The Ruby Programming Language

[Chris Hulan]

Just got note from O'Reilly about The Ruby Programming Language
(http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516178)
by Matz and Flanagan. This must have been a super-secret project as I
can't find any references to it via Google.

Looks good, but do I really need another RUby book? 9^)

Cheers

 

[Jesse Edelstein]

Just got note from O'Reilly about The Ruby Programming Language
(http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516178)
by Matz and Flanagan. This must have been a super-secret project as I
can't find any references to it via Google.

Looks good, but do I really need another RUby book? 9^)

Cheers

Looks like a ground-up approach going over most of the language. I can
see that it'd complement a tutorial approach like the Pickaxe by
providing a little more detail over each component of Ruby. From the
previews, the writing looks pretty straightfoward, though it'd be nice
to see a little more from matz on the reasoning behind design choices.

 

[paul]

Looks like a ground-up approach going over most of the language. I can
see that it'd complement a tutorial approach like the Pickaxe by
providing a little more detail over each component of Ruby. From the
previews, the writing looks pretty straightfoward, though it'd be nice
to see a little more from matz on the reasoning behind design choices.

Apparently, it is what would have been the second edition of "Ruby In
A Nutshell," but I guess with adding authors, they decided to rename it.

From the preface (by David Flanagan):

This book is an updated and expanded version of Ruby in a Nutshell
by Yukihiro Matsumoto (who is better known as Matz). It is loosely
modeled after the classic The C Programming Language by Kernighan
and Ritchie and aims to document the Ruby language comprehensively
but without the formality of a language specification. It is written
for experienced programmers who are new to Ruby, and for current
Ruby programmers who want to take their understanding and mastery
of the language to the next level.

 

[dflanagan]

Just got note from O'Reilly about The Ruby Programming Language
(http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596516178)
by Matz and Flanagan. This must have been a super-secret project as I
can't find any references to it via Google.

Looks good, but do I really need another RUby book? 9^)

Cheers

Chris,

We kept it secret until November 2007 or so. Then I posted about it
on my blog and mentioned it on the ruby-core list.

You may not need another Ruby book, but this one is quite different
than the others out there--it is really focused on the language itself
and explains it in depth. Also, it is the first book out to cover the
language changes in Ruby 1.9.

My theory in writing this book is explained well in O'Reilly's press
release (which may be what O'Reilly sent to you):

The problem with a forgiving and flexible language like Ruby is that
programmers can accomplish much with it, without ever getting down to
the nitty-gritty. While this benefits one's productivity, it may also
lessen the motivation to learn more, which will ultimately hinder
innovation. "Programmers can usually muddle through a program and get
stuff done even if they don't really understand what's going on,"
observes David Flanagan, the bestselling author who has teamed up with
Ruby creator Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto to produce his newest book, The
Ruby Programming Language (O'Reilly, US $39.99).


"Our book documents the language in depth," says Flanagan, "and my
hope is that it will help programmers (even those who already program
with Ruby) to really master the language and sharpen their Ruby
programming skills."

David Flanagan

 

[dflanagan]

Apparently, it is what would have been the second edition of "Ruby In
A Nutshell," but I guess with adding authors, they decided to rename it.

Paul,

It wasn't the change of authors that prompted the change of title. We
changed the title when I realized that the book had evolved into
something more than a quick-reference. This book doesn't really fit
the "Nutshell" mold. It is more like my JavaScript: The Definitive
Guide.

David Flanagan