Learning Ruby

This article was originally published on bmf-tech.com.

Overview

This post discusses what someone who has experience with PHP and Go did to learn Ruby.

Approach

Official Documentation

First and foremost, start with the official documentation.

• What is Ruby
  • Concisely describes the features of Ruby.
  • For specifications you want to investigate deeply, this is a good reference.
• Ruby from Other Languages
  • Describes the unique parts of Ruby's language specifications. It summarizes the points to learn that are not present in other languages.
  • For specifications you want to investigate deeply, this is also a good reference.
• From PHP to Ruby
  • There was no Go version. As a former PHPer, I referred to the PHP page. The content is quite straightforward.
• Ruby in 20 Minutes
  • Perfect for a light practice.
• Object-Oriented Scripting Language Ruby Reference Manual (Ruby 3.3 Reference Manual)
  • A reference manual by volunteers. Much appreciated.

Books

Picked up some classic ones.

• Fun with Ruby 6th Edition
• Ruby for Professionals
  • cf. Ruby for Professionals
• Perfect Ruby
  • cf. Perfect Ruby
• Perfect Ruby on Rails
  • Although it's a framework, if you're doing Ruby, you'll likely have opportunities to work with Rails.
  • cf. Perfect Ruby on Rails

I also picked up some books related to object-oriented programming, but haven't had the time to read them.

Ruby Tips

Read through articles related to tips.

• Techniques for Writing Declarative Programs in Ruby
• Some Ruby Tips
• Ruby Competitive Programming Tips (Basics, Traps, Speedup 108 2.7x2.7)
  • The content is substantial.
• Ruby's Unique Practices
• [Ruby, Rails] Tips for Refactoring (Beginner)
• Summary of Ruby Argument Types
  • There are many types of arguments!
  • I want to remember them while writing and reading code, as I can't memorize them all at once.
• qiita.com - Building a Web Framework in Ruby
• The Rails Doctrine: 8 Principles by the Creator of Rails
• What is Ruby on Rails and How to Deal with It?
• Ruby Memo, Especially Confusing Parts, Omitting Parentheses in Method Calls, etc.
• Modern User Authentication Model Structure Explained by the Author of Perfect Rails
• How DHH Organizes His Rails Controllers

Blog

Learned about language specifications that caught my interest and summarized them in a blog.

• About Ruby Symbols
• About Ruby Block Syntax
• About Ruby Proc and Lambda
• About Ruby Singleton Classes and Methods
• About Ruby Modules

Coding Quizzes

Solved coding quizzes for practice.

• HackerRank - Prepare > Ruby
  • Worked on the Ruby tutorial.

I intended to solve some problems on LeetCode but skipped it due to time constraints.

Data Structures and Algorithms

Practicing data structures and algorithms is a good way to learn how to use the language.

Converted what I wrote in Go to Ruby. ChatGPT and Copilot provided significant support.

• bmf-san/ruby-algorithm-and-datastructure-practice

Design Patterns

Since Ruby is an object-oriented language, I practiced some patterns.

Referred to davidgf/design-patterns-in-ruby and transcribed a few.

Impressions

I was able to grasp the unique language specifications of Ruby, so now it's just a matter of writing code.

After learning, I felt that the verbosity of code can vary greatly depending on proficiency. While this is also true for PHP, it wasn't something I felt much with Go, so I might struggle a bit when reading code.

On the other hand, I got the impression that the simplicity in appearance and writing style is appealing.

Having been away from object-oriented languages for a while, I felt unfamiliar with handling classes, so I want to practice more.

Looking at the environment surrounding Ruby, being a domestic language, there are many Japanese committers, and the level of RubyKaigi is high, giving a sense of the community's enthusiasm. I expect there will be much to learn, so I want to continue improving.

The cultural aspect of different community atmospheres by language is quite fascinating.

Comments

[Jeroen Boers]

Nice write-up. I’d probably recommend a slightly softer entry path than starting with the official docs, especially for people new to Ruby.

For getting moving fast, I think The Odin Project is a great place to start:
theodinproject.com/paths/full-stac...

And for seeing how Ruby code can be structured in practice, especially around OOP, this is really useful: refactoring.guru/design-patterns/ruby

The docs are great once you already have some context, but for beginners they can be a bit dense. Ruby gets much easier once you see real examples of blocks, objects, modules, and common patterns in actual code.