From: Hal Fulton <hal9000@...>
Date: 2004-03-11T06:48:32+09:00
Subject: Possibility of 2nd edition of _The Ruby Way_

Hello, all.

There is some discussion about a second edition of _The Ruby Way_.

To that end, I'd like to have your thoughts about what needs to
change in it. (There's a significant amount.)

Let's address the largest changes first. Whole sections are likely
obsolete. Some were perhaps unimportant in the first place.

Example of a large change: REXML is probably the most common way
to process XML in Ruby. It didn't exist when TRW1 was conceived.

A medium change: Much of the trig stuff I put in is now built in.

A small change: We have Array#inject now.

Email is preferred, unless you think that your comments call for
public discussion. (Personally I don't wish to generate too much
public discussion at this stage.)

And yes, if this project seems likely to happen, I'll build a wiki
to capture everything.

One small note: Don't ask me to remove the "easy" or "obvious" tasks
such as concatenating strings. These will stay -- end of discussion.
For one thing, to remove them would decrease the value of the book
as an "inverted reference" -- one of its strongest points. For another,
we don't all agree on what is easy or obvious.

But any and all comments are welcome. Just be aware I won't bend on
the above issue. :)


Thanks,
Hal Fulton