However the world has moved on to Python. So I curse every time I again have to look up how subprocess works for what I'd do in Perl with backticks.
My use case was for scripting git operations. And the list of target environments included Windows.
So no, that wouldn't have worked for me.
It supports mac, Linux and windows.
I think that's the main thing preventing one from using ruby like this. It is otherwise preferable in pretty much every way.
Perl is kind of pre-installed on virtually every Unix-like system for what are at this point historical/legacy reasons. It is unlikely any other language can ever achieve this at this point.
Sure, I could probably install Ruby on any machine I want it, but it's not just technical availability. Socially, Perl serves as a quite obvious Schelling point. I don't have to convince four other people to learn Ruby, because Perl is what everyone would gravitate to even in isolation, again because it's just... there.
(That said in recent years I've had to switch to Python for some things aimed at a younger audience. Oh well.)
[0] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-note...
Disclosure: I'm the author.
