programming languages

Rank

Python vs Ruby

  1. This language is good for scientific computing

    78% 22%
    Python 190 out of 242 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  2. This language is good for numeric computing

    78% 22%
    Python 145 out of 185 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  3. Programs written in this language tend to be efficient

    76% 24%
    Python 198 out of 259 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    75% 25%
    Python 165 out of 219 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  5. This is a mainstream language

    73% 27%
    Python 90 out of 123 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    72% 28%
    Python 188 out of 259 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  7. I would use this language for writing embedded programs

    72% 28%
    Python 45 out of 62 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  8. This language is well documented

    72% 28%
    Python 178 out of 247 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  9. This language is best for very large projects

    70% 30%
    Python 156 out of 220 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    70% 30%
    Python 147 out of 208 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  11. This is a low level language

    70% 30%
    Python 185 out of 262 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    70% 30%
    Python 90 out of 128 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    69% 31%
    Python 164 out of 235 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    69% 31%
    Python 179 out of 259 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  15. This language is good for beginners

    69% 31%
    Python 172 out of 249 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    68% 32%
    Python 91 out of 133 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  17. This language has a strong static type system

    67% 33%
    Python 172 out of 255 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  18. This language has a high quality implementation

    67% 33%
    Python 87 out of 129 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    66% 34%
    Python 166 out of 248 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  20. There are many good commercial tools for this language

    66% 34%
    Python 149 out of 223 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    66% 34%
    Python 158 out of 237 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  22. This language is suitable for real-time applications

    66% 34%
    Python 137 out of 206 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    66% 34%
    Python 93 out of 140 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  24. I would use this language for mobile applications

    65% 35%
    Python 171 out of 263 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    64% 36%
    Python 78 out of 121 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    64% 36%
    Python 163 out of 253 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    64% 36%
    Python 147 out of 229 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  28. I use many applications written in this language

    63% 37%
    Python 151 out of 237 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    63% 37%
    Python 67 out of 106 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  30. This language is good for distributed computing

    63% 37%
    Python 142 out of 225 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    63% 37%
    Python 145 out of 230 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  32. Code written in this language tends to be verbose

    62% 38%
    Python 163 out of 259 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    62% 38%
    Python 185 out of 296 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    62% 38%
    Python 108 out of 174 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    61% 39%
    Python 119 out of 192 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    61% 39%
    Python 151 out of 244 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  37. Code written in this language is very readable

    61% 39%
    Python 169 out of 276 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    61% 39%
    Python 152 out of 249 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    60% 40%
    Python 137 out of 227 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    60% 40%
    Python 142 out of 236 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  41. This language excels at concurrency

    59% 41%
    Python 134 out of 224 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  42. I would use this language for writing server programs

    59% 41%
    Python 144 out of 242 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    59% 41%
    Python 77 out of 130 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    59% 41%
    Python 164 out of 277 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    59% 41%
    Python 156 out of 264 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    59% 41%
    Python 62 out of 105 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  47. This language has a very coherent design

    59% 41%
    Python 121 out of 205 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    59% 41%
    Python 131 out of 222 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    58% 42%
    Python 56 out of 95 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    58% 42%
    Python 136 out of 233 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  51. This language encourages writing reusable code.

    58% 42%
    Python 67 out of 115 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    58% 42%
    Python 144 out of 248 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  53. I know many other people who use this language

    57% 43%
    Python 150 out of 259 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  54. I know this language well

    57% 43%
    Python 1447 out of 2511 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  55. There are many good tools for this language

    57% 43%
    Python 137 out of 240 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    56% 44%
    Python 125 out of 220 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  57. This language is minimal

    56% 44%
    Python 129 out of 228 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  58. I find this language easy to prototype in

    56% 44%
    Python 153 out of 272 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    55% 45%
    Python 167 out of 299 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    55% 45%
    Python 130 out of 236 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  61. I would use this language for casual scripting

    54% 46%
    Python 145 out of 267 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    54% 46%
    Python 140 out of 258 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    54% 46%
    Python 131 out of 242 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    53% 47%
    Python 100 out of 186 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  65. I regularly use this language

    53% 47%
    Python 156 out of 294 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    52% 48%
    Python 87 out of 165 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  67. I would list this language on my resume

    51% 49%
    Python 107 out of 206 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  68. This language has a good community

    51% 49%
    Python 130 out of 252 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

  69. I usually use this language on solo projects

    51% 49%
    Python 124 out of 243 picked Python over Ruby Ruby

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

    49% 51%
    Python 126 out of 250 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  71. This language is large

    49% 51%
    Python 99 out of 195 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    48% 52%
    Python 114 out of 221 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  73. This language has a very dogmatic community

    48% 52%
    Python 114 out of 221 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  74. I enjoy using this language

    47% 53%
    Python 161 out of 309 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  75. This language is best for very small projects

    47% 53%
    Python 117 out of 224 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    46% 54%
    Python 85 out of 159 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  77. Learning this language improved my ability as a programmer

    46% 54%
    Python 146 out of 271 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    45% 55%
    Python 35 out of 64 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  79. This language excels at text processing

    45% 55%
    Python 128 out of 234 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  80. I use this language out of choice

    45% 55%
    Python 122 out of 223 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  81. This language excels at symbolic manipulation

    45% 55%
    Python 118 out of 215 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  82. I am reluctant to admit to knowing this language

    44% 56%
    Python 109 out of 198 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    44% 56%
    Python 110 out of 199 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    44% 56%
    Python 73 out of 132 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    44% 56%
    Python 101 out of 182 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    44% 56%
    Python 50 out of 90 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  87. This language has an annoying syntax

    44% 56%
    Python 74 out of 133 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    43% 57%
    Python 133 out of 237 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  89. I find code written in this language very elegant

    42% 58%
    Python 170 out of 297 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    42% 58%
    Python 134 out of 234 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  91. I would use this language for a web project

    42% 58%
    Python 157 out of 274 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    41% 59%
    Python 66 out of 113 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    41% 59%
    Python 113 out of 193 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    41% 59%
    Python 119 out of 202 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    40% 60%
    Python 144 out of 244 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    40% 60%
    Python 113 out of 190 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    40% 60%
    Python 117 out of 196 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    40% 60%
    Python 123 out of 206 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    39% 61%
    Python 97 out of 161 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  100. This is a high level language

    39% 61%
    Python 173 out of 286 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  101. This language has a good library distribution mechanism.

    38% 62%
    Python 65 out of 106 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    38% 62%
    Python 70 out of 114 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    37% 63%
    Python 67 out of 108 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    36% 64%
    Python 146 out of 229 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  105. This language is expressive

    35% 65%
    Python 176 out of 274 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  106. This language is unusually bad for beginners

    35% 65%
    Python 159 out of 247 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    33% 67%
    Python 76 out of 115 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  108. Code written in this language tends to be terse

    33% 67%
    Python 178 out of 269 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

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

    31% 69%
    Python 131 out of 192 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  110. This language is very flexible

    28% 72%
    Python 185 out of 257 picked Ruby over Python Ruby

  111. This language is likely to be a passing fad

    26% 74%
    Python 134 out of 183 picked Ruby over Python 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 Python 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.