Programming Ruby 01 -- Why Ruby?

There are a million good reasons for a system administrator to become a proficient programmer, and there are several good reasons to start with Ruby (as opposed to bash, Python, C, Java, Lisp, or any of the others). I add my two cents to the discussion in this video; the first in a series on programming for system administrators.

[tutoriaLinux]

Just to answer a question -- if I do make python tutorials, I'll probably cover python 3 in the basic language tutorial (while pointing out the major differences to python 2.7). Any more specific things I do with libraries (nltk, scrapy, etc.) will be done in 2.7 (provided those libs are still using 2.7). TL;DR: my tutorials will probably reflect the fractured nature of the Python ecosystem right now. I'm a realist ;)

[EndrChe]

I work in industrial automation, and going through ladder logic diagrams from the 80s written by people who learned engineering in the 60s, is like reading Shakespeare written by a drunk pirate from memory.

[samuraijack]

Just came here after watching the Bash Scripting 1 video.
Thank you so much for the content.

[johnmcgiv]

I am just starting out to try to learn programming. I have been messing around different editors and languages just in the hope of picking up bits and pieces. I will take your advice and start with Ruby and follow all your videos, many thanks.

[mrtomachatz]

Like you said Ruby has one of the easiest syntax for beginners but I'm just to used to Python and C++ and I just can't wrap my head around ruby

[muchimi]

doing ruby on rails and ruby now!! thanks!!

[MaksTastic]

You have to take a look at Perl my friend

[pg]

I just started trying to teach myself ruby and by fare is the easiest programing language for myself to pick up. I had to take java in college and almost failed . I don't remember anything from java but ruby is clicking so fast.

[a.s.]

Oh man, nice beautiful i3wm! Respect for that!

How did you gained so much subs & views on technical channel? other chans devoted to linux have much less subs & views. Explain your secrets.

[chris.dillon]

I was hoping someone would do a video like this.  Especially after watching PuppetConf videos, I wondered how many sysadmins know scripting and how that turns into something more "designed".  I turned developer after doing sysadmin but obviously, I didn't go to the ends of the earth with sysadmin.  I heard someone say that anyone's current skills have a half-life of 18 months, so if you aren't learning then you are falling behind.

All that said, I want to encourage you but when I try to do videos like this on large subjects, I have a really hard time with CONTEXT.  I have no idea where the reader is, I have no idea what the reader/listener has done.  So you basically have to start from scratch.  I think this especially sad when you read a beginner book that glosses over how to install Ruby (having many different ways with just rvm alone, and it changes).  There's just way too much intro / environment / boring os details / os permutations -- which linux? that it gets in the way of the core message.

At the same time, beginner material is probably the most important thing to get people interested.  Python people can pick up on Ruby easily (not sure why they would) and I've done a project in Python after being a Ruby fan for a long time.  I think then the bigger problem is writing idiomatic clean code that communicates intent.  Maybe sysadmins don't care about this so much but ... software is going to happen and that brings alone unavoidable software problems.  Who wants to debug an unreadable idea whether it's in a sysadmin context or a webapp?

Ugh.  Just feeling like this is a really hard problem, teaching beginners.  And yet I want this material to exist on many different subjects.  Like what is current in the Python community?  How do people start an Erlang project?  What are devops people doing in and around Docker / Puppet?  What problems bug them, what problems do not bug them?

[koka]

What Desktop Environment and Window Manager were you using while recording this video?

[MoreChannelNoise]

I think it's a personal thing, I tried ruby and python and I find python easier to read and write. I do think ruby is more sexy though :)