Comments on: The Sadly Neglected Pickaxe-killer http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/ Experiences with Ruby and Rails, Web2.0 and other development technologies Tue, 13 May 2008 20:05:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: John Joyce http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-3364 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:20:37 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-3364 <p>Just bought R4R, been eyeballing it in the bookstore for months. Love it. The pickaxe is nice, but V2 has that huge reference section for the last half of it. Sorry, I just don't like to carry around big heavy books anymore. It's stupid. (as for the pick axe, uh, duh rhubarb dude, it's "Ruby" you mine it, one method to mine for something by yourself is with a pickaxe...)</p> Just bought R4R, been eyeballing it in the bookstore for months. Love it.
The pickaxe is nice, but V2 has that huge reference section for the last half of it. Sorry, I just don’t like to carry around big heavy books anymore. It’s stupid.
(as for the pick axe, uh, duh rhubarb dude, it’s “Ruby” you mine it, one method to mine for something by yourself is with a pickaxe…)

]]> by: rhubarb http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-1054 Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:04:07 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-1054 <p>BTW: Note that the Pickaxe predates R4R by a long way- and is the first good book on Ruby and one of the first 2 or 3 to exist, which is why it's better known.</p> <p>Also note that Pickaxe comes from the fact that the cover has a pickaxe on it - fairly random I think. This follows the O'Reilly tradition: they put totally random animals on the covers, and often the books become known by the cover picture. I think that "the camel book" (for Perl4) is the canonical - if not original - example of this.</p> BTW: Note that the Pickaxe predates R4R by a long way- and is the first good book on Ruby and one of the first 2 or 3 to exist, which is why it’s better known.

Also note that Pickaxe comes from the fact that the cover has a pickaxe on it - fairly random I think.
This follows the O’Reilly tradition: they put totally random animals on the covers, and often the books become known by the cover picture. I think that “the camel book” (for Perl4) is the canonical - if not original - example of this.

]]> by: rhubarb http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-1053 Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:57:38 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-1053 <p>Yes. And one place R4R really shines is in the chapter that describes how "self" works. I've never seen this properly described in any other place, neither book, nor blog.</p> Yes. And one place R4R really shines is in the chapter that describes how “self” works.
I’ve never seen this properly described in any other place, neither book, nor blog.

]]> by: peter http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-905 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 09:05:04 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-905 <p>@Pat: Could you tell us which is the third one? :-) If we are talking about Rails, too, then I am quite sure it is AWDwR, but if strictly Ruby, then I am wondering (Ruby Cookbook anyone?) You are absolutely right wrt the Ruby Way... In short: yes, extend your list to 4 books :-)</p> <p>@Bob: Well, if you really have a solid grasp, then maybe you should check out the Ruby cookbook instead to pick up some Ruby slang &#38; idioms... though this book was so well written that I think it is still worth a read nevertheless.</p> @Pat: Could you tell us which is the third one? :-) If we are talking about Rails, too, then I am quite sure it is AWDwR, but if strictly Ruby, then I am wondering (Ruby Cookbook anyone?)
You are absolutely right wrt the Ruby Way… In short: yes, extend your list to 4 books :-)

@Bob: Well, if you really have a solid grasp, then maybe you should check out the Ruby cookbook instead to pick up some Ruby slang & idioms… though this book was so well written that I think it is still worth a read nevertheless.

]]> by: Bob Aman http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-899 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:31:51 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-899 <p>R4R is one of the few Ruby books I don't have. Mainly because by the time it got around to being published, I already felt like I had a pretty solid handle on Ruby, and more importantly, because my interest in Rails had dropped significantly. Is it still a good book for someone who already knows Ruby quite well, and who doesn't really use Rails anymore? (Well, except for with freelance work... customer is always right.)</p> R4R is one of the few Ruby books I don’t have. Mainly because by the time it got around to being published, I already felt like I had a pretty solid handle on Ruby, and more importantly, because my interest in Rails had dropped significantly. Is it still a good book for someone who already knows Ruby quite well, and who doesn’t really use Rails anymore? (Well, except for with freelance work… customer is always right.)

]]> by: MikeInAZ http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-896 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:11:30 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-896 <p>I'm a fairly newcomer to Rails/Ruby and feel the same about the Ruby4Rails book. It's not too fast and not too slow...just a perfect book.</p> I’m a fairly newcomer to Rails/Ruby and feel the same about the Ruby4Rails book. It’s not too fast and not too slow…just a perfect book.

]]> by: Pat Eyler http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-895 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:47:32 +0000 http://www.rubyrailways.com/the-sadly-neglected-pickaxe-killer/#comment-895 <p>Nice little review of a really good book. I agree with you that Ruby for Rails is poised to be a pick-axe killer as the introductory book. The two books are really quite complimentary though. Currently, they both sit in my list of three Ruby books every Ruby hacker should have. My big concern is what I'll do in November when the 2nd edition of The Ruby Way comes out ... make it a list of four?</p> Nice little review of a really good book. I agree with you that Ruby for Rails is poised to be a pick-axe killer as the introductory book. The two books are really quite complimentary though. Currently, they both sit in my list of three Ruby books every Ruby hacker should have. My big concern is what I’ll do in November when the 2nd edition of The Ruby Way comes out … make it a list of four?

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