Customer Review for this product :
Doesn't' explain the many confusing changes in 3.0. - I bought this book because I was confused by the many changes from Rails 1 and 2 to Rails 3. Many much loved features were removed, changed and reworked between the versions, making Rails 3 an almost completely alien environment. The best way of describing this neutrally is that examples of core functionality from previous versions of the book don't work in Rails 3.
I was particularly interested in the changes to Ajax support. Basically, Rails 3 removes much of the automation of Ajax that existed in older versions, requiring you to roll your own. I was hoping that the new book would explain these changes and differences.
Well, not to put too fine a point on it, it doesn't. The one Ajax example is almost incomprehensible - it shows the code, but doesn't explain why it works the way it does. Why are you creating a Javascript template? How does the JavaScript template work? Less than half a page was devoted to answering this question, and even several readings of it have not given me a clear answer.
You could certainly tell me that I should have read the book in the store, which I did, hoping things would become clearer when I sat down at my computer. But they didn't.
I'm sure this book is still a good tutorial for someone starting out with Rails 3.0. But it does not work at all as a transition guide to the new Rails. Surprisingly, there is also very little in the way of online resources to help in this transition.
Rails is free, and so Rails' developers owe me nothing. But I wish they had had mercy on those who loved the way Rails 1.0 worked. Rails 2.0 required a lot of gratuitous changes to my code, and Rails 3 requires incomprehensible changes, and alas, I have no clue why these things were done and what I'm supposed to gain from the loss of beloved features like observe_field . Even after hours of searches, I have not found a satisfactory explanation for how things work today.
So alas, you should avoid this book like the plague if you want to know what happened to old Rails features and how to adapt to the brave new rails world. It won't tell you.
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More Detailed Product Description
Ruby on Rails helps you produce high-quality, beautiful-looking web applications quickly. You concentrate on creating the application, and Rails takes care of the details.
Tens of thousands of developers have used this award-winning book to learn Rails. It's a broad, far-reaching tutorial and reference that's recommended by the Rails core team. If you're new to Rails, you'll get step-by-step guidance. If you're an experienced developer, this book will give you the comprehensive, insider information you need.
Rails has evolved over the years, and this book has evolved along with it. We still start with a step-by-step walkthrough of building a real application, and in-depth chapters look at the built-in Rails features. This edition now gives new Ruby and Rails users more information on the Ruby language and takes more time to explain key concepts throughout. Best practices on how to apply Rails continue to change, and this edition keeps up. Examples use cookie backed sessions, HTTP authentication, and Active Record-based forms, and the book focuses throughout on the right way to use Rails. Additionally, this edition now reflects Ruby 1.9, a new release of Ruby with substantial functional and performance improvements.
Another Related Agile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers) Products :
- Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series)
- The Ruby Programming Language
- Programming Ruby 1.9: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide (Facets of Ruby)
- Rails Recipes: Rails 3 Edition
- Rails 3 Way, The (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series)
