Is Ruby primarily only used in ruby on rails? Is it used on the server side for general work like php is? Also, I haven't seen a lot of hype about rails anymore. Is Ruby and/or RoR dead or fading away?
I ask because I was interested in RhoMobile for building mobile apps, but I didn't want to get into using an antiquated language.
Thanks.
edit: Can i use Ruby for web pages if I don't want to use rails? (I do not mean another framework. I mean like php.)
Regarding your question about Ruby and/or RoR dead or fading away, look at the job trends
There are many web-frameworks for Ruby, not just Rails, Sinatra being one of them.
You shouldn't be deciding to use a language or technology, because there is or there is not a hype around it.
If a product is able to solve your problems, then you should use it. I know people building stuff in Smalltalk nowadays (who would have thought, right?), because it's great and it works.
Take a look at Sinatra, for example.
Also there is a lot of tools written entirely in ruby.
I'm looking for a simple Ruby framework for a non-web project. I'm very familiar with Rails, so when I write pure Ruby I miss:
The different environments (development, test, production)
The console rails c
And many other utilities provided by rake or rails
I know I can require ActiveSupport and friends, but it's not what I need. It's mostly the development framework that I miss.
One thing I investigated is to do my project as a gem (even if I don't need a gem at the end). Using jeweler for instance provides versioning. I'm sure there are better ways but I can't find any. What would you use ?
Alright, that is somewhat of a three-part question. A threstion, or triesti... actually that doesn't work. Threstion it is then.
One thing to understand about Rails is that it isn't magical. It's code, written by mortal humans who have faults (such as oversized-egos) but who are also incredibly damn smart. Therefore, we can understand it after perhaps a little bit of studying their work.
1. Rails environments are lovely
The code behind the Rails environment management is actually quite simple. You have a default environment which is set to development by this line in railties/lib/rails/commands/server.rb. You could do much the same thing in your application. Run a bit of initialization code that defines YourAwesomeThing.environment = ENV["AWESOME_ENV"] || "development". Then it's a matter of requiring config/environments/#{YourAwesomeThing.environment}.rb where you need it. Then it's a matter of having configuration in those files that modify how your library works depending on the environment.
I couldn't find the line that does that in 3-1-stable (it's gone walkies), so here's one that I think does it in the 3-0-stable branch..
As for the lovely methods such as Rails.env.production?, they are provided by the ActiveSupport::StringInquirer class.
2. Rails console is the Second Coming
I think rails console is amazing. I don't want to create a new file just to manually test some code like I would have done back in the Black Days of PHP. I can jump into the console and try it out there and then type exit when I'm done. Amazing. I think Rails developers don't appreciate the console nearly enough.
Anyway, this is just an irb session that has the Rails environment loaded before it! I'll restate it again: Rails is not magical. If you typed irb and then inside that irb session typed require 'config/environment' you would get (at least as far as I am aware...) an identical thing to the Rails console!
This is due to the magic that goes on in the initialization part of Rails which is almost magic, but not and I've explained it in the Initialization Guide Which Will Be Finished And Updated For Rails 3.1 Real Soon I Promise Cross My Heart And Hope to Die If Only I Had The Time!
You could probably learn a lot by reading that text seemingly of a similar length to a book written by George R. R. Martin or Robert Jordan. I definitely learned a lot writing it!
3. The Others
This is where I falter. What other utilities do you need from Rake / Rails? It's all there, you just need to pick out the parts you need which is actually quite simple... but I can't tell you how to do that unless you go ahead and paint those targets.
Anyway, this is the kind of question that is exciting for me to answer. Thanks for giving me that bit of entertainment :)
Edit
I just noticed the BONUS fourth question at the end of your question. What would be the point of versioning your project? Why not use a version control system such as Git to do this and just git tag versions as you see fit? I think that would make the most sense.
First of all, Rails goal as a web framework is to let you mostly forget about the low-level details of a web based application (interacting with a web server, a database, etc.) and provide you with high-level abstractions which allow you to concentrate yourself on the actual job: Getting your application done.
There is such a huge diversity of non-web applications, that it is simply impossible to have a framework that "makes them all".
It is useful to understand what a framework is, and why and when you should use it.
Let's say you would have to build a dog house. You would buy some wood, nails and a hammer to build it the way you want from scratch, or you could go to Walmart and buy a DIY doghouse kit.
You will get a manual with detailed instructions on how to build your dog's "dream doghouse", and you will get it faster done than when making it from scratch, but you will be limited to the wood that comes with it and may be forced to use their nails or screws, and in some cases you would also need to buy a special screw driver.
The DIY kit is your framework. Some smart guys already provided you with the basic tools of making your doghouse, you only had to figure out (or not, if you had a manual) how to do it given their "framework".
Now, let's say you would build a skyscraper. The materials, tools and conventions (the framework) used would probably not be the same as they would when building a doghouse, and it would be over-kill to use a "skyscraper framework" to build a doghouse.
You wouldn't write Twitter client with the same set of tools and conventions as you would when writing a banking application with a billion concurrent users.
Rails is just one framework which provides you with a set of many, many good (and useful) conventions to write a web application, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's the ultimate way to go. You can choose another framework, and maybe you will like the conventions for writing your application even more than the ones provided by Rails; or you could write all from scratch which would not limit you to what is provided by a specific framework and maybe make it even better.
To answer your question: Think of what you want to write and don't let yourself be narrowed down by the set of tools and conventions provided by a framework, as they will surely be if you choose this path.
Buy yourself some books about Design Patterns and read some great software, and then you may understand why the authors did not choose an application framework. Indeed, they've developed their own conventions and defined the behavior of what it should do; and once again, the "Rails way" isn't the only way, which doesn't make it the bad way. :)
I would appreciate constructive criticism as I really tried to provide a good answer.
Have you looked at Monkeybars? It's a Rails-inspired MVC framework that runs on top of JRuby and Swing to build desktop applications. I like it a lot.
I started a small web project and used Drupal to build it. So far, so good: you can quickly set up a nice CMS oriented site, add social features via modules, and you have an extensive API to do the customizations in a nicely architected platform.
The problem comes now: the site is growing beyond what was originally planned for and I find myself in the situation of seriously starting write code for it. While I gained a new respect for PHP thanks to the Drupal project, I want to do it in Ruby. I'll feel more confortable, it'll be easier to maintain later and I can reuse it in other Ruby/Rails apps. Over time I suppose I'll rewrite the existing parts in Drupal in Ruby.
Based on this, the question is: has anyone integrated both (both a success or failure story)? It's quite a big decision, and I just can't find info about anyone who has done it on Google.
Sorry to be negative. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
I'll feel more confortable, it'll be easier to maintain later for me and I can reuse it in other Ruby/Rails apps.
I seriously doubt that. It will probably be more difficult to maintain/reuse in the future because of the extra code you will need to write to "integrate" Drupal and Ruby. The more the code, the more the likelihood of bugs. I'm assuming you're going to link the two together using REST/webservices/similar technology -- if that is the case you are writing so much extra code! Gluing the front end elements (which have to be in Drupal) with the functional elements (probably in Ruby) justs sounds so complicated to me.
I'm guessing its only you who is going to be maintaining the code. What if its someone else? Will you easily be able to find someone who has two skill sets (Ruby + Drupal) in your area/budget?
What about giving back to the Drupal community? If your code becomes something useful and its this big mess of Drupal + Ruby you really can't put it up on Drupal.org for others to build, improve and test.
I suggest two options
Use Drupal only.
Sounds like you're in love with Ruby or at any rate just too used to it. In that case: Find a Ruby based CMS! (Sorry I don't know any!)
To me its a classic dilemma: Should you do Drupal Custom Module development which will mean more short term pain cause you'll be out of your comfort zone.... or should you integrate Ruby + Drupal which will be easier in the short run but very painful in the long.
I would choose short term pain :-)
I think the term used to describe your idea is Polyglot Programming: http://memeagora.blogspot.com/2006/12/polyglot-programming.html
One of my criticisms of Drupal is that everything is in Drupal or PHP. Drush is an exception of course but it would be nice to see some development tools that don't use the Drupal stack exclusively. I have used Apache Ant on Drupal with some success (before the days of Drush).
I've also worked on a Drupal project that provided Software as a Service to a Java front end. That didn't work too well but the Drupal Services project has enjoyed some renewed development since then. I've also worked on several Drupal projects that interface with flash front ends (ugg!), google maps and mobile phone gadgets.
Are you thinking of a Service Orientated Architecture? If you're comfortable with that then you could be on the write track to writing truly agile software. I'd like to hear how you go!
However, if your only justification is that your feel more comfortable in Ruby (and I can see why) then, you should probably get yourself out of your comfort zone.
I have once again fleshed out Ruby, after two years of not touching it, and am considering programming for the web with Ruby. However, I have found that the Ruby on Rails framework is just too large and bloated for my taste. It is usually a matter of preference, but in my case, I just want to be able to program on the web without having to worry about structuring my code with a framework similar to RoR.
When programming for the web with Ruby, should I be using a framework? Is it recommended? If you could recommend a simple one, which would it be?
Thanks.
The simple and minimal framework for ruby is sinatra
IMO, using a framework is good idea (don't reinvent the wheel etc). Just find one that suits your needs.
Apart from Rails, I've heard about Merb, Camping, Sinatra and Ramaze. For a quick comparison, you might want to read this post. For some other ideas, check 10 Alternative Ruby Web Frameworks.
EDIT: As pointed out in a comment, Merb and Rails are merging and according to Merb creator Ezra Zygmuntowicz (see this blog post), "Merb is Rails and Rails is Merb" so I guess Merb isn't that light.
EDIT2: As pointed out in another comment, the goal of this merge is to make Rails malleable so that you don't need to use all of Rails if you don't want to.
Sinatra is a very good choice
Even if you use no framework or a very light weight one, you will notice that when your application grows, you'll try to replicate existing features of Rails or other MVC frameworks to solve your challenges. By the end of the day, you'll still end up with a heavy weight framework whichever path you take.
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Sometimes it feels that my company is the only company in the world using Ruby but not Ruby on Rails, to the point that Rails has almost become synonymous with Ruby.
I'm sure this isn't really true, but it'd be fun to hear some stories about non-Rails Ruby usage out there.
One of the huge benefits of Ruby is the ability to create DSLs very easily. Ruby allows you to create "business rules" in a natural language way that is usually easy enough for a business analyst to use. Many Ruby apps outside of web development exist for this purpose.
I highly recommend Googling "ruby dsl" for some excellent reading, but I would like to leave you with one post in particular. Russ Olsen wrote a two part blog post on DSLs. I saw him give a presentation on DSLs and it was very good. I highly recommend reading these posts.
I also found this excellent presentation on Ruby DSLs by Obie Fernandez. Highly recommended reading!
I use Ruby extensively in my work, and none of it is Rails (or even web) based.
My domain is usually client-side Windows applications (wxRuby GUI) and scripts, automating Excel, Internet Explorer, SQL Server queries and report generation (win32ole COM automation). I also use the sqlite, pdf-writer, and gruff libraries for various data munging and graph generation tasks.
Rails' success has been great for Ruby, but I agree that Rails has received so much attention that Ruby's value beyond the web is often overlooked.
We are mainly a C++ shop, but we've found several areas where Ruby has proven quite useful. Here are a few:
Code Generation - Built several DSLs to generate C++/Java/C# code from single input files
Build Support
scripts to generate Makefiles for unix from Visual Studio Project Files
scripts for building projects and formatting the output for Cruise Control
scripts for running our unit tests and formatting the output for Cruise Control
scripts for manipulating Visual Studio projects and solutions from the command line
Integration Tests - We can crank out tests much quicker and cleaner using Ruby than C++
QA's entire testing suite is written in Ruby
Ruby is basically my go to tool for where it makes sense. And it makes sense in a lot of places.
Google Sketchup uses Ruby as an embedded scripting language. You can use it to perform all sorts of 3d modeling and import/export tasks. The scripting works with the free version and there's even decent documentation.
Ruby with a homebrew extension written in C++ does all the heavy pixel pushing for my photography processing. I was using Python+numpy but when doing artsy stuff, Ruby is just more fun. Also the relative lack of, or lesser maturity of, good image processing libraries makes me feel less like i'm reinventing wheels. I am clueless about Rails, other than i've heard of it, have a fuzzy idea what it is, and actually have a book on it (unopened)
We use Watir (Ruby library) to test our .net web application.
Check out Shoes, a simple API for building GUIs in Ruby aimed at novice programmers.
Or you could use Ruby to make music ala Giles Bowkett's Archaeopteryx. This presentation by Giles about Archaeopteryx is one of the best presentations ever. I highly recommend it.
RubyCocoa and MacRuby. Possible to make full Cocoa-based GUI apps without Rails. And then you get to use Interface Builder, too.
I worked on a museum project last year that used a lot of Ruby. (http://http://ourspace.tepapa.com/home)
The part that I spent most of my time on was an interactive floor map. The Map on the floor has sensors so when people walk on it lights are triggered and displays in the wall show images or videos and audio tracks are played.
All the control code for this part of the exhibit is ruby. I wrote C interfaces with ruby wrappers to communicate with the floor sensors and the lighting controllers. The system queries a MYSQL database for the media files to be displayed and then tells computers in the walls to play the media via UDP.
It's the most reliable part of the entire exhibit.
Ruby was used for the other major part of the exhibit, the Wall though I didn't have much to do with that. Most of the graphics were prototyped in ruby using interfaces to OpenGL, a bit of Cocoa and a physics library before being ported to pure Obj-C.
Puppet and Chef: DevOps
I didn't see a mention of Puppet or Chef in the 30 answers that preceded my arrival. Ruby appears to dominate current work in cloud automation and is the base, extension, and templating language of these two big players. They are used primarily to distribute system and application configuration information for server arrays and for general IT workstation management.
The DevOps field is quite Ruby-aware. Today, Perl has a competitor. While a really simple script may often still be written directly for sh(1), a complex task now might be done in Ruby rather than Perl.
The only site I've done with Ruby at work is using Rails, but I'd like to try Merb.
Other than that I do a lot of little utility programs in Ruby - for instance an app that reads RSS feeds and imports new posts into a dabase.
It's fun, so I also write some dumb stuff just because it's so quick. Yesterday I wrote an app to play the Monty Hall problem 100,000 times to help a friend convince her professor that switching is the correct strategy.
I almost take insult that ruby is a rails thing. It is like back when CGI was the latest trend and everyone figured that if you knew perl you must be doing it only because you programmed CGI apps. Ruby is just a scripting language for me, although not as mature as python so I somewhat regret having to jump through some of its hoops and recent changes, I still like it and use it. Although I work in a java shop and therefore groovy is the ideal choice for a scripting language, I still use ruby at home and for throw away scripts that aren't needed to be shared at work.
I was considering getting into RoR from all the buzz and how quick/simple it is, but after looking over rails I didn't see anything at all that was amazing or even the least bit innovative or rapidly fast about its development compared to any other framework. The only benefit I saw was that I could code in ruby, which would be nice, but initial setup, server maintenance and scaling is more difficult, thus re-offsetting the pleasure of coding in ruby.
I created a presentation -- coincidentally named Off The Rails -- to discuss Rack-based web applications:
https://github.com/alexch/Off-The-Rails
The git repo includes slides in Markdown format and sample code (in the form of running applications and middleware). Here's the abstract:
Ruby on Rails is the most popular web application framework for Ruby. But it's not the only one! If you think Rails is too big, or too opinionated, or too anything, you might be happy to learn about the new generation of so-called microframeworks built on Rack. And since Rails 3 is itself a Rack app, you don't have to give up Rails to get the benefit of Sinatra routes or Grape APIs.
And here are some references:
This talk lives at https://github.com/alexch/off-the-rails
Yehuda's #10 Favorite Thing About Ruby
Rack
rack-test
rack-client
Sinatra
Grape
Vegas
Siesta
Rerun
Hope you find it useful!
I'm mostly a Web developer, and I learned Ruby to use Rails, but I like the language so much that I started developing a desktop Swing application in Ruby, using JRuby and Monkeybars. I'm competent in Java, but don't much like using it, and the Swing API is horrible, so putting Ruby on top has been a big win.
We mainly use rails, but we have plenty of other non-rails ruby things - for example a standalone authentication daemon thing for centralized authentication of users, and an 'image processing server' which runs arbitrary numbers of ruby processes to process images in parallel.
Oh, and don't forget good old Rake :-)
Ruby is also used for Desktop application. Especially the use of JRuby to develop Swing desktop application.
I've used Ruby at work for
A data extractor, generating csv files from binary output.
A .ini file generator, turning a simple syntax into a repetitive .ini format.
A simple TCP/IP server, acting as stand-in for the customer's system during testing.
We use Ruby to implement our test automation software. This includes test framework and driver code for Selenium RC, WATIR and AutoIT.
Ruby is powerful enough to create comprehensive applications that can interface with Test tools like Selenium or WATIR, while at the same time reading from data files, interacting with a remote Windows UI and performing near transparent network communication. All while running on Windows or Linux.
The uncluttered syntax makes it ideal for new and inexperienced programmers to read. While its totally OO nature makes it easy for these same programmers to apply good (recently learned) OO techniques, from the start.
The flexible nature of Ruby's syntax also makes the use and creation of DSLs much easier. This allows less-technical people to get invovled, read and possibly create there own tests.
I have used Ruby for code generation of C# and T-SQL stored procedures in a project with unstable requirements. The data model was encoded in a YAML file and .erb templates were used for the classes and stored procedures. It also allowed for a much more DRY solution than would have been possible with straight C# as repetitve code could be factored out into a single method in the code generator.
Where I work, we use Ruby to do a number of different one-off type batch jobs. One example of that is a job that interacts with Amazon's S3 service. At the time, the Ruby S3 library was probably the easiest one out there for us to get up and running in a short amount of time.
I wrote an order processing expert system (see DSL answer as well), converted 100k lines of customer specific perl into about 10k lines of ruby handling dozens of customers. No web components at all, no Rails.
I am a webdriver user. ruby is used by webdriver for automating the build process thanks to rake. see http://code.google.com/p/webdriver/ for details
Heh, great question.
I used Ruby to convert Excel spreadsheet airport facility data to sqlite3 for the android phone platform while making an app for pilots.
I use Ruby with Sinatra which is much simpler than Rails. I did use Rails but just found that it has turned into a bit of a monster, although Rails is still amazing compared to web frameworks available for Java.
The main feature of Ruby that I love however is "eval" and "method_missing", which Rails actually uses for example in ActiveRecord so that you can use the amazing "find_by-field-name-" queries.
I used Ruby for a lot of back-end code simply because I was the only person who was tasked to do it and needed a nice clean language that allowed me to be very productive and write easy to maintain code. I find Ruby allows me to do that easier than Perl and Python. Other people's mileage might vary on that but it works well for me.
Besides that, I like how Sequel and Nokogiri work. I also used ActiveRecord for a while separately from Rails.
We use some Ruby for file manipulation but have not been able to incorporate rails yet.
I've used Ruby a lot professionally for quick scripts for things like shuffling files around. I'm the same way in that I was using Ruby first before touching Rails at all.
In Boulder there was an excellent group of Ruby users who met monthly. This point was made - that Ruby does have an existence beside its use in Rails. Plain Ruby users do exist, are begging for attention, have neat things to show, and can find each other at user group meetings.
They also had better pizza than the Python group, who met also the same day of the month. Can only pick one...
While we do have several Rails apps at work, we also use Ruby for some fairly intensive non-web stuff.
We've got an SMS delivery daemon, which pulls messages from a queue and then delivers them, and credit card processing daemon which other apps can call out to, which makes sure there's a central audit trail.