

Static type system over dynamic language - short stories. - kailuowang
http://kailuowang.blogspot.com/2013/06/static-type-system-over-dynamic.html

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gerner
I'm really glad to hear someone talk about the development/debug advantages of
static typing. I work in a mixed java/ruby/python shop and issues with typing
come up all the time. We catch so many bugs during java compilation that we
can't see in ruby/python.

Sure, if you've got great test coverage, you get that with test automation.
But I can't tell you how many refactors with "reasonable" (< 100%) test
coverage went flawlessly in java with just a compile/fix-compilation-errors
loop. I think this is much easier than a run-tests/fix-bugs approach with a
type-free language. This is especially true when you've got maturing code and
lots of ownership hand-offs.

Any tips on static analysis for ruby/python out there for a curmudgeonly java
dev?

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kailuowang
Thanks for sharing your experience. I don't have much experience with static
analysis with ruby except the ones from rubymine - it checks for some easy
errors, and it's real time which is good. but I think you still need to rely
mainly on tests.

