From: James Britt <james_b@...>
Date: 2005-11-11T01:28:01+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby - Newbie to Guru - Advice?

Sean Hussey wrote:
> Alright, I've been bitten by the Ruby bug, but I haven't yet had that
> "Eureka!" moment that has me thinking in blocks and metaclasses.  I've
> read lots of documentation and articles, but I'm lacking in practical
> hands-on knowledge.
> 
> My question is, if you were stranded on a desert island (with a laptop
> and power supply), and you decided to use the time to become a Ruby
> guru:
> 
> What resources would you want with you?

Well, the most recent version of Programming Ruby.  It's bigger than the 
first edition, so it will burn longer and brighter, increasing my chance 
of being rescued.  (Try *that* with a PDF!)


> What types of programs would you want to attempt?
> What programming exercises would you want to help you practice new
> Ruby things as you learn them?
> How would keep track of (benchmark) your progress to know you were progressing?
> 
> Assume you have no Internet access, but you know the impending
> desertion is coming.  You'll have time to collect books, articles,
> code libraries and a why action figure before becoming shipwrecked and
> wishing you'd also packed sunscreen and a raft.
> 

I'd want the Ruby source code and Knuth's AOCP set, and work through that.

And Guy Decoux's brain in a jar.  Maybe see if I could hook up an 
Nitro+AJAX front end to it, make a Guy 2.0 Web app or something.


James

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