Learning Ruby: The Language That Powers Rails

This is a great introduction to Ruby. It covers the basics without swamping the fledgling programmer in too much complexity. That's not what newcomers need. They aren't worried about the nooks and crannies of the array class; they're wondering what the heck an array is, and what makes it different from a hash. In that respect, this book strikes a nice balance. Having read (and bought) most of the O'Reilly books on Ruby, Perl, and Python, I can honestly say that this book ranks high at the top of them--not because it is the definitive work on Ruby (it isn't and isn't supposed to be), but because it covers the core essentials in a way that you can read in an afternoon. For that reason, it is an excellent choice for a first timer in Ruby and/or programming to see why Ruby is a great language worth learning, without having to get a computer science degree first, and without having to hire a Sherpa to help them lug their book around while they read it (I'll refrain from pointing fingers at other books here). I think that's one thing many of the reviewers missed about this book. "Learning Ruby" is designed for the newcomer who wants to get jump started in Ruby, not for the experienced programming who is just looking for a nutshell summary. I would also like to add that at one point, I had a question about what was included with the one-click installation system and emailed the author, who very quickly investigated the problem and emailed me back with an answer. You have to admit: that's pretty impressive. Now, there are areas of the book that should probably be expanded on for the next edition. Primarily, I'm thinking of a chapter devoted to regular expressions a la "Learning Perl", a chapter devoted to IO (this would be brief but handy) including a section on string interpolation and how to use and combine string methods (a very cool aspect of Ruby), and finally an expansion on the chapter involving classes to address a few of the things that some of the other reviewers have already identified as important but missing. However, those are not fatal by any means, and for the first edition in a relatively new language, this book is well worth the time and money.

I don't understand why some people complain about this book's simplicity. That's exactly what the book was done for and that's exactly what to author states in the first lines. This book is to get you up and running quickly and NOT to turn you into a Ruby master. I read the Dave Thomas book and it is complicated. It is also boring most of the time. This one is for busy developer who wants to get the basic first and teach himself the advanced stuff later. This book is thin and objective, pretty much like Ruby. If you want to start coding quickly buy this code. If you want to "entertain" yourself over some months with a bunch of theory buy Dave Thomas' book.

The chapters are tightly organized and neatly structured. The author writes clearly and directly. You'll learn a lot. There are many short paragraphs and examples that lead to moments of "Oh, so that's how it works!" This is now my favorite book for sharpening my understanding of Ruby while expending the least effort. The chapters cover all the basics of Ruby - strings, hashes, arrays etc. But you also go nicely beyond the basics. Chapter 9, on Classes, is the clearest explanation I've seen covering Ruby and object-oriented programming. The author also easily explains advanced topics (like Reflection) - and other real delights that are in use by Ruby programmers and hackers around the net. There is an unexpected surprise at the end of the book, with a comprehensive but short introduction to Rails. It's not just a thoughtless bolt-on, but a natural extension to the rest of the book. As if this wasn't enough of a bonus, Appendix A presents a thorough "Ruby Reference". You'll also find an informative Glossary full of useful / practical terminology. This may not be perfect as a first book on Ruby or programming, but no book deserves to stand alone on a bookshelf. "Learning Ruby" is certainly a great one to own if your intent is to explore and harness the power of this technology. What other book on computer technology shows you how it works, introduces you to the culture and forces driving its development forward, and provides plenty of code for you to freely tinker with? This one does - and it's packaged in a binding that is thinner than a laptop. It's a great book - don't miss it.

Having never been exposed to Ruby I decided on this book to begin learning the language. At first glance this book isn't a big overwhelming manual as is obvious from the number of pages, but rather a very achievable read that covers the necessary topics of learning a language. The author starts out by discussing some basic commands, and an overview of the book. This first chapter also includes information on how to get and install Ruby on various operation systems. By the second chapter the author is giving an overview of the Ruby language that gives the reader some idea of what to expect. And then its off to learning the syntax much as you would expect when learning any language. For the curious the chapter subjects continue as follows. Conditional statements, strings, math, arrays, hashes, files, classes, more fun with Ruby (covers things like XML, Tk, RubyGems and Rdoc), and finishes up with a brief introduction to Ruby on Rails. The author also includes a great Ruby Reference as an appendix. CONCLUSION -- This is a simple book that does a great job of explaining to the reader the basics about Ruby. I liked this book and would recommend this book to those looking to learn Ruby or as a reference.

Michael Fitzgerald's LEARNING RUBY is the perfect programmer's guide to learning the Ruby programming language, and should be a basic reference for any library strong in computer programming resources. From the basic features of Ruby and how to use regular expressions to using operators, arrays, and modules, LEARNING RUBY is perfect for learning: each chapter concludes with review questions, making it the perfect 'course in a book' as well as a basic computer library reference.