From: dblack@...
Date: 2006-01-26T00:46:49+09:00
Subject: Re: Rails, how do people figure out how to use it?

Hi --

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006, anne001 wrote:

> Is rails only for web developers and programmers? How much do you need
> to know to have a remote chance of trying this program? Just curious

To answer the question in your subject line, on my own behalf: I was
fortunate enough to have my first attempts at Rails take place while
David Heinemeier Hansson was sitting behind me at a conference
answering my questions on a private IRC channel.  (Yes, I know it's
bad manners for the conference organizers, of which I was one, to chat
during people's talks.  I usually don't -- I just couldn't resist :-)

Anyway... the kinds of questions you're asking are, in my experience,
probably indeed best answered on IRC, where someone can suggest a
small fix and you can try it out and see if it works on the spot.  The
Rails channel is #rubyonrails on irc.freenode.net.

Rails is a Web development framework, so by definition it's for Web
developers.  On the other hand, the barriers to entry are relatively
low, and once you get one application working you can experiment and
learn simultaneously.


David

-- 
David A. Black
dblack@wobblini.net

"Ruby for Rails", from Manning Publications, coming April 2006!
http://www.manning.com/books/black