From: "s.ross" <cwdinfo@...>
Date: 2009-03-11T08:57:56+09:00
Subject: Re: What are the 5 most innovative ruby projects/libraries?

On Mar 10, 2009, at 11:13 AM, Phlip wrote:

> s.ross wrote:
>
>> While I did snip the comparison the Shoes, I didn't snip the  
>> phrase  "Rails can't possibly innovate..." which is what I  
>> responded to.  Please tell me you don't believe that Rails is  
>> constrained like that.
>
> Okay, try this:
>
> Rails is incredible because it takes a completely broken  
> architecture - HTML, CGI, HTTP, XML, & JS - and polishes them beyond  
> recognition with state-of-the-art DSLs and architecture. That is  
> both a major achievement and true innovation, considering the  
> pitiful state of other web platforms.
>
> But a Ruby platform could have innovated even more if HTML didn't so  
> totally suck...

Right, but HTML is kind of an immovable object. CGI is so sucky people  
were dreaming up workarounds in the mid-90s. XML, meh, hard to get  
excited about yet another markup language. Javascript wants to be C  
and it wants to be Erlang (not really, but it kinda turned out that  
way) and it wants to hide bugs so nobody can see. But it's everywhere.  
I'd say, "like oxygen" but Javascript seems to suck the life out of me  
rather than breathing life into me.

So you're right. The innovation of Rails is that it makes the Web  
approachable for lousy programmers (most people can eventually write  
the obligatory blog) and leverages good programmers' time and skill  
nicely.

Steve