Simply Rails 2

What Hacker News says

1. anulmanApr 2011
   I actually went through this recently. Here's what took me from zero-to-functional-prototype in 6 weeks.

   Note: I had a bit* of Python scripting experience, and knew my way around HTML and CSS.*

   1. A friend recommended SitePoint's Simply Rails 2. I went through that cover-to-cover, googling for where Rails 3 commands differ from Rails 2.

   2. I used an old tutorial for rolling my own user model from scratch (still in the Sitepoint piece): http://www.aidanf.net/rails_user_authentication_tutorial

   3. I ran "rails new" and started trying to code out what I was imagining. Anything that Simply Rails 2 didn't teach, I googled (e.g. FB/Twitter authentication with Omniauth, following/follower "friendship" models, Twilio integration, etc.).

   If you're not coming into this with any scripting experience, I would absolutely recommend checking out http://tryruby.org/ first.

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2. norovaFeb 2011
   I've been poking around on StackOverflow looking for quality Rails 3 book recommendations but I've come up empty handed. I'm looking for something more along the beginner side of things, but more advanced book recommendations are welcome to.

   I've read Simply Rails 2 from SitePoint and absolutely loved it, but now I'm looking for something more Rails 3-specific.

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3. trustfundbabyOct 2010
   Going from just PHP to Ruby on Rails requires a huge change in Mindset that isn't apparent when you're starting out. Rails is a framework that is much larger than Ruby the language, so understanding why certain things work the way they do is a very important part of learning it.

   I feel particular empathy for you because I absolutely hated the 'Agile Web Development with rails book' too.

   Here's my suggestion ... Get 'Simply Rails 2' (I'm assuming the project you're working on is in Rails 2 not 3) ... work through it, then move on to 'The Rails Way' by Obie Fernandez.

   If you're really serious about it, getting through the first one should set you up for success ... Obie's book will take a while go go through, because you're going to keep reading and re-reading things as you code.

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4. bearwithclawsFeb 2010
   For CSS, I learned most from 'CSS Mastery'; For Ruby on Rails, I'd recommend 'Simply Rails 2'.

   I don't think there's any book that covers everything. Server/hosting wise, I leave everything to Heroku.

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5. mattyfoNov 2009
   Hey there, I've (re)learned to program over the course of the past year, listening to what your've said these are three books I think can help:

   Start with Learn To Program 2nd edition as it will get you familiar with programming concepts. (I worked halfway through this book before I realized I understood most all of it) http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-Second-Facets-Ruby/dp/19...

   Next I feel Beginning Ruby is a good place to get in depth with Ruby (I'm still getting into this book) http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Ruby-Novice-Professional-Sec...

   Last is Simply Rails 2 which is one big long Rails tutorial and will take you through the process of building a Rails app (it took me about two weekends to work through and has given me rudimentary understand of Rails) http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Rails-2-Patrick-Lenz/dp/0980455...

   In addition, as other people have recommended you should try small programming exercises when you have a chance. For further brain teasers, I recommend working through the exercises in http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/

   Well there's a specific lesson plan that I think is geared towards your business goals. I'm not sure what your time constraints are like but if you spend some uninterrupted time with these books you should be able to tackle them no problem.

   Anyhow, good luck, I hope you find the time amongst everything else to dive into this material.

   PS Programming is a lifelong project, give it time.

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6. ApolloRisingOct 2009
   There are quite a few choices. You won't go wrong with any of these from amazon. (URLS provided by amazon, not a spam or affiliate link)

   Beginning Ruby: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional) (Paperback) http://amzn.com/1590597664

   Simply Rails 2 by Patrick Lenz Permalink: http://amzn.com/0980455200

   Head First Rails: A learner's companion to Ruby on Rails by David Griffiths Permalink: http://amzn.com/0596515774

   Beginning Rails: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional) by Jeffrey Allan Hardy Permalink: http://amzn.com/1590596862

   I suggest you pick up a version control book as well: svn or git from pragmatic programmers, may as well get this part done early so it becomes transparent.

   Good luck

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