I figured it was time I moved the profanity of the previous post down a notch, thus ending a two-week long blogging drought. As is customary with an extended hiatus, I’ve been busy with many things, not all of which I’m obliged to disclose at the present time. Soon enough, my gentle reader, soon enough.
I’m currently reading the Pragmatic Programmer, Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt’s seminal work on effective, agile programming. My friend Cloves lent it to me (thank-you, Cloves).
From the moment I read the forward (a poignant introduction by Ward Cunningham, the XP luminary who, among other things, invented the wiki. I know this because I googled him), I knew I was holding something important, something that would forever change the way I perform my craft. Incidentally, it’s easy to tell that DHH has a copy of this book on his shelf, that its influence over the Rails framework is profound (one of the many reasons Rails is such a great piece of work). Near mainstays in computer programming jargon, concepts like DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself), fixing Broken Windows, and Tracer Bullets were first coined herein. Needless to say, if you’re into agile development, are working with Rails, or just want to be a better programmer, this book is a must read.
Another title that’s kept me busy as of late is David Black’s Ruby for Rails. This is a marvelously well-written book—Black is a purposeful and concise writer who knows his topic intimately. I’ve been hacking in Ruby for over a year now, and even before I’d finished the first chapter I’d learned a trick or two. If, like me, you first discovered Ruby as a side-effect of Rails, this is an essential guide to the language that makes such an elegant framework wholly possible. Once you’ve learned Ruby, you’ll find yourself using it outside Rails all the time. Ruby is perfect for general scripting tasks, for system maintenance, and for any of the countless programming chores you encounter on a daily basis. Ruby for Rails will give you the kind of understanding you need to get the most out of Ruby. I just wish it had been around a year ago when I started.
So, there you have it. I’ve been busy, I have new things to announce which I’ll write about soon, and I’ve been reading some fine, fine books.
Sorry for the disappearing act.
I’m currently in process of reading Ruby for Rails as well. Loving it so far (just finished ch. 5). He covers the basics in a way that neither bores nor wastes one time.