Results

➜  foo git:(master) ./sequential.rb 
Finished in 1.293349
➜  foo git:(master) ./sequential.py 
Finished in 2.837504
➜  foo git:(master) ./threads.rb 
Finished in 1.272466
➜  foo git:(master) ./threads.py 
Finished in 3.681996

sequential.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

from time import time

COUNT = 50000000

def countdown(n):
  while n > 0:
    n -= 1

start = time()

countdown(50000000)

print("Finished in %f" % (time() - start))

sequential.rb

#!/usr/bin/env ruby

COUNT = 50000000

count = proc do |n|
  while n > 0 do
    n -= 1
  end
end

start = Time.now

count.call(COUNT)

puts "Finished in #{Time.now - start}"

threads.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

from threading import Thread
from time import time

COUNT = 50000000

def countdown(n):
  while n > 0:
    n -= 1

start = time()

t1 = Thread(target=countdown, args=(COUNT // 2,))
t2 = Thread(target=countdown, args=(COUNT // 2,))

t1.start(); t2.start()
t1.join(); t2.join()

print("Finished in %f" % (time() - start))

threads.rb

#!/usr/bin/env ruby

COUNT = 50000000

count = proc do |n|
  while n > 0 do
    n -= 1
  end
end

start = Time.now

t1 = Thread.new { count.call(COUNT / 2) }
t2 = Thread.new { count.call(COUNT / 2) }

t1.join; t2.join

puts "Finished in #{Time.now - start}"