Beginning

Ruby
1

Hello,

I am an absolute beginner of programming but I have extensive knowledge
on
computer architecture and systems. I also am a designer. I am somehow
attached to Ruby and I don’t know why, but it made me fall in love at
the
first sight (I tried C first back on 2009 but didn’t really like it).

So, I started learning Lynda’s Kevin S. course but didn’t really
caught hold of it (Too fast for me) then I started reading “Learn ruby
the
hard way” by Rob Sobbers & Zed S… The LRTHW site being down for
maintenance today, I came to know of “_Why’s guide to ruby” . So, my
question is, what is the best way for an absolute beginner to learn ruby
that you think? Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late
to
begin programming?

This is my first mail. Hope I didn’t breach any condition. Have fun.

Peace be upon you -

Junayeed Ahnaf N.

Twitter - @Nirjhor http://twitter.com/nirjhor

2

So, my
question is, what is the best way for an absolute beginner to learn ruby
that you think?

hi Junayeed,

i think which tutorial is best is a question of individual tastes and
learning styles. _why’s ‘Poignant Guide’ was what really got me hooked
on ruby. the other resources that you mention are good ones - you could
also check out the ‘Pragmatic Guide,’ which i found very useful in
getting started with ruby.

Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late
to
begin programming?

i sure hope not! i was nearly twice that age when i began!

Have fun.

do the same!

  • j
3

Hi.

I’m new to Ruby but not programming (as a hobbyist rather than a
professional). I don’t think there is an age limit for starting, you
just need the right resources to stay motivated.

Sometimes knowledge of other languages can be more of a hindrance, as
you have to prevent yourself from thinking within the confines of what
you have already learned.

Hackety hack is supposed to be cool, if your lack of experience is
dampening your confidence…

http://hackety-hack.com/

Generally when switching between languages I work through programming
exercises (designed for any language) to slowly build my understanding.
If you have a program in mind break it down into small sections and work
at one piece at a time. You’ll be surprised how it all comes together.
(:

Good luck!

4

On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 3:37 PM, Junayeed Ahnaf N.
[email protected] wrote:

Any other suggestion you have for me? Thanks again

http://www.ruby-kickstart.com/ and http://rubykoans.com/

–
Phillip G.

gplus.to/phgaw | twitter.com/phgaw

A method of solution is perfect if we can forsee from the start,
and even prove, that following that method we shall attain our aim.
– Leibniz

5

Thanks for your kind reply. I already went through hackety hack. It’s so sad
that “_why” disappeared all on a sudden on mid-2009.

Hackety Hack maintainer here. Thanks for trying it out, we’re gearing
up for another release soon, but I bet you’re past where it’d be
helpful now.

The big ones are:

Poignant Guide
Learn to Program by Chris P.
Learn Ruby the Hard Way
Ruby Koans

6

Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late to
begin programming?

Absolutely not!

7

Hello,

I disliked “Why’s poignant guide” to ruby, because since I’m not native
English speaker I did not understand all the “jokes” and side-comments
and find it a bit frustrating.
I really liked this book [1]. Really helped a lot and I didn’t finish it
yet, because finishing the first part was enough to write a series of
scripts that I needed.

It’s a clear reading, easy to understand and spot-on, imho. More
experienced users may argue, but since I really have the view of a
non-programmer on it, I feel that many books take too much for granted.

There’s another book from Chris P. which is a really good for
beginners but it’s rather incomplete. I’d use it for under 16 kids that
want to start with the language though.

[1]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginning-Ruby-Novice-Professional-Experts/dp/1430223634/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1318758683&sr=8-8

8

Thanks for your kind reply. I already went through hackety hack. It’s so
sad that “_why” disappeared all on a sudden on mid-2009.

Any other suggestion you have for me? Thanks again

Peace be upon you –
Junayeed Ahnaf N.
Twitter - @Nirjhor

9

Hello,

I’m not considering my self a programmer, but I messed with ruby at
27-28 (now I’m 29).

Hope this makes you feel better :slight_smile:

Best Regards

10

On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 08:29, Junayeed Ahnaf N.
[email protected] wrote:

I am an absolute beginner of programming but I have extensive knowledge on
computer architecture and systems. I also am a designer. I am somehow
attached to Ruby and I don’t know why, but it made me fall in love at the
first sight (I tried C first back on 2009 but didn’t really like it).

Do you mean you tried C as your first programming language? Oh you
poor thing! I learned C after a solid foundation in BASIC and Pascal,
and it still confused me mightily at first. Now that I’ve done it for
about 25 years, I’m very comfortable with it – but still wouldn’t
inflict it on a newbie. Ruby is VASTLY more legible, has far fewer
gotchas waiting to trip you up, and has many more useful things built
right in. C is excellent for some things, like kernel, embedded,
device-driver, and hard-real-time programming… but not for learning
to program.

what is the best way for an absolute beginner to learn ruby
that you think?

I think you’ve found it already, between what you listed and what
others have told you. There are many excellent Ruby tutorials out
there. Now you’re diving into the community. That’s actually one of
the greatest things about Ruby, the welcoming and supportive
community. In addition to these mailing lists, there is probably a
Meetup or other such RUG in your area.

Of course, practice is what makes perfect. Pick a project that you
want to do in Ruby. Or if you want to take small steps, check out
http://rubykoans.com/ or Google for “code katas”. In the latter case,
you can check out my solutions to Dave T.'s katas on my
programming blog at http://codosaur.us/. I strongly advise you also
Google TDD or “Test Driven Development”, to start getting into some
good habits.

Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late to
begin programming?

Absolutely not! I’ve worked with brilliant programmers who started
later than that. One of my colleagues a few jobs ago, had had a
successful career as a pig farmer until he wanted to impress his
girlfriend by taking a COBOL class at the local Community College, way
back when.

Welcome aboard the Ruby yacht!

-Dave

11

2011/10/16 Dave A. [email protected]:

I strongly advise you also
Google TDD or “Test Driven Development”, to start getting into some
good habits.

I strongly advise not to until he actually learns programming first :wink:
Throwing software development methodologies at a beginner is no good,
and at first everyone will be perfectly fine with a couple of "puts"s
at the end of the file with whatever one’s creating to verify stuff
doesn’t blow up (I know this is, in fact, testing - but testing
without all the frameworks and related fluff is just as good or better
at this stage).

– Matma R.

12

2011/10/16 Bartosz Dziewoński [email protected]:

without all the frameworks and related fluff is just as good or better
at this stage).

Test-driven learning, even for beginner CS, has a proven track record,
research supporting its utility, and growing support in university
curricula and industry. See, for instance,
http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~djanzen/tdl/

I’ve known more than a few n00bs for whom the test-driven lessons such
as Ruby Koans gave a running start on Ruby language acquisition,
testing practices, and metaprogramming. The Railsbridge curriculum
too is test-first.

Test-driven learning is a valid approach, and one worth exploring.

13

On Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:37:00 +0900
“Carina C. Zona” [email protected] wrote:

2011/10/16 Bartosz Dziewoński [email protected]:
Test-driven learning is a valid approach, and one worth exploring.

This approach forces the learner to build very small working
and testable examples, which has been exceptionally valuable to me.

14

I never liked _why’s guide.

I started to learn ruby from chris pine tutorial.

Then soon started to write scripts that helped me get reallife things
solved. And from that point I used ruby more and more.

I came from PHP though…

15

Josh C. wrote in post #1026766:

Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late to
begin programming?

Absolutely not!

Google Josh C…
Chris P.'s book was helpful, without it I doubt I could have even
gotten started, but I ‘finished’ the book and still could do nothing. I
have about four other courses claiming to teach Ruby to absolute
beginners, and none of those were helping. After several weeks of
feeling like I was beating my head against a wall, I just started Josh
Cheek’s Ruby Kickstart and it totally rocks.
Good luck.

16

On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 3:19 PM, Charles Agriesti
[email protected]wrote:

have about four other courses claiming to teach Ruby to absolute
beginners, and none of those were helping. After several weeks of
feeling like I was beating my head against a wall, I just started Josh
Cheek’s Ruby Kickstart and it totally rocks.
Good luck.

–
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Aww :slight_smile:

17

Thanks all for your kind and informative answers. I’m working on my own
pace now (sans some glitches here and there)

Love you all !

18

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 11:25 AM, Junayeed A.
[email protected]wrote:

Thanks all for your kind and informative answers. I’m working on my own
pace now (sans some glitches here and there)

Love you all !

–
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

Good luck, stay motivated :slight_smile:

19

Following along Josh C… So far so good, Thanks for the suggestion.

Godspeed –

Junayeed Ahnaf N.

Twitter - @Nirjhor http://twitter.com/nirjhor

-----Original Message-----

From: Charles Agriesti [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 2:19 AM

To: ruby-talk ML

Subject: Re: Beginning

Josh C. wrote in post #1026766:

Also, a supplementary question could be, is 19 too late to begin

programming?

Absolutely not!

Google Josh C…

Chris P.'s book was helpful, without it I doubt I could have even gotten

started, but I ‘finished’ the book and still could do nothing. I have about four

other courses claiming to teach Ruby to absolute beginners, and none of

those were helping. After several weeks of feeling like I was beating my

head against a wall, I just started Josh C.'s Ruby Kickstart and it totally

rocks.

Good luck.

–