# Picking apart the rails codebase / transitioning from novice **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/picking-apart-the-rails-codebase-transitioning-from-novice/55829 "2006-03-24T03:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mike)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/picking-apart-the-rails-codebase-transitioning-from-novice/55829/1 "2006-03-24T03:49:46Z")
Alright, I’ve done some tinkering and I’ve read through the DHH book. I’d like to humbly solicit some advice from the rails gurus. I’d like to get a real firm grip, and it seems that navigating the actual codebase might be the best course of action. Any advice as to the best route to take for maximum comprehension? What would be the most sensible way to tackle the different components? In addition, what does a ‘day in the life’ of a rails guru look like? How do you stay current? Do you read the actual commit diffs? The recent changes? Subscribe to the wiki RSS? In other words, outside of raw experience, what does the behavioral transition from ‘novice’ look like? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mike)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/picking-apart-the-rails-codebase-transitioning-from-novice/55829/2 "2006-03-24T03:56:02Z")
2006/3/23, Mike [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > In other words, outside of raw experience, what does the behavioral > transition from ‘novice’ look like? Coding applications ? Finding bugs, entering the Rails source code to find the source of the bug, producing patches. That’s about it, I guess. I never set myself to read the whole code base - there’s just too much code in there. I stay current by being active on the mailing list, following blogs around the world, and subscribing to the Rails Trac feeds: changesets and patches. Hope that helps ! ---
**Author:** ![mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mike)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/picking-apart-the-rails-codebase-transitioning-from-novice/55829/3 "2006-03-24T06:08:37Z")
Honestly, the straight dope is that it takes time, the most important thing is to view the process as a journey, everybody starts off in the same place - not knowing a thing about either Rails or about Ruby, and then goes from there to knowing a little bit more each day. My recommendation is to give yourself some time to learn, succeed, and totally $#!$ things up, Rails definitely makes big things happen dramatically but that’s not to say that it’s easy or doesn’t take a lot of effort to learn. Rails is built on the idea of conventions and there is no way you are going to learn these conventions without spending time on them, additionally Ruby takes a long time to completely grok and if you are coming from a static language environment, it may confound you with it’s mysteries that will seem as alien as the arches of Atlantis but slowly over time you’ll be enchanted by it’s magic. Once you get past the initial discomfort you’ll find yourself at the entrance to a road with a thousand paths and each one of them offers something to learn about Rails, software development, and the practice of programming in general, and by this time you are well on your way down the road of Ruby riches only at this point you will not care where you end up, only that you can continue with no end, and if you should venture so far that you come to where the Ruby meets the sea… Why the poignant will post something on [Redhanded.com](http://Redhanded.com) that will make you say WTF? And you’ll start all over again… 1. Read AWDWROR 2. Get Pickaxe and learn Ruby independent of Rails 3. Do the tutorial 4. Dream up an app 5. Start building it. 6. Get confused 7. Feel the urge to want to get help 8. Don’t 9. Figure out the solution 10. Feel the urge again to want to get help on something else 11. Do 12. Look at the source to learn more about Rails and Ruby 13. Ask yourself what you know about blocks and metaprogramming 14. Look around smell the roses and all of sudden realize that you are a much different developer than when you first started 15. Profit Takes about 3 - 12 months… Welcome to the show. ---
**Author:** ![mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mike](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mike)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/picking-apart-the-rails-codebase-transitioning-from-novice/55829/4 "2006-03-24T06:20:19Z")
On Mar 23, 2006, at 9:07 PM, Tim C. wrote: > Ruby takes a long time to completely grok and if you are coming > no end, and if you should venture so far that you come to where the > 4) Dream up an app > are a much different developer than when you first started > 15) Profit > > Takes about 3 - 12 months… > > Welcome to the show. > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) Haha! ++