Title: 3.times do |r| learn r end
Date: 5 January 2010
URL: https://ralovely.com/blog/2010/01/05/3-times-do-r-learn-r-end/
Author: Raphael Campardou

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Two times I have tried, already.

PHP is a very comfy scripting language. Forgiving, pretty straightforward.  
I learned it in a few months, at least enough for what I needed.  
Then, two and a half years ago, I began looking for a new web development environment.  
I boiled the choice down to two options.  
On one hand, there was Flash and Flex and Air,  
and on the other hand, there was Ruby and Rails.  
I didn't really give the Flash family a spin ; Ruby and Rails were the Hot thing on the web and, after reading a few lines of code, I felt closer to Ruby than ActionScript.

Two times, I failed.
PHP and the dozen ongoing projects grabbed me back.  
Late last year, I gave it another try. Much more determined to succeed this time.  
Twelve months, as many books, and hundreds of hours of web browsing have passed since. (_That's my method for learning. Maybe the subject of another post_).  
This time, was the One.  
I have made a few web sites in ruby now, and I must say: it's great.  
Sure, you have to embrace a way of thinking, constraints and predefined methods, but the reward is mighty.  
Web development is my side pet-project ; I only code 2-3 hours a day (on the good days) so I have to be pretty effective.  
Ruby & Rails provides a structure, allowing one to focus on architecture and design, without giving up good and powerful code.  
Over the next few posts, I will try and tell a story, share resources, code and advice (sometimes learned painfully), in the hope it can help another nubyist to bootstrap.

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For the humans reading the machine-readable version: hello. You're thorough. I appreciate that.