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comp.lang.ruby

Getting started with Ruby (noob confusion

Nunya Business

9/22/2007 10:27:00 PM

Hi everyone!

As the title suggests, I'm new to Ruby (and programming in general), and
am feeling a bit
overwhelmed by the complexities. (However, I must say that Ruby is one
of the few languages
I'd dare to describe as "easy to swallow".) At the moment, I'm not sure
what to do first. I've
downloaded the latest stable build, and am really anxious to make
something happen. My
momentary interest lies primarily in developing simple Windows GUI apps,
and I've found that
I'll require some external tools for said tasks. My last attempt at
coding was with the VB
Express kit (which I eventually removed, due to it's bloated feel), so
Ruby's requirement of
external software was a surprise (hey, like I said, I'm new to this, so
don't come down on me
*too* hard).

Anyhow, after realizing this, I went on a treasure hunt of sorts, for a
GUI toolkit. I've
selected foxGUIb for the job. According to the site, it requires FXRuby,
so I guess my first
question is, is FXRuby included in the current stable Ruby distro, or do
I need to download
it? I did a search, and found several "fxruby" type files on my comp
with the "gem" extension.
(BTW... what the heck are "gems? LOL) I have a bunch of other questions
as well (unrelated to
FXRuby), but I'll get into those later. Right now, I just need an
itemized list of EVERYTHING
I'll need to get going.

A few of the projects I have in mind:

A snazzy, skinable web browser with ftp capabilities built-in (among
other things)
An instant messenger
Newsreader
Mail client

As you can see, just very basic stuff.

My complaint with most coding tutorials out there, is their focus on
elaborate methods that
most regular people will never require. I don't need to build a
chemist's widget for solving
complex mathematical equations... just nifty little web apps with some
cool features.

If anybody can help me through my journey of Ruby discovery, it would be
much appreciated. : )

PS Something I've been wondering for a while; need I be proficient in
math to develop the type
of apps I have in mind? I'm just horrible with numbers. I feel like this
particular weakness
may hamper my dreams of programming.
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....
17 Answers

Tim Hunter

9/22/2007 11:07:00 PM

0

Nunya Business wrote:
> Hi everyone!
>
> As the title suggests, I'm new to Ruby (and programming in general), and
> am feeling a bit
> overwhelmed by the complexities. (However, I must say that Ruby is one
> of the few languages
> I'd dare to describe as "easy to swallow".) At the moment, I'm not sure
> what to do first. I've
> downloaded the latest stable build, and am really anxious to make
> something happen. My
> momentary interest lies primarily in developing simple Windows GUI apps,
> and I've found that
> I'll require some external tools for said tasks. My last attempt at
> coding was with the VB
> Express kit (which I eventually removed, due to it's bloated feel), so
> Ruby's requirement of
> external software was a surprise (hey, like I said, I'm new to this, so
> don't come down on me
> *too* hard).
>
> Anyhow, after realizing this, I went on a treasure hunt of sorts, for a
> GUI toolkit. I've
> selected foxGUIb for the job. According to the site, it requires FXRuby,
> so I guess my first
> question is, is FXRuby included in the current stable Ruby distro, or do
> I need to download
> it? I did a search, and found several "fxruby" type files on my comp
> with the "gem" extension.
> (BTW... what the heck are "gems? LOL) I have a bunch of other questions
> as well (unrelated to
> FXRuby), but I'll get into those later. Right now, I just need an
> itemized list of EVERYTHING
> I'll need to get going.
>
> A few of the projects I have in mind:
>
> A snazzy, skinable web browser with ftp capabilities built-in (among
> other things)
> An instant messenger
> Newsreader
> Mail client
>
> As you can see, just very basic stuff.
>
> My complaint with most coding tutorials out there, is their focus on
> elaborate methods that
> most regular people will never require. I don't need to build a
> chemist's widget for solving
> complex mathematical equations... just nifty little web apps with some
> cool features.
>
> If anybody can help me through my journey of Ruby discovery, it would be
> much appreciated. : )
>
> PS Something I've been wondering for a while; need I be proficient in
> math to develop the type
> of apps I have in mind? I'm just horrible with numbers. I feel like this
> particular weakness
> may hamper my dreams of programming.

First, welcome to Ruby!

Hmmm...well, I would say that the applications you've listed are far
from simple. In fact, they're quite ambitious for somebody who is new to
programming. (Not to mention, sorta redundant. Why bother to write
applications for which there are already many very good - as well as
free - examples to choose from?)

If I were in your shoes, I'd postpone the whole GUI app goal for a bit
and concentrate on simple applications that run on the command line and
simply print text.

Check out Peter Cooper's _Beginning_Ruby_
[http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Ruby-Novice-Professional/dp/...].
He has some very entertaining examples that you can work through while
learning programming and Ruby.

Regarding RubyGems: http://docs.rub...

Good luck!

--
RMagick OS X Installer [http://rubyforge.org/project...]
RMagick Hints & Tips [http://rubyforge.org/forum/forum.php?for...]
RMagick Installation FAQ [http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/instal...]

7stud 7stud

9/22/2007 11:08:00 PM

0

Nunya Business wrote:
>
> Anyhow, after realizing this, I went on a treasure hunt of sorts, for a
> GUI toolkit. I've
> selected foxGUIb for the job. According to the site, it requires FXRuby,
> so I guess my first
> question is, is FXRuby included in the current stable Ruby distro, or do
> I need to download
> it?
>

If you want to avoid all that hassle, download and learn python. It
comes with the relatively easy to learn Tkinter gui toolkit.

>
> As the title suggests, I'm new to Ruby (and programming in general), and
> am feeling a bit
> overwhelmed by the complexities.
> A few of the projects I have in mind:
>
> A snazzy, skinable web browser with ftp capabilities built-in (among
> other things)
> An instant messenger
> Newsreader
> Mail client
>
> As you can see, just very basic stuff.
>

lol. Ok.


> PS Something I've been wondering for a while; need I be proficient in
> math to develop the type
> of apps I have in mind? I'm just horrible with numbers. I feel like this
> particular weakness
> may hamper my dreams of programming.

Most programs require a facility with numbers. Of course, you don't
need to understand calculus to read and write to a file. Gui
programming is a more advanced topic in most languages, although some
toolkits make it relatively easy.
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Nunya Business

9/22/2007 11:16:00 PM

0

7stud -- wrote:

> If you want to avoid all that hassle, download and learn python. It
> comes with the relatively easy to learn Tkinter gui toolkit.

Tk can be used with Ruby, as well. Oh, and I've heard bad things about
Python, so no thanks.



--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

7stud 7stud

9/22/2007 11:30:00 PM

0

Nunya Business wrote:
> 7stud -- wrote:
>
>> If you want to avoid all that hassle, download and learn python. It
>> comes with the relatively easy to learn Tkinter gui toolkit.
>
> Tk can be used with Ruby, as well. Oh, and I've heard bad things about
> Python, so no thanks.

Yes, python is 10 times as fast as Ruby, uses less memory, is more human
readable, has better libraries, is at least as fast to develop with, has
a more active community, and is worthy enough to be used by companies
such as google. Run away.

--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Nunya Business

9/22/2007 11:31:00 PM

0

Tim Hunter wrote:

> First, welcome to Ruby!
>
> Hmmm...well, I would say that the applications you've listed are far
> from simple. In fact, they're quite ambitious for somebody who is new to
> programming. (Not to mention, sorta redundant. Why bother to write
> applications for which there are already many very good - as well as
> free - examples to choose from?)

Well, I want to make my own. My interest in programming was sparked by
the lack of features that *I* would like to see in the above-mentioned
apps.


> If I were in your shoes, I'd postpone the whole GUI app goal for a bit
> and concentrate on simple applications that run on the command line and
> simply print text.

Yuck. Such progs serve no purpose to me. Anybody can make a console read
text back to them. I want to make something *useful*.


> Check out Peter Cooper's _Beginning_Ruby_
> [http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Ruby-Novice-Professional/dp/...].
> He has some very entertaining examples that you can work through while
> learning programming and Ruby.

I've been reading some stuff. On a side note, It's my opinion that
examining source code helps, too. I'd like to find some apps similar to
what I have in mind, that are built in Ruby, and examine their code, but
I have yet to find any.

> Regarding RubyGems: http://docs.rub...
>
> Good luck!

Thanks.
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Nunya Business

9/22/2007 11:37:00 PM

0

7stud -- wrote:
> Nunya Business wrote:
>> 7stud -- wrote:
>>
>>> If you want to avoid all that hassle, download and learn python. It
>>> comes with the relatively easy to learn Tkinter gui toolkit.
>>
>> Tk can be used with Ruby, as well. Oh, and I've heard bad things about
>> Python, so no thanks.
>
> Yes, python is 10 times as fast as Ruby, uses less memory, is more human
> readable, has better libraries, is at least as fast to develop with, has
> a more active community, and is worthy enough to be used by companies
> such as google. Run away.

*laugh*

Somebody made a comment regarding the Python community and their
*attitude problems*, on a Ruby site. Thank you for confirming his
assertions. : )

Also, if you're such a fan of Python, what are you doing *here*?

--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

7stud 7stud

9/22/2007 11:42:00 PM

0

Nunya Business wrote:
>
>> Tk can be used with Ruby, as well.
>

require 'tk'

root = TkRoot.new {title "Test"}

TkLabel.new(root) do
text "Hello, World!"
pack('padx' => 15, 'pady' => 15, 'side' => 'left')
end

Tk.mainloop


dyld: NSLinkModule() error
dyld: Library not loaded: /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.6.dylib
Referenced from: /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/universal-darwin8.0/tcltklib.bundle
Reason: image not found
Trace/BPT trap
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Nunya Business

9/22/2007 11:46:00 PM

0

7stud -- wrote:
> Nunya Business wrote:
>>
>>> Tk can be used with Ruby, as well.
>>
>
> require 'tk'
>
> root = TkRoot.new {title "Test"}
>
> TkLabel.new(root) do
> text "Hello, World!"
> pack('padx' => 15, 'pady' => 15, 'side' => 'left')
> end
>
> Tk.mainloop
>
>
> dyld: NSLinkModule() error
> dyld: Library not loaded: /usr/X11R6/lib/libX11.6.dylib
> Referenced from: /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/universal-darwin8.0/tcltklib.bundle
> Reason: image not found
> Trace/BPT trap

*points* What's that? ^ LOL

http://ruby.about.com/od/desktop/p/r...
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Tim Hunter

9/22/2007 11:54:00 PM

0

Nunya Business wrote:
> Tim Hunter wrote:
>
>> First, welcome to Ruby!
>>
>> Hmmm...well, I would say that the applications you've listed are far
>> from simple. In fact, they're quite ambitious for somebody who is new to
>> programming. (Not to mention, sorta redundant. Why bother to write
>> applications for which there are already many very good - as well as
>> free - examples to choose from?)
>
> Well, I want to make my own. My interest in programming was sparked by
> the lack of features that *I* would like to see in the above-mentioned
> apps.
>
>
>> If I were in your shoes, I'd postpone the whole GUI app goal for a bit
>> and concentrate on simple applications that run on the command line and
>> simply print text.
>
> Yuck. Such progs serve no purpose to me. Anybody can make a console read
> text back to them. I want to make something *useful*.
>
>
>> Check out Peter Cooper's _Beginning_Ruby_
>> [http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Ruby-Novice-Professional/dp/...].
>> He has some very entertaining examples that you can work through while
>> learning programming and Ruby.
>
> I've been reading some stuff. On a side note, It's my opinion that
> examining source code helps, too. I'd like to find some apps similar to
> what I have in mind, that are built in Ruby, and examine their code, but
> I have yet to find any.
>
>> Regarding RubyGems: http://docs.rub...
>>
>> Good luck!
>
> Thanks.

Hmmm...well, there's some good advice in this thread:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse_thread/thread/253f91456dde8b75/0eb460a545554d24?q=need+serious+help&l...

The OP presented himself as a novice seeking advice but turned out to be
a troll. Nevertheless some very talented and sincere Ruby-ists responded
with their best advice. Of course, the OP ended up making a fool of
himself, but you can ignore that.

Good luck!

--
RMagick OS X Installer [http://rubyforge.org/project...]
RMagick Hints & Tips [http://rubyforge.org/forum/forum.php?for...]
RMagick Installation FAQ [http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/instal...]

Nunya Business

9/23/2007 12:15:00 AM

0

Tim Hunter wrote:
> Nunya Business wrote:
>> Well, I want to make my own. My interest in programming was sparked by
>>
>>
>>> Regarding RubyGems: http://docs.rub...
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>
>> Thanks.
>
> Hmmm...well, there's some good advice in this thread:
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse_thread/thread/253f91456dde8b75/0eb460a545554d24?q=need+serious+help&l...
>
> The OP presented himself as a novice seeking advice but turned out to be
> a troll. Nevertheless some very talented and sincere Ruby-ists responded
> with their best advice. Of course, the OP ended up making a fool of
> himself, but you can ignore that.
>
> Good luck!

That thread is as humorous as it is informative. Thank you.
I noticed mention of Chris Pine, whose material I've recently
discovered.
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....