From: flebber Date: 2011-02-03T19:55:24+09:00 Subject: Re: Totally lost in learning Ruby On Jan 24, 7:05 am, Hilary Bailey wrote: > Hi Mike, > The first time I completed the book, then got stuck trying to understand > what, where and how to use some of the recommended programs, such as > YMAL, SQL etc. For example, beside practicing and following all he > written guide, there was no reference as to how to start assembling a > database. > > In terms of why Ruby? I put sent out an email SOS to the Open Source > community, and it was unanimous that Ruby is the way to go.  What do you > suggest. > > In terms of usability. I eventually hope to market it with the intention > of providing for non-for-profit causes, such as a)micro-financing Third > World nations b) provide measurable answers to the improvement of US\any > secondary educational facilities. My experience has shown where private > consultants have been raping scarce financial resources from budgets, > and their decision have kept adding to, in my case(USA),low performance, > thus educational frustration. > > So if you next question is why not pay someone to develop such a > program, the answer is: I don't have the money, and secondly, in the > past some of my trusted colleagues with vast programming knowledge have > been a disappointment. > > Therefore i figured that my best route would be to ask the Open Source > community for help. > > -- > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. I admire your vim and vigor, I really do if you wish to learn Ruby read from the horses mouth. I tried a few books and found Matz's the most logical http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516178 . It seems you are not only trying to learn Ruby but the whole world of IT in one gulp, your question what is CSS highlights that, but I do not say this to criticize because if you put your mind to it you can do it. Look at this walkthrough http://www.artfulsoftware.com/dbdesignbasics.html on designing databases, there is an example within using schools as an example. If you want opensource have you considered using base and mysql. You could likely achieve your requirement in less time and take your knowledged gained onto developing your application further as you learn. What is base http://www.libreoffice.org/features/base/ or http://www.openoffice.org/product/base.html . I gave you links to both as currently they are very similar and I didn't want to enter this debate as I have no personal ideological preference as he technology currently remains the same.