LA Ruby study group - 7 PM 1/16/2013

[Cynthia Kiser]

OK time to get back to Ruby Study group. Let's meet this Wednesday to figure out what our plan is. I think we are getting a large enough spread of experience levels that we may want to split the group into novice and advanced tracks. If you are interested in either level, please come Wednesday to decide what we are studying and how often / when we will be meeting.

Please bring books or URLs for materials you are interested in studying. Some examples might include: 

The Rails Tutorial - http://ruby.railstutorial.org

Simple game programming in Ruby - https://practicingruby.com/articles/shared/vbmlgkdtahzd

Metaprogramming Ruby - http://pragprog.com/book/ppmetr/metaprogramming-ruby  (a more accessible book than you might think)

The Ruby Object Model and Metaprogramming screencasts - http://pragprog.com/screencasts/v-dtrubyom/the-ruby-object-model-and-metaprogramming

Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby - http://www.poodr.info/book/

... or basically anything off this list: http://goodstuffahead.com/t/ruby

Please feel free to make suggestions (aka start your lobbying) on this thread before the meeting. If you can't make it on Wednesday, you are welcome to make suggestions (and to suggest different nights you would prefer to meet) but please realize that it is much easier to be persuasive in person.

This organizational meeting probably won't run very long, so feel free to bring your laptops and questions you may have on installing Rails, or projects you are already working on.

Meeting: 7:00 PM January 16, 2013

IMSS Building at Caltech - 263 S. Chester Ave. Pasadena CA 91106

There is plenty of street parking on Chester. 

[Fernando Marcheselli]

I nominate going through Metaprogramming Ruby.  

Although it might seem like an advance topic in programming, the book starts out pretty gentle that novice programmer will understand.

Also I include this link below which I found useful in understanding Procs, lambdas, and blocks. All very useful for Metaprogramming

http://bit.ly/RKQ6wT

[Byron Anderson]

I second Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby- I have already read it, but thought it was great and would love discussion on the topic.

The most recent Ruby Rogues podcast had the author on and it was exceptional conversation.

--
Byron Anderson
720-336-0864

[Jordan Glassman]

Can't make it Wednesday, but my vote is for either POODR or Ruby Design Patterns.

[Han Kang]

byron, i thought the same thing about the book. did you also think that the chapter on inheritance was amazing? 

--
Han Kang

[Bruce]

Other book suggestions people might be interested in:
1)  Crafting Rails Applications by J Valim
2)  Deploying Rails by Burns and Copeland

[Cynthia Kiser]

We decided on our next two books. We are starting with Sandi Metz's "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby" to be followed by Paolo Perrotta's "Metaprogramming in Ruby".

For next week 1/23/13, please read chapters 1-3 in POODR and think of questions or critiques.

[Jen Diamond]

Those both sound great. Sorry I couldn't make it. I've been really sick.

Jen Diamond
323-363-0002
http://www.jendiamond.com