# New To Ruby ~ Need Advice **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [May 11, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284 "2008-05-11T11:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/49beb7/32.png) [@Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Young_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284/1 "2008-05-11T11:55:22Z")
Hi Community. I am new to Ruby. I am interested in doing some programming as a ‘hobby activity’. I did some ‘C’, ‘C++’, ‘VB’ & ‘Assembler’ in college & enjoyed it. I found making small programmes stimulating. All the programmes we made ran on local computers some with database connectivity, we did not look at programming for the web at all. I am very interested in web aplications & software as a service. I have played with the idea of looking closely at Java but then happened across Ruby on Rails. I have looked at some Ruby On Rails web applications & think they are neat. I’ve also had a look at Silverstripe & think they use ruby on rails & again, I like the look & feel of the websites that are created using Silverstripe. So, my question is, should I look closely at Ruby On Rails for programming as a hobby activity? Will the skills I learn be useful to me in? I’ve played with website design & web business ideas for a few years, never really investing much money, just toying with some ideas. I enjoy setting up websites & then watching where the traffic is coming from etc. I am excited by Web 2.0 and the growth of social networking. I see how useful Web 2.0 could be in developing business applications. Most of the business software I have used in the last 10 years or so was hopeless & barely worth the price paid & the cost of support. Ruby Apps seem sweet & friendly by comparisson. Friendly Advice & Guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks, Steve, Hamilton New Zealand. ---
**Author:** ![Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/49beb7/32.png) [@Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Young_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284/2 "2008-05-11T20:14:16Z")
On 11 May 2008, at 01:19, Young Ben wrote: > applications & think they are neat. I’ve also had a look at > Rails is a fun place to be, particularly as you spend a lot less time > writing verbose boilerplate stuff. I would encourage you to get a > solid grounding in ruby first though, rather than trying to grasp both > ruby and rails at the same time. It will make a lot off stuff less > suprising and easier to understand (ruby is a fun language in its own > right). Fred ---
**Author:** ![Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/49beb7/32.png) [@Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Young_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284/3 "2008-05-11T15:47:28Z")
The answer is yes, you should invest in using ruby on rails as a hobby, and it would be useful for you. Julian. Learn Ruby on Rails! Check out the FREE VIDS (for a limited time) VIDEO #4 parts a and b now available! [http://sensei.zenunit.com/](http://sensei.zenunit.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/49beb7/32.png) [@Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Young_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284/4 "2008-05-12T01:48:48Z")
Frederick C. wrote: > On 11 May 2008, at 01:19, Young Ben wrote: > > > applications & think they are neat. I’ve also had a look at > > Rails is a fun place to be, particularly as you spend a lot less time > > writing verbose boilerplate stuff. I would encourage you to get a > > solid grounding in ruby first though, rather than trying to grasp both > > ruby and rails at the same time. It will make a lot off stuff less > > suprising and easier to understand (ruby is a fun language in its own > > right). > > Fred I always suggest to read Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby… got me interested, wacky ideas, acted out in ruby. [http://poignantguide.net/ruby/](http://poignantguide.net/ruby/) ---
**Author:** ![Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/49beb7/32.png) [@Young\_Ben](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Young_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 10:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/new-to-ruby-need-advice/137284/5 "2008-05-12T10:42:39Z")
Thanks Matthew, Fred & Julian. I think I will start learning Ruby & see where it takes me. Hope to talk again soon. Steve. On May 12, 11:48 am, Matthew R. Jacobs \