abarak said
Bought this to learn Rails with no prior Rails understanding to speak of.
I've decided to purchase the book after trying to get up and running using just web-available resources. There's no comparison how fast you can learn rails with this book vs. how long it will take you if you insist using only online tutorials or other online material.
The book starts with a simple (but not TOO simple :) shopping cart and web based e-store example which lets you get and application up and running on your computer in a couple of hours or so. It then delves into details, improvements and modifications to the example.
I've used the book continuously for a couple of weeks to get to know the fundamentals and then moved on to a more heavy development, but I still find myself returning to it quite often to get better understanding of some Rails details from time to time.
Although the book isn't organized as a reference book, I think at the moment, it's the best choice available. (I've seen better references to OTHER computer languages and software systems, but not for Rails)
A. Upadhyay said
I had almost zero background in Web Applications (I work in embedded systems programming). Few days back I gave a shot to understanding the .Net framework, however it was just too much coding for a starter like me. Someone told me about Ruby on Rails, and I thought to give it a shot. This was the first book that I came across. However it was a total disappointment.
It seemed to me that the author was more interested in getting a website running as soon as possible. Even so that the most crucial explanations were not explained properly. Though i could follow the instructions easily, the explanation of the MVC architecture was not good.
Simply Rails 2, on the other hand proved to be a much better bet for a beginner like me. The concepts are very well explained. The example website is also a little more advanced (clone of digg.com) which helps a lot in understanding more complex applications.
Midwest Book Review said
The third updated edition of Agile Web Development with Rails is a manual no Ruby library or web programmer's development collection should be without. Rails has evolved and this book has changed to match it, still offering step-by-step discussions of all application development issues and offering tips on how to blend Ajax and other web services into Ruby's mix. Rails 2 is covered in detail in this excellent programmer's guide.
Peter E. Steele said
This book is very good, and dives deeper than some other Ruby books I've used. I don't think it's a good book as your first Ruby book or even your first Rails book. I think it would be good to start with a bit of Ruby language and an entry level Rails book and then augment with this one.
This book seems well edited and the website is helpful with addendum for the latest Rails versions and the "homework" activities.
Jesse Lee Curry said
There's not really too much to say other than this is the book to buy. Lots of great examples, written in an accessible format, and no steep learning curves like you see in a lot of programming books.
Plus, this is the book endorsed by the people behind Rails.
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