From: Robert Linder Date: 2001-11-21T07:38:44+09:00 Subject: [ruby-talk:25952] Re: RUBY NEWSGROUP FAQ -- Welcome to comp.lang.ruby! (Revised 2001-11-08) [ruby-talk:25946] Re: ANN: regex engine development (was: Re: Why not xmlparser?) is repeating , I got 26 copies in the last 2 mins. I do not have a big enough mailbox for this junk. If it does not stop, I have to remove myself from this mailing list thanks you ----- Original Message ----- From: "Conrad Schneiker" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ruby To: "ruby-talk ML" ; Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 02:24 Subject: [ruby-talk:24640] RUBY NEWSGROUP FAQ -- Welcome to comp.lang.ruby! (Revised 2001-11-08) > RUBY NEWSGROUP FAQ -- Welcome to comp.lang.ruby! (Revised 2001-11-08) > > This FAQ contains information for those who want to: > > 1) learn more about Ruby, and want to > 2) post to comp.lang.ruby or to the ruby-lang mail list, or want to > 3) provide anonymous feedback to help us improve Ruby. > > This FAQ is normally posted every 2 weeks or so. > > TABLE OF CONTENTS > > 1 About Ruby. > 1.1 What is Ruby? > 1.2 Where can I find out more about Ruby? > 2 About comp.lang.ruby. > 2.1 Tell me about comp.lang.ruby. > 2.2 Tell me the posting guidelines for comp.lang.ruby. > 2.3 Tell me about the prolific Matz poster. > 3. Anything else? > > 1 About Ruby. > > 1.1 What is Ruby? > > Ruby is a very high level, fully OO programming language. Indeed, > Ruby is one of the relatively few pure OO languages. Yet despite > its conceptual simplicity, Ruby is still a powerful and practical > "industrial strength" development language. > > Ruby selectively integrates many good ideas taken from Perl, > Python, Smalltalk, Eiffel, ADA, Clu, and Lisp. (Ruby is more > fully OO than Python in so far as basic types such as hashes can > be subclassed. See Ruby FAQ 1.4.) Ruby combines these ideas in a > natural, well-coordinated system that embodies the principles of > least effort and least surprise to a substantially greater extent > than most comparable languages--i.e. you get more bang for your > buck, and what you write is more likely to give you what you > expected to get. Ruby is thus a relatively easy to learn, easy to > read, and easy to maintain language, yet it is very powerful and > sophisticated. > > In addition to common OO features, Ruby also has threads, > singleton methods, mix-ins, fully integrated closures and > iterators, plus proper meta-classes. Ruby has a true > mark-and-sweep garbage collector, which makes code more reliable > and simplifies writing extensions. In summary, Ruby provides a > very powerful and very easy to deploy "standing on the shoulders > of giants" OO scaffolding/framework so that you can more quickly > and easily build what you want to build, to do what you want to > do. > > You will find many former (and current) Perl, Python, Java, and > C++ users on comp.lang.ruby that can help you get up to speed in > Ruby. > > Finally, Ruby is an "open source" development programming > language. > > 1.2 Where can I find out more about Ruby? > > Ruby's home web site: > > http://www.ruby-lang.org/en (Ruby English language home page.) > > Follow the links to documentation, downloads, the Ruby > Application Archive, the Ruby mail list archives, and lots > of other interesting information. > > Ruby's other major on-line documentation and links site: > > http://www.rubycentral.com > > Ruby FAQ: > > http://www.rubycentral.com/faq/ > > Ruby User's Guide (introductory tutorial): > > http://www.ruby-lang.org/~slagell/ruby/ > > Ruby Reference Manual: > > http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/doc.html > > Ruby classes, modules, and methods reference: > > http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ > > English language Ruby books (author alpha order): > > Ruby In A Nutshell > by Yukihiro Matsumoto > O'Reilly & Associates; ISBN: 0596002149 (November, 2001) > > Programming Ruby, A Pragmatic Guide > by Dave Thomas and Andrew Hunt > Addison Wesley; ISBN: 0201710897 (2000) > Internet version: http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ > Eratta: http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/ruby/errata.html > > Forthcoming English language Ruby books (author alpha order): > > The Ruby Way > by Hal Fulton > Sams; ISBN: 0672320835 (December, 2001) > > The Ruby Programming Language > by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto and Keiju Ishitsuka > Addison Wesley Professional; ISBN: 020171096X (June, 2002) > > Ruby Developer's Guide > by Michael Neumann, Robert Feldt, Lyle Johnson > Publishers Group West; ISBN: 1928994644 (December, 2001) > > Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days > by Mark Slagell > Sams; ISBN: 0672322528 (January, 2002) > > Forthcoming German language Ruby books (author alpha order): > > Programmieren mit Ruby > by Armin R�hrl, Stefan Schmiedl, Clemens Wyss, etc. > dpunkt.de; ISBN 3898641511 (February, 2002) > > Search past postings to comp.lang.ruby or the ruby-lang mail list > (which have been mirrored to each other since mid-2000): > > http://www.deja.com/home_ps.shtml > (Enter comp.lang.ruby in the "forum" entry field.) > > http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/ruby/ruby-talk/index.shtml > > Local Ruby users and groups in your area: > > http://www.pragprog.com/ruby?RubyUserGroups > > 2 About comp.lang.ruby. > > 2.1 Tell me about comp.lang.ruby. > > comp.lang.ruby was officially approved in early May, 2000. Here > is the official charter: > > CHARTER: comp.lang.ruby > > The comp.lang.ruby newsgroup is devoted to discussions of the > Ruby programming language and related issues. > > Examples of relevant postings include, but are not be limited > to, the following subjects: > > - Bug reports > - Announcements of software written with Ruby > - Examples of Ruby code > - Suggestions for Ruby developers > - Requests for help from new Ruby programmers > > The newsgroup is not moderated. Binaries are prohibited > (except the small PGP type). Advertising is prohibited (except > for announcements of new Ruby-related products). > > END CHARTER. > > 2.2 Tell me the posting guidelines for comp.lang.ruby. > > (You should also follow these guidelines for the ruby-list mail > list, since it is mirrored to comp.lang.ruby.) > > (1) ALWAYS be friendly, considerate, tactful, and tasteful. We > want to keep this forum hospitable to the growing ranks of > newbies, very young people, and their teachers, as well as > cater to fire breathing wizards. :-) > > (2) Keep your content relevant and easy to follow. Try to keep > your content brief and to the point, but also try to include > all relevant information. > > (a) The general format guidelines (aka USENET Netiquette) are > matters of common sense and common courtesy that make life > easier for 3rd parties to follow along (in real time or > when perusing archives): > > - PLEASE NOTE! Include quoted text from previous posts > *BEFORE* your responses. And *selectively* quote as much > as is relevant. > - Use *plain* text; don't use HTML, RTF, or Word. Most > mail or newsreader program have an option for this; if > yours doesn't, get a (freeware) program or use a > web-based service that does. > - Include examples from files as *in-line* text; don't > use attachments. > > (b) If reporting a problem, give *all* the relevant > information the first time; this isn't the psychic friends > newsgroup. :-) When appropriate, include: > > - The version of Ruby. ("ruby -v") > - The compiler name and version used to build Ruby. > - The OS type and level. ("uname -a") > - The actual error messages. > - An example (preferably simple) that produces the > problem. > > (c) If reporting a bug, please copy (cc:) your post to: > > mailto:ruby-bugs@ruby-lang.org > > This will enter your report into the Ruby bug database. > You can browse the database at: > > http://www.ruby-lang.org/cgi-bin/ruby-bugs > > (3) Make the subject line maximally informative, so that people > who should be interested will read your post and so that people > who wouldn't be interested can easily avoid it. > > *Usefully* describe the contents of your post: > > This is OK: > > "How can I do x with y on z?" > "Problem: did x, expected y, got z." > "Bug: doing x with module y crashed z." > > This is *NOT* OK: > > "Please help!!!" > "Newbie question" > "Need Ruby guru to tell me what's wrong" > > (4) Finally, be considerate: don't be too lazy. If you are > seeking information, first make a reasonable effort to look it > up. As appropriate, check the Ruby home page, check the Ruby > FAQ and other documentation, use deja.com to search past > comp.lang.ruby postings, and so on. > > 2.3 Tell me about the prolific Matz poster. > > Matz (aka Yukihiro Matsumoto) is the wizard who created Ruby for > us, so be nice to him. He is very busy, so be patient when asking > questions. See the Ruby home page to find out more about him and > his work. I founded comp.lang.ruby at his suggestion. Contrary to > lots of skepticism, it was approved on the first attempt, with 200 > yes votes. > > 3. Anything else? > > If you are new to Ruby (or haven't previously taken the Ruby User > Survey), please take a moment to anonymously tell us about your > programming background and about your Ruby-related interests. The > results will be reported back to the Ruby community from time to > time. This helps us do a better job of helping each other, and to > more effectively expand the Ruby community for our mutual benefit. > The survey is at: > > http://dev.rubycentral.com/survey.html > > This FAQ was produced by Conrad Schneiker (schneiker@jump.net). > I'm interested in corrections and suggestions, but remember that > the purpose of this FAQ is to be a brief and simple introduction > for new comp.lang.ruby readers. > > In closing, one of the reasons that Ruby was designed to be > relatively simple, uniform, yet very powerful was to make serious > programming (among other kinds) fun. We hope you will help us > keep comp.lang.ruby fun as well. Enjoy. :-) > > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com