Ruby on Rails is an open source web application framework for the Ruby programming language. It is specially designed to be used by the web developers for rapid development. Like many web frameworks, Ruby on Rails uses the Model-View-Controller architecture pattern to organize application programming. It includes tools that make common development tasks easier. If you follow the correct conventions, you will be able to avoid lengthy configuration of files and you can have more time to focus on business logic.

If you are a developer, here are some useful points I would like to share with you. These points will help to make your jobs easier.

• Rails has a well-defined plug-in structure that allows the users to install and use plug-ins in the application easily. David Heinemeier Hansson, the founder of Rails stated that he used 5-6 plug-ins in each Rails application. Being the developer, you don’t need to waste your time writing the program. You just need to make use of the written plug-in available in the market that provides the functionality you require. You can also dump or load data by issuing a Rake command. You can examine the data you need easily.

• In order to increase our work efficiency, we need to make sure that the program is able to run smoothly. When you are working with Rails, you will be able to do “automated testing” to ensure that you do the right things. This testing helps to improve your workflow and increase your confidence in the results.

• As all of us are aware, projects often include more than just application-specific code. We need to create sample data and we need to move files. Web services have to be queried and codes need to be rewritten. By applying Ruby on Rails, the developers can save a lot of time solving these common problems.

• Rails runs on top of Rack. Rack makes it possible to mix and match between Ruby web frameworks and servers. For developers who are using a framework that supports Rails, they can choose from any of the servers such as Mongrel, Thin, Phusion Passenger, etc. to match with it.

• In some situations, the developers may have code that they are curious about. They may not know what the output is. By applying Rails, you can make use of its wonderful tool called console. By running console, you will be able to access your Rails code in an interactive way. You can peek at your data quickly without logging in to the database.

Combining Perl-inspired syntax with features like those of Smalltalk, Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general purpose object-oriented scripting language. It was developed and designed on February 24, 1993 by Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto in Japan. Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada, and Lisp are the languages that it is based on.

Including object oriented, functional, reflective, and imperative, multiple programming paradigms are supported by the script. Moreover, it has an automatic memory management and dynamic type system, which makes it analogous to CLU, Perl, Python, Dylan, and Lisp in varying respects.

C was used to write the implementation of the standard 1.8.7, as a single-pass interpreted language. At present, no specification of the language exists, and hence the de facto reference is its original implementation. As of 2008, several of its alternative implementations have arrived including YARV, JRuby, Rubinius, IronRuby, and MacRuby. Each of its alternatives takes a special approach while just-in-time compilation is provided by JRuby and IronRuby. YARV is used by the official 1.9 branch. Version 2.0 which is in development is said to be using this also and is said to be finally superseding the slower MRI of the language.

The concept that gave birth to the script was that there got to be a scripting language that balances functional programming with imperative programming. According to the designer and developer, Yukihiro, a scripting language that was more object-oriented than Python and more powerful than Perl was what he was looking for. And so he ended up creating the script. Yukihiro has stated that he designed the language from programmers’ point of view as he believes that systems design should give emphasis to human needs more than computer needs. So, he followed the principles of good user interface design, and as a result it not only enhances a programmer’s productivity, but most programmers find working with it a fun, cool thing.

Rumor has it that Ruby follows the principle of least surprise (POLS) – the language behavior that minimizes confusion for experienced users. However, in a May 2005 discussion on the comp.lang.ruby newsgroup, Yukihiro tried to detach the script from POLS. Besides, he has stated that he had not applied the principle of least surprise to the design of the script. In spite of this, the script seems to be believed following POLS among some programmers.

Features of Ruby:

Following are the features of the script:

* Object-oriented
* DLL/Shared library dynamic loading on most platforms
* Six levels of variable scope:
o global,
o class,
o class instance,
o instance,
o local, and
o block

* Exception management
* Methods can be called without parentheses, making Ruby trendy for putting into operation Domain Specific Languages
* Automatic garbage assembling
* Iterators and conclusions
* Indigenous, Perl-like standard terminology at the language level
* Operative overfilling
* Greatly portable
* Two-way multi-threading on all platforms by means of green threads
* Introspection, reflection and meta-programming
* Big standard library
* Sustains reliance injection
* Sustains object runtime modification
* Continuance and initiators

Although Ruby has partial support for UTF-8, at present, it lacks full support for Unicode.

Ruby is a dynamic script that released by a Japanese programmer called Yukihiro Matsumoto. It is an object-oriented programming language that can be program for all sorts of operations like processing text files to system management. It is a simple yet straight-forward language. Above all, it is an open sourced language.

It is not easy to explain how Ruby operates to those who lack the technical knowledge due to the nature of this language. However, there are plenty of user friendly tools out there to help those who are less tech-savvy when it comes to sing Ruby.

The popularity of Ruby amongst programmers is due to the fact that it is a pure object oriented language. It is a very well- organized language and is easily understand when users learn to use it. With it, there is no use of syntax but the use of a more conventional file source code. Although simple, it is a very powerful and flexible programming language.

One of its best features is he Interpreter Shell that allows programmers to experiment with the language by viewing and evaluating the efficacy in real time when the task is assigned. Programmers can avoid the lack of efficient by editing and testing as they proceed with their steps one by one. According to the creator, he says that this programming language is designed to solve problems and not to complicate things.

Here is a list of features that you will get when you use Ruby with many of the scripting language that programmers use nowadays like ADA, C++, CLU, Eiffek, LISP, Python and Smalltalk.

• Multithreading
• Mix-ins
• Singleton Methods
• Exception Handling
• Fully-integrated Closures and Integrators
• Automatic Mark-and-Sweep Garbage Collection
• Proper Meta-classes (or Meta-Classes)
• Fully regular expression support
• Functions that give access to the operating system running Ruby
• Fully-featured Debugger.

You do not have to be a software engineer to be a good software developer. Of course software engineers who have taken a good background of computing science have an advantage when compared to others that does not have when they both applied to the same job opening on software programming. It is needless to point that who has learned the bases of computing, analysis and programming will be one step forward in front of others. In graduate schools, students will build good logic on operating system basics, programming languages and databases. On the other hand although you you are not graduated from software engineering or programming disciplines, if you are a fast follower of the popular languages, framework solutions and operating systems you have then a good chance to be chosen for the first place for a job opening.

Technology, software and programming have rapidly changing trends. The decisions taken by companies and enterprises may also change from year to year.

A software methodology or a new technology used in programming that was very common and popular among software developers and software provider companies, can be out of the top list in the following years. A newer solution will always take the place of prior solutions. However a secret lies under this rapid change. It is what makes a valuable programmer is his or her ability to learn this tremendous change in programming. As a result for a software programming job opening, the best candidate should always be eager to learn new things, apply new methods and should seek for better solutions.

In universities, today’s accepted programming techniques and widely used languages may not be taught. If you are following the trends, you are then able to keep up with the requirements of the companies looking for a solution for their needs. Do not forget, a good programmer should be able to train himself or herself as a part of daily routines. Of course it is not possible even for the best programmers to know each programming language in details or each framework in detail but you should have at least an idea about the capabilities, advantages and solutions of the language, framework or methodologies.

Today’s popular languages in the programming arena are Java, C#, VB.NET and Python. .NET framework and .NET Framework languages like VB.NET and C# are most favorite ones where Microsoft solutions are used. On the other side programmers can also prefer using Java, Python, PHP and Ruby.

Web programming is also a good asset where intranet solutions are rising between companies. Companies also prefer to be in contact with their partners and customers. Therefore they are building B2B and B2C solutions.

Every company small or enterprise must use information technologies. Any company where a PC exists, a programmer can develop solutions for the users to be more productive on their job. If you motivate yourself as a programmer to develop solutions based on analysis and requirements of your company and users, you will be regarded as a good developer at the end.