

Ruby vs. Python - A n00b's perspective - ajwinn
http://futurefun.tumblr.com/post/31711240986/ruby-vs-python-part-1

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heydonovan
The way Ruby handles string interpolation (evaluating code inside a string) is
what pushed me to learn Ruby. It was the only way that made sense to me. Also,
completely disagree with your first comment. When reading my code out loud,
saying "print" makes me think of a printer, which doesn't make sense to me.
Puts, as in, put string, describes exactly what is happening, as you're
"putting" a "string" on the screen.

~~~
dalke
The 'print' metaphor is a remnant of history. Programming used to be done on a
teletype terminal, like this one:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_33> . You would work with a
teletype printer, so 'print' means, quite literally, "print using the
printer."

Other words with similar heritage are 'tty', which is short for "TeleTYpe",
and 'terminal', since you were working with a teletype terminal. One could use
"glass tty" to distinguish between a physical printer-based terminal and a CRT
screen-based one. That terminology is almost never used these days.

When you use the word "print", you are asking Python do to the modern
equivalent of sending text to the teletype terminal's printer. So I see
"puts", the part of me which knows history wonders if it's also possible to
put the text to a GUI, or to a web browser, or to something other than a
terminal-like object.

