From: al_batuul Date: 2007-10-08T10:08:48+09:00 Subject: Re: considering writing a book on Ruby/Rails? --0-583710027-1191805323=:98715 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi,=0AI think writing a book is a good idea. There are several topics and e= xamples that can help students and developers in different applications; = =0AI am willing to assist in case you need help,=0Abeast,=0Aal_batuul=0A=0A= ----- Original Message ----=0AFrom: Chad Perrin =0ATo:= ruby-talk ML =0ASent: Monday, October 8, 2007 2:4= 7:43 AM=0ASubject: Re: considering writing a book on Ruby/Rails?=0A=0A=0AOn= Mon, Oct 08, 2007 at 08:31:54AM +0900, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:=0A> J= ohn Joyce wrote:=0A> >Far better suggestion is what topics to write books a= nd chapters about!=0A> >=0A> >I suggest a GUI focused Ruby book that covers= Qt, Tk, Wx, etc...=0A> >A game / graphics focused Ruby book... (could easi= ly be integrated or =0A> >connected with the GUI book)=0A> >A whole host of= Ruby topics could be entire books based on one or two =0A> >classes or mod= ules or gems.=0A> >What we have enough of are books that are broad but not = deep.=0A> >As an example: Pro ActiveRecord is a nice one, but an Expert =0A= > >ActiveRecord would be better...=0A> >=0A> >Lots of topics to suggest.=0A= > =0A> Agreed ... then again, there are some other good books that don't ev= en =0A> exist:=0A> =0A> "Up and Running with Nitro and Og"=0A> "Up and Runn= ing with Iowa"=0A> "Pragmatic RSpec" (although I hear that's due in beta by= the end of the =0A> year)=0A> "ZenTest and Heckle Primer"=0A> "Selenium ..= ."=0A> "Watir ..."=0A> "Cerberus ..."=0A> =0A> There are some things Ruby h= as -- like Rails, Nitro, Iowa, RSpec, =0A> ZenTest, Heckle and many others = -- that don't exist in the Perl world. =0A> So you can't say, as you can wi= th Ruby/Tk, "Go learn from the O'Reilly =0A> Perl/Tk book and just translat= e the syntax from Perl to Ruby and you'll =0A> be on the air".=0A> =0A> I t= hink the real problem is not that every book on Ruby tells you how to =0A> = install it. The real problem is that there doesn't seem to be an actual =0A= > paid market for much beyond books about Rails and core Ruby. The other = =0A> good stuff, like the things I've listed above, just isn't getting seen= .=0A> =0A> Then again, as a potential author, I'm not going to spend any ti= me =0A> writing about things I don't use. So don't look to me for a Nitro o= r =0A> Iowa book, or a book about everything you wanted to know about Ruby = on =0A> Windows systems. :)=0A=0AActually, as a first step in that directio= n a "common useful libraries"=0Abook -- perhaps called "prospecting for gem= s", or something cleverer --=0Awould be excellent. I don't mean a listing:= I mean an honest-to-goodness=0Atutorial/primer on a bunch of great librari= es/modules for common tasks.=0A=0A-- =0ACCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://= ccd.apotheon.org ]=0AMcCloctnick the Lucid: "The first rule of magic is sim= ple. Don't waste your=0Atime waving your hands and hopping when a rock or a= club will do."=0A=0A=0A _____________________________________________= _______________________________________=0AFussy? Opinionated? Impossible to= please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://survey= link.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=3D7 =0A --0-583710027-1191805323=:98715--