to debug programs written in this language when it goes wrong

    41% 59%
    C 177 out of 305 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  66. This language is easier to use for it's problem domain by removing unneeded expressiveness (such as not being Turing complete).

    41% 59%
    C 43 out of 73 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  67. I am sometimes embarrassed to admit to my peers that I know this language

    40% 60%
    C 135 out of 228 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  68. I enjoy playing with this language but would never use it for "real code"

    39% 61%
    C 165 out of 274 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  69. This language has a wide variety of agreed-upon conventions, which are generally adhered to reasonably well, and which increase my productivity

    39% 61%
    C 185 out of 304 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  70. This language has a very dogmatic community

    38% 62%
    C 181 out of 296 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  71. Code written in this language will usually run in all the major implementations if it runs in one of them.

    38% 62%
    C 73 out of 119 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  72. When I write code in this language I can be very sure it is correct

    37% 63%
    C 187 out of 300 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  73. I would use this language to write a command-line app

    37% 63%
    C 222 out of 355 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  74. I regularly use this language

    36% 64%
    C 232 out of 368 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  75. I can imagine using this language in my day job

    36% 64%
    C 234 out of 371 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  76. I would use this language for a desktop GUI project

    34% 66%
    C 244 out of 375 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  77. This language is likely to have a strong influence on future languages

    33% 67%
    C 179 out of 271 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  78. I usually use this language on solo projects

    33% 67%
    C 217 out of 324 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  79. This language has well-organized libraries with consistent, carefully thought-out interfaces

    32% 68%
    C 164 out of 242 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  80. It is easy to tell at a glance what code in this language does

    32% 68%
    C 228 out of 336 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  81. I would like to write more of this language than I currently do

    30% 70%
    C 225 out of 325 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  82. I often write things in this language with the intent of rewriting them in something else later

    30% 70%
    C 147 out of 212 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  83. This language has many features which feel "tacked on"

    30% 70%
    C 170 out of 245 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  84. Code written in this language tends to be terse

    29% 71%
    C 242 out of 341 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  85. This language is good for beginners

    27% 73%
    C 231 out of 319 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  86. The semantics of this language are much different than other languages I know.

    27% 73%
    C 95 out of 131 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  87. This language has a good community

    27% 73%
    C 235 out of 323 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  88. This language encourages writing code that is easy to maintain.

    26% 74%
    C 112 out of 152 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  89. I still discover new features of this language on a fairly regular basis

    26% 74%
    C 185 out of 251 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  90. I use this language out of choice

    26% 74%
    C 201 out of 272 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  91. This language is large

    25% 75%
    C 186 out of 251 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  92. I enjoy using this language

    24% 76%
    C 270 out of 359 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  93. This language encourages writing reusable code.

    24% 76%
    C 110 out of 146 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  94. This language is best for very small projects

    22% 78%
    C 234 out of 302 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  95. I rarely have difficulty abstracting patterns I find in my code

    22% 78%
    C 240 out of 309 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  96. I find code written in this language very elegant

    22% 78%
    C 272 out of 350 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  97. This language excels at symbolic manipulation

    22% 78%
    C 215 out of 276 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  98. Code written in this language is very readable

    19% 81%
    C 270 out of 335 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  99. This language is very flexible

    18% 82%
    C 278 out of 340 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  100. This language is likely to be a passing fad

    16% 84%
    C 188 out of 226 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  101. This language would be good for teaching children to write software

    16% 84%
    C 124 out of 149 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  102. This language has unusual features that I often miss when using other languages

    16% 84%
    C 221 out of 264 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  103. This language excels at text processing

    14% 86%
    C 267 out of 311 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  104. This language is expressive

    13% 87%
    C 284 out of 330 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  105. I find this language easy to prototype in

    11% 89%
    C 298 out of 337 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  106. This language has a good library distribution mechanism.

    11% 89%
    C 107 out of 121 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  107. I would use this language as a scripting language embedded inside a larger application

    9% 91%
    C 256 out of 284 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  108. I would use this language for a web project

    9% 91%
    C 305 out of 338 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  109. This is a high level language

    8% 92%
    C 320 out of 350 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  110. I would use this language for casual scripting

    8% 92%
    C 294 out of 320 picked Ruby over C Ruby

  111. This language is well suited for an agile development approach using short iterations.

    6% 94%
    C 136 out of 145 picked Ruby over C Ruby

What's going on here?

The absolute rankings are interesting for large scale comparisons but when you want to know about two specific languages it's much more informative to look at how the two fare when they go directly head to head.

Here are all the statements which we've got enough comparisons between C and Ruby to be meaningful and which of the two our users picked.

The order in which we're presenting them is a little arbitrary (sorry), but we've tried to put the things which they're both good at first so as to give you the most interesting picture of it.