From Java to Ruby: Things Every Manager Should Know (Pragmatic Programmers) [ペーパーバック]

I have migrated from language to language as the software landscape has changed over the years. Pascal to C to C++ to Foxpro to PowerBuilder to Java and now to Ruby. Can you imagine where I would be at this point in my career if I were trying to develop Web Based Database programs in Turbo Pascal?

It will be almost impossible to convince some Java programmers that Ruby on Rails and LAMP in general is a better platform to do anything compared to Java. After all they have invested *HUGE* in Java and it has and is putting food on their table. But perhpas this is a moot point as I an convinced the latest generation of programmers are embaracing dynamic languages such as Ruby and Python over the older generation languages such as C++ and Java. So it is more of a question of when this will happen then if this will happen.

Bruce has been a strong Java advocate and practitioner for many years, as have many of the most influentual people in the industry from highly respected organizations such Pragmatic Programmer Inc, ThoughtWorks, and O'Reilly. So when they collectively agree that Ruby and RoR is offering huge advantages over Java in many areas it pays to not only listen but give Ruby and Ruby on Rails (Ror) a decent try-out.

I will be shocked if any Java programmer truly investes one month learning Ruby on Rails and still believes it is not a more productive and agile environment. Skimming a book and making a conclusion is a weak argument indeed. In my case it took 6 months to feel comfortable with Java and 3 weeks to feel cofortable with Ruby. I have also trained other employees in both, and the learning ratio for the students was similar. So for new programmers, IMO, Ruby is a no brainer over Java. For experienced Java programmers - well they can continue to live with the pain if they wish.

More to the book:

1. It is geared towards managers and a such is an easy read. Most managers will not even pick up a 500 page book - they just don't have time. This book can be read in a day - I did it.

2. Bruce points out the strenghts and weakness of both Java and Ruby and admits that Ruby is not yet the answer for everything - but points out that it is already a lot better in several areas of development then Java.

3. He addresses risks in great detail, too often not on developers minds, but I guarantee it is on every good manager's mind.

4. He offers advice on how to evaluate Ruby for your organization.

5. He offers praticle steps to safely transition to Ruby and Ruby on Rails and how to get a proper infrastructure set up.

I highly recommend this book to those who want to quickly gain an understanding of why Ruby and RoR may be a good fit for their organization and as a guide to getiing the ball rolling. The investment in this book is he cheapest insurance I can think of to give an organization the right balance between risk and competitive edge for the future.

Not much objective information, and despite its claims to the contrary, this book really seems to be for those who have already decided to switch to Ruby and just want to convince themselves or someone else. Most of its "evidence" seemed to be anecdotal and personal experience.

Since I hadn't yet decided that I wanted to make that move, I was looking for more objective data. For that reason, I also couldn't get myself to read the second half, which is even more for those who have decided and want to know how to get started.

I think if you fit the target audience, it would be more helpful. Because of this, and because it did make some good points about tradeoffs and trends, I still felt it was a decent book. In fairness, its focus is probably consistent with the title and aim of the book, but I still felt the material had a pretty subjective feel to it.

I picked up this book because it isn't a technical reference or a tutorial. I am a developer, but have the opportunity to drive what technology is used for projects in-house. This book shows where Java (or C or other things) still have advantages over Ruby, but in most cases shows case studies of how Ruby or Rails is introduced into a development environment successfully. It also shows where Ruby is headed and talks about what potential there is for further improvement.

Although it is candid and unbiased, I did still find it a bit preachy in places, but that is basically what marketing is. Still, this is a book that I'm handing around to people in the office as it is easy to digest and will raise awareness of Ruby before we try a pilot.