# Advice for general-purpose programming with Ruby

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 3, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380 "2006-03-03T21:30:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/1 "2006-03-03T21:30:21Z")

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Hey guys,

I’m going to buy a Ruby book this evening. I’m not a Web developer. I’m  
a general-purpose programmer well-versed in Python and C. I want to  
learn Ruby better. I have no interest in Rails. What book should I buy?

Thanks,  
Brad

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**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/2 "2006-03-03T21:36:25Z")

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On Mar 3, 2006, at 2:28 PM, rtilley wrote:

> Hey guys,
> 
> I’m going to buy a Ruby book this evening. I’m not a Web developer.  
> I’m a general-purpose programmer well-versed in Python and C. I  
> want to learn Ruby better. I have no interest in Rails. What book  
> should I buy?

Programming Ruby is perfect for you:

> **[Programming Ruby (2nd edition)](https://pragprog.com/titles/ruby/index.html)**
>
> We improve the lives of professional developers. We create timely, practical books on classic and cutting-edge topics to help you learn and practice your craft, and accelerate your career. Come learn with us.

James Edward G. II

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**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/3 "2006-03-03T21:39:26Z")

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rtilley wrote:

> Hey guys,
> 
> I’m going to buy a Ruby book this evening. I’m not a Web developer. I’m  
> a general-purpose programmer well-versed in Python and C. I want to  
> learn Ruby better. I have no interest in Rails. What book should I buy?
> 
> Thanks,  
> Brad

The pickaxe book (Thomas and Hunt) is great. The first ed. comes with  
the ruby installer for windows. The second ed. is updated for ruby 1.8,  
so worth getting, if you like the the way the first ed. reads.

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**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/4 "2006-03-03T22:00:40Z")

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Joel VanderWerf wrote:

> The pickaxe book (Thomas and Hunt) is great. The first ed. comes with  
> the ruby installer for windows. The second ed. is updated for ruby 1.8,  
> so worth getting, if you like the the way the first ed. reads.

Thank you both. I’ve reserved a copy at Barnes & Noble. Looking forward  
to reading it. You see… Python hackers and Ruby hackers can get along!

Thanks again,  
Brad

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/5 "2006-03-03T23:10:26Z")

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i liked ‘the ruby way’ by hal fulton - it also has an appendix for  
python programmers.

if you want more of a reference manual the pick axe is #1

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@rtilley](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rtilley)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-for-general-purpose-programming-with-ruby/76380/6 "2006-03-04T05:52:01Z")

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On 3/3/06, greg.rb [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> i liked ‘the ruby way’ by hal fulton - it also has an appendix for  
> python programmers.
> 
> if you want more of a reference manual the pick axe is #1

A few chapters of The Ruby Way are available online if you would  
like to check them out:

> **[Manipulating Structured Data in Ruby | Working with Arrays | InformIT](https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=26943)**
>
> Hal Fulton takes a look at arrays, hashes, and more complex data structures.