I feel the need to protest about a disturbing trend in the vibrant RoR
community - name dilution.
ActiveRecord is called that precisely because it is that. The name come
from Martin F., and it expresses a class which is a database record,
only active - that is with methods & behaviors (unlike a classical
database record, which is completely passive.) If you look in the
ActiveRecord controller internals, you’ll see exactly that.
ActionController is also called that because it is that. Fowler
describes different models for Controllers: One controller for the
entire app (Front Controller), one controller for each page
(PageController), or a twist on that, with a controller for each action
- close to a page, but using a OO app model, instead of a page/template
model (think PHP). Rails went with the last.
ActionMailer and ActionWebService follow the paradigm of
ActionController, and are hence named so accordingly.
But why ActiveRBAC? ActiveMerchant? ActiveLogger? If we simply name
everything that has anythign to do with RoR “active”, we will rob the
word of all of its meaning.
Besides, is there even a need? Why not RailsLogger, RailsMerchant,
RBACforRails?