Start here to learn Ruby
Anthony N. Carrillo May 18, 2017, originally on medium
posted here on June 23, 2019
this article is subject to alteration *
History
Apparently it was created by a Japanese engineer by the name of Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto. Although it is considered “new”, new meaning 1994 (others say 1995). But you do realize that everyone born in 1994/5 can legally drink now right?
Matz wanted to create something that felt easy to use and was object orientated (OO). And apparently his choice came down to Coral or Ruby which I am still confused about. I think I would have done better with it. But apparently the story goes that he chose it do to a teammates birthstone. And thank God because Coral would have been a terrible. What color would they have used for the logo sickly orange?
One of the best things about the language is that is open and free (more on that later). Helping it to gain a wide usage and following soon after its creation around the globe. Even Chicago is considered a ruby town, and now that it is a major tech hub I would assume that it should help grow Ruby as well. While it is currently 11 on the Tiobe index if you look at it over the years it is once again on the rise. I’m also learning Ruby on Rails in tandem and I will probably write something on it exclusively soon.
Freedom! ^
Yes, that is what this language is about. Matz made sure to make Ruby a copyrighted FREE software so that anyone can alter and use it the way they wanted to. So, I’ll tell you up front, I’m all about the F-R-E-E. No, not in a free-aterian way, but in a FREE-ideas kind of way. Whether it be movies, music, or books. Whether it be Creative Commons or Copy Left. Open access to the internet and knowledge has been a deep part of my life and something that matters to me dearly.
One of the best quotes I saw was about the fact that Ruby is about seeing different paths to the goal. Where as in other coding languages, they focus on finding the best 1 path to the goal. Which to me runs more parallel to life than seeking out the 1 answer to rule them all. The challenge for creativity is baked into this coding language. And to make that is what will make all the difference in the long run. I hope that if I do create something that lasts in tech it will be in Ruby because
Easy is calming
One of the biggest strengths of this language is the ease of it and yes I totally see that as a beginner. Granted I do not think of myself as a expert, so take that with a grain of salt. But I have learned and am learning. And when I look at other coding languages like C or Regex or PHP, and I wonder how these coders can keep it straight. I got into coding to make my life easier and more lucrative. Honestly, who isn’t?
But ultimately the choice came down to what coding bootcamp I chose. And the main back-end coding language that we are taught is Ruby. So it was a package deal, but I don’t think it will be one that I regret
Here are some book lists (that I found to be pretty good).
And there will be further additions that will compliment this article. As I dig further into Ruby I am going to catalog the many facets of it. The following will be turned into links on this page.
- Ruby v Python
- Objects :1
- Methods :2
- Strings :3
And I wish you LUCK in your journey.
(Sources for this article below)
What’s So Great about Ruby on Rails |
https://www.quora.com/Whats-so-great-about-Ruby-on-Rails