Book Review - From Java to Ruby by Bruce Tate
Category Book Reviews
It's not a difficult sell to get a technology geek to understand and try out a new language. But getting your management to buy into it can be nearly impossible. Bruce Tate makes a convincing case for moving to Ruby in the book From Java to Ruby - Things Every Manager Should Know.
Contents: Introduction; Pain; Establishing Your Reward; Pilot; On An Island; Bridges; Ramping Up; Risk; Bibliography
While a proponent of the Ruby language, Tate doesn't approach this from a "rah-rah" standpoint. It's written from a practical, pragmatic standpoint, one that is designed to show the pros and cons of using this tool over the "normal" option of Java. He talks about his journey from being a Java evangelist to becoming sold on the benefits that Ruby offers. He doesn't shy away from where Ruby still doesn't measure up. It's more a case of using the right tool for a job, and he feels that Java is an elephant gun being used to kill small rodents in far too many cases. There is always the risk that Ruby won't "cross the chasm", but he feels that Ruby has reached that critical mass that ensures it won't stagnate and die. I personally have wanted to learn Ruby, and this only whets my appetite all the more. I've been trying to learn Perl (in my lack of spare time) for use as a utility tool. But apparently Ruby can do that kind of data manipulation just as well, so I'll probably be reassessing my time spent in that area...
If you're someone who has seen the benefit of Ruby and you want to get your management on board, this might well be the sales tool you need... An excellent read...
It's not a difficult sell to get a technology geek to understand and try out a new language. But getting your management to buy into it can be nearly impossible. Bruce Tate makes a convincing case for moving to Ruby in the book From Java to Ruby - Things Every Manager Should Know.
Contents: Introduction; Pain; Establishing Your Reward; Pilot; On An Island; Bridges; Ramping Up; Risk; Bibliography
While a proponent of the Ruby language, Tate doesn't approach this from a "rah-rah" standpoint. It's written from a practical, pragmatic standpoint, one that is designed to show the pros and cons of using this tool over the "normal" option of Java. He talks about his journey from being a Java evangelist to becoming sold on the benefits that Ruby offers. He doesn't shy away from where Ruby still doesn't measure up. It's more a case of using the right tool for a job, and he feels that Java is an elephant gun being used to kill small rodents in far too many cases. There is always the risk that Ruby won't "cross the chasm", but he feels that Ruby has reached that critical mass that ensures it won't stagnate and die. I personally have wanted to learn Ruby, and this only whets my appetite all the more. I've been trying to learn Perl (in my lack of spare time) for use as a utility tool. But apparently Ruby can do that kind of data manipulation just as well, so I'll probably be reassessing my time spent in that area...
If you're someone who has seen the benefit of Ruby and you want to get your management on board, this might well be the sales tool you need... An excellent read...
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