From: Chad Perrin <perrin@...>
Date: 2006-08-04T04:09:38+09:00
Subject: Re: I’m having a hard time learning ruby.

On Fri, Aug 04, 2006 at 03:05:41AM +0900, Nate Imaqaguy wrote:
> 
> My biggest hurdle getting started with ruby is finding which 
> methods/classes/files to call upon for whatever the heck I’m trying to 
> accomplish.
> 
> I’m use to being able to perform a search, like in MSDN Library, using 
> key words of something I’m trying to perform.  Then research results 
> from there, and get pointed in the right direction (with explanations on 
> what the feature does, and examples, etc).

That seems to be a common problem for languages I like: discoverability
sucks (relative to that in languages I don't like, unfortunately).  One
tends to end up needing to ask questions of people rather than simply
looking up the answers oneself, much of the time.  Somehow, I've managed
anyway.

It mostly sounds like what you need is a good reference, and not so much
an instructional book.  I hesitate to say "go spend money" -- it would
be awfully nice if there were a free solution to this problem.  I don't
really see such a thing available, though.  As such, perhaps you should
look into getting O'Reilly's "Ruby In A Nutshell".  The Nutshell series
of books from O'Reilly are designed specifically as references full of
listings of the options available, with brief descriptions, presented in
a non-tutorial, searchable manner.  If you get an O'Reilly CD Bookshelf
for subjects of interest, you'll likely end up with a digital copy of
the Nutshell reference for that subject matter, which makes it even more
searchable.  I don't even know whether there's a CD Bookshelf for Ruby,
though, unfortunately.


> 
> So, with ruby, I’m using the SciTE editor (on WinXP), which doesn’t give 
> method options as you go.  Yeah, I know they are kinda like training 
> wheels, but they help when you’re starting out.

On the rare occasion when I find myself forced to work with text files
of any sort (source code, notes to self, et cetera) on a Windows
machine, SciTE is definitely my preferred way to do it.  It's an
excellent programming, and general purpose, text editor.  The fact that
it's not designed by someone who's trying to push a programming language
"product", however, ensures it's not going to be encumbered by language
documentation.  The lack of such does have its downside.

I wish I had more useful advice to offer on the subject.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
"The measure on a man's real character is what he would do
if he knew he would never be found out." - Thomas McCauley