Getting Started

So, maybe you've heard about this Rails thing. Maby you've watched the movie, and gone "Wow...". Maybe you've even followed the instructions on the wiki and discovered a gem or three.

What now?

Well, here's a list of sites/ resources I found useful when I first started out. It's by no means definitive, so feel free to leave a comment if there's anywhere else you'd recommend budding RoRers dig.

On RoR

• rubyonrails.org ~ pretty obvious. But there's some good stuff kicking around the wiki. In particular:
  • The Rails Academy ~ tutorials created by the masses, for the masses
  • Example Applications ~ watch and learn from others
  • the Wiki feed ~ subscribe to it with your favourite RSS reader. It's not perfect (there's something dodgy going on with the links), but with the wiki starting to sprawl a little, it's a good way of picking up on stuff you'd otherwise miss
• irc ~ still best place to get instant help from fellow RoRers. Play nice and they'll treat you with kid gloves. Well, almost
• mailing list ~ one bulk mail worthwhile diverting from the spam folder. Very active & informative
• "ToDo" tutorial ~ I've not yet worked through this in it's entirety, but Vince, my first commenter has some excellent tips and tricks
• Testing with Ruby On Rails ~ testing is an integral part of RoR, and another area I've but dipped a toe in. Steve makes it all seem so easy in this draft tutorial. Good stuff

On Ruby

• ruby-lang.org ~ Ruby's official residence
• Ruby Garden ~ A community blog from Ruby's English-speaking luminaries. They've also got an excellent wiki filled with stuff for noobs and pros alike.
• The PickAxe ~ the definitive guide to Ruby. No two ways about it: get it. Get it? (Dave & Andy, the authors, have just released a much-improved 2nd Edition, available at pragmaticprogrammer.com
• DHH's resources ~ David lists some other excellent places if, like me, you're still getting started with Ruby