From: SW Engineer Date: 2011-01-10T01:59:46+09:00 Subject: Re: Block variable - How is it read in English? Thanks for your replies and views. Michael Hartl, the author of the "Ruby on Rails tutorial" says the following: One common question when learning Rails is whether to learn Ruby first. The answer depends on your personal learning style. If you prefer to learn everything systematically from the ground up, then learning Ruby first might work well for you, and there are several book recommendations in this section to get you started. On the other hand, many beginning Rails developers are excited about making web applications, and would rather not slog through a 500-page book on pure Ruby before ever writing a single web page. Moreover, the subset of Ruby needed by Rails developers is different from what you’ll find in a pure-Ruby introduction, whereas Rails Tutorial focuses on exactly that subset. If your primary interest is making web applications, I recommend starting with Rails Tutorial and then reading a book on pure Ruby next. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition, though: if you start reading Rails Tutorial and feel your (lack of) Ruby knowledge holding you back, feel free to switch to a Ruby book and come back when you feel ready. You might also consider getting a taste of Ruby by following a short online tutorial, such as can be found at http://www.ruby-lang.org/ or http://rubylearning.com/. http://railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.