Ruby Thought Process

10726789.gifOne of my favorite computer book of all time is “Object-Oriented Thought Process” by Matt Weisfeld. This book, in its first edition, helped this old C programmer overcome bad habits and truly reap all the benefits of object oriented programming. It’s really true that you have to change the way you think, not just learn a new syntax.

As I make my transition to Ruby, I still find myself thinking in C (when I refer to C, I’m referring to C, C++, Java, and C#). It’s just like learning a new language. You think of what to say in one language, a native language, and then translate in your head. I can vaguely remember (it’s been so long) when I came to US, I thought of what to say in Korean, translate into English, and then say it. That’s why you see so many foreigners saying things that just do not make any sense in context. However, it makes a perfect sense when translated to their own native language.

I’ve always been a native C programmer even when I programmed in VB. Now that I think about it, all my complaints about VB are due to the fact that I was still programming in C and VB was a translation. It’s very clear that in order to be proficient at Ruby, I need to change my thought process. Just as I became a native English speaker (didn’t take long when you’re that young), I need to become a native speaker of Ruby.

February 10, 2007 | Filed Under Rant

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One Response to “Ruby Thought Process”

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