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Ask HN: What's the best website to learn Ruby on Rails

2 points by dglassan ↗ HN
I've been programming with PHP for about 2.5 years now and just picked up the codeigniter framework so I have an understanding of MVC.

I'd like to learn ruby/rails to add another language under my belt and I'd like to know what sites you guys recommend for familiarizing myself.

Should I focus on learning ruby first and then pick up rails? Or would I be able to understand ruby on rails since I'm familiar with MVC design patterns?

9 comments

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YuriNiyazov
I think learning ruby and rails at the same time is a mistake. Make sure you have a good grasp of the language first, because Rails uses advanced features of the language extensively.
gexla
I make my bread as a PHP developer myself. If you are looking for another scripting language to learn then these days you might be better off going with Javascript with Node.js. This would give you the opportunity to get an early start on a platform with a big future and get more practice with Javascript, great language to be fluent with.
taylorbuley
I have been spending my free time in JavaScript for these reasons. In addition to many wonderful server-side JS improvements to come (in Node, that is), there are many client-side improvements (IndexedDB, localStorage, etc.) that I anticipate will blow the lid off of the current JS scene.
dglassan
I guess I just haven't been able to comprehend the usefulness of what node.js does and the potential it has. I'm planning on moving back to the bay area soon and I've heard that developers with ruby skills have not had a hard time at all getting job offers. My thinking was that having an understanding of PHP and ruby would be a pretty good combo for a backend developer but I guess learning JavaScript with node.js would give me some front end experience as well
taylorbuley
For me Node is useful when you need a non-blocking HTTP server. I'm currently working on a stats/analytics thing, and it works as the API layer between Mongo and incoming requests. I believe geolocation data company Simplegeo does something similar in terms of API glue in front of Cassandra.

It's most definitely not a sledge hammer, but it's a great tool for your stack.

gexla
It would be interesting to see how the different languages stack up in getting jobs in the bay area. The bottom line is that web application developers in general are getting lots of job offers there (assuming that Ruby developers aren't having a problem.) I couldn't see a situation where all the Ruby developers there are getting snapped up and a glut of PHP developers are being left out in the cold. In the world of freelancing, I'm certainly not seeing a lack of work for PHP developers, though you have to cut through a lot of noise to find the decent jobs (still not lacking though)

I would think that your general skills as a developer would be important. Versatility and productivity with your tools is probably important. If you have that down, then I imagine you could easily pickup the same with a different language.

Edit: I also wonder if it's any good to have a job in the bay area making $90K+. That's an expensive area to live in, I think I would be just as happy freelancing for half that (or just as much) from a cheaper area. However, it also seems to be the mecca for developers, so maybe that's all you need as an excuse. ;)