I just released a new Ruby gem called generic_app. It uses the latest
Rails Tutorial Sample App from a point just before the addition of
microposts and followers. Thus, you start off with a generic app and
save
yourself the work of having to install static pages, Twitter bootstrap,
tests, Guard, user functionality, user activations, and password resets.
It’s FAR easier and quicker to customize a generic app than to create
the
entire app from scratch. My source code for this generic_app gem is at
GitHub - jhsu802701/generic_app_old .
I’d like to hear about the shortcuts you use for creating a Ruby on
Rails
app. I recently tried the Hobo gem, but it didn’t work for me and was
outdated (still on Rails 4.0 while Rails Tutorial uses 4.2).
I looked at the Rails Composer Starter apps, but they don’t seem as
comprehensive as Rails Tutorial. Given that Rails Tutorial is available
for free, I’d rather do things the Rails Tutorial way. If I need
features
that don’t come with the Rails Tutorial Sample App (such as OmniAuth and
Stripe), I think it would be easier to add those on than to add the
features of Rails Tutorial to Rails Composer. Also, given that more
people
use Rails Tutorial than Rails Composer (because the former is free but
the
latter tutorial is not), I’d rather be on the same wavelength as the
majority of the people in any group I’d ever work with.
What other shortcuts are there? It is obvious to me that there is no
clear
consensus on this matter. The one thing that is certain is that
revisiting
chapters 3 through 10 in Rails tutorial at Startup Weekend or a 24-hour
web
site challenge is NOT viable.