From: Samantha <rubygeekgirl@...>
Date: 2007-02-20T10:28:02+09:00
Subject: Re: Adopt-a-newbie? Based on actual experience.

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On 2/19/07, James Edward Gray II <james@grayproductions.net> wrote:
>
> One of the downsides of a two-person chat, as opposed to asking a
> question here is that you don't get as much input.  I'm not saying
> that makes the mentoring idea bad, but I do think it's something we
> want to keep in mind.
>
> For example, in that transcript, Aur says:
>
> "YAML is really like XML... You can, if you want, do whatever XML
> thing you wanted but in YAML syntax..."
>
> I know the Ruby community is very pro YAML and really down on XML,
> but the fact remains that the have different purposes.  XML is a
> markup language.  It is for marking up content.  YAML is a data
> description language.  It's primarily used for serializing data into
> a human readable format.  These are different purposes.
>
> If you have trouble understanding the difference, try converting the
> home page of your web site into a reasonable YAML format.  It's a
> good exercise.
>
> I would likely favor XML as a format for my r=E9sum=E9, though that point
> is certainly debatable.
>
> James Edward Gray II
>

I agree, with a need for input that goes beyond the scope of a 1-on-1 chat.
I think that it's a situational basis; there will be times when I'm going t=
o
come to the list, times I'll go to someone off-list.

For example, I have been debating whether or not to post this here, or on
the Ruby on Rails forum, because I'm not quite sure that this fits into the
scope of just regular Ruby, although I'm sure it could.  It's more of a
database-thinking type of a deal... I consider this more of my home than I
do the Ruby on Rails forum, having only posted there a time or two.

I'm working with a few concepts that would be dealing with databases.  (As
seen in the convo between Aur and I.)  I'm really struggling with wrapping
my head around databases.  "What information should go into which table,"
type of stuff.  That has led me to search on concepts dealing with
databases... I was going to ask if anyone could point me in the direction o=
f
some good newbie database conceptual type material.  I've got a couple of
documents that deal with PHP and MySql, and some of them talk about databas=
e
programming and application development.  While I know that I don't have to
be the MySQLMaster, (or MySQLMistress, as the case would be), I think that
if I'm going to be tinkering with databases, I need to have an understandin=
g
of them.

That request for a point in the right direction isn't exactly Ruby related,
isn't exactly RoR related, but more database related.  Being that I feel
comfy here, I'm probably not going to go over to a MySQL forum and ask for
resources (although it would probably help), because a) I'm here, and b) th=
e
Ruby community would probably be more likely to point me in the right
direction for MySQL resources that may relate more to Ruby.

In any case, as usual, I am rambling.  It's been a long day and I've been
reading and studying for the past 8 hours.  My brain hurts. :)

--=20
Samantha

http://www.babygeek.org/

"Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Then all
things are at risk."
  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

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