From: Dave Burt <dave@...>
Date: 2006-02-27T17:58:36+09:00
Subject: Re: Curriculum for Teaching Ruby to C++ Professionals

Stephen Waits:
> So, I'm seeking advice on how to approach my presentation.
>
>     Duration: 90 minutes max
>     Audience: bright C/C++ programmers, many with Python experience
>     Goal: Teach the language rapidly, and Bedazzle

If they can have laptops, and be networked (802.11?) you can use DRb to 
great effect. Remember Why's presentation at FOSCON last year?

http://flickr.com/photos/scottlaird/31366765/ (note the screen in the 
background - I heard the audience controlled the colour of the rectangles 
there.)

You can do things like write classes on the fly and have the others use 
them. You can have their code affect the big screen.

As far as actual content is concerned... let me mention Matz' Ruby Users 
Guide, which I don't hear about too often. It covers Ruby well, and is 
brief.

http://www.ruby-doc.org/docs/UsersGuide/rg/

Then, there are a few Rubyists who have done presentations and blog posts on 
coming to Ruby from Java. They provide key points on Ruby idiom you may miss 
as a Java (or C++) programmer.

Jim Weirich's 10 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know About Ruby
http://onestepback.org/articles/10things/

Francis Hwang's blog: Coming to Ruby from Java
http://fhwang.net/blog/40.html

Cheers,
Dave