Starting Ruby...

I have recently started to learn Ruby on Rails, and this blog is by way of documenting that process. I am only a hobbiest coder, learning for fun, so progress may well be slow. However, one thing I have learnt so far is that the amount of readily available information is not great, compared to other languages that I have learnt (Java and C#). In part, this is because the language is not stable, Rails 2.0 is only six months old, and the number of tutorials for 2.0 is few indeed (and there is not the backwards compatibility in Ruby/Rails that there is in Java, for instance).

So part of my purpose is to fill that gap. Even if no one else reads this blog, at least I will have documented what I have found for myself.

For a list of posts ordered by topic, go here:
http://strugglingwithruby.blogspot.com/2008/11/contents-page.html

What is Ruby on Rails?
Ruby is a dynamic, object-orientated programming language. Ruby can be readily extended using "gems", plugins written by third parties. Rails is one such plug. Rails makes it very easy to create a bare-bones web application that interfaces with a database.

To install Ruby go here (also includes how to instal Rails):
http://www.rubyonrails.org/down

Installing gems locally:
Change to the directory the gem is in (the .gem file), and type:
gem install -l

I am using NetBeans 6.1 for my IDE, as I am used to it from Java (and it is free).
http://www.netbeans.org/

My Project
I am having a go at creating a galactic conquest game, StarEmpire, using Ruby on Rails. Whether it will see the light of day, I do not know, but I anticipate learning a lot along the way. This would be a multi-player game, with each player marshalling starships and worlds to achieve galactic domination. Some of the challenges include user authentication and generating images on the fly.

Struggling with Ruby: Contents Page