From: Tom Cloyd <tomcloyd@...>
Date: 2009-07-22T08:31:31+09:00
Subject: Re: ruby IDE's

Garry Freemyer wrote:
> I have Netbeans 6.7 on the Mac Os X platform and its quite an ordeal to get it to install gems without putting it in the wrong directory because it executes installation that requires installation using sudo and does not prompt for the password, so stuff gets installed in the wrong directory.
>   
Yeah - these things like to do things in their own way, and rarely is 
that "way" made transparent to us peons, especially us amateur peons. 
Not helpful.
> I agree, that for a beginner like me, it's best to use the command line ... I do not trust the choices Netbeans makes when creating a project, without asking me, and its rather confusing to search for the waldo I need to use every time I turn around.
>
> So, I have been doing the Axe book stuff in command line because if the exercise doesn't work, and I didn't do exactly as told to do, there would be more of that nagging idea that I might not have done it right.
>   
Yes - it's about minimizing your problems BEFORE they appear. A favorite 
tactic of mine.
> Besides, knowing how to do it without the IDE, will come in handy in that day where the IDE gets upgraded with some nasty bug and you can't use it, or when you do you don't get the expected results. 
>   
Absolutely. Also, if you need to set up a work environment on another OS 
or machine, the simpler your set-up the quicker you'll be working, and 
the less likely you'll run itno idiosyncrasies with which you're not 
familiar.
> Example:
> [...] I had been trying to use jEdit as my editor but the Ruby Plugin it uses, was accidentally compiled with a later java than a lot of folks have on their machines.
>
> Trying to find the correct java for this Mac is a nightmare
[...]

Sorry you're having trouble with this. A shame. I truly appreciate this 
editor, and the ruby plugin, while not necessary, is truly useful. I 
can't offer help, as I know nothing of Macs.
> [...]
>
> Lesson: The more complex tools you use to build a project, the more chances things will go wrong due to bugs in the tools.
[...]

Your conclusion is precisely what I was trying to express. And...beyond 
tool bugs is the problem (as you point out) of complex tools modifying a 
work environment in puzzling ways which simply add to the learning burden.

Things really took off for me in Ruby when I started working from the 
command line. I finally began to get a good a basic understanding of 
some key matters. I even worked up to compiling from source. I thank 
this list for giving the support I needed to get to this level of 
(modest) achievement, but I set things up right for myself by keeping my 
work environment simple.

I recommend the same tactic for other beginners.

Tom

-- 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Cloyd, MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226
<< tc@tomcloyd.com >> (email)
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