I have created a Vagrant setup for using a Debian Stable base box at https://github.com/jhsu802701/vagrant_debian_wheezy_rvm . This base box comes with current versions of RVM, Git, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Chef, Puppet, and node.js preinstalled. My Vagrant box and Vagrant setup allow you to get started in Ruby on Rails in minutes instead of hours. Because Vagrant is available for OS X, Linux, and Windows, a team with members using different host operating systems can work with fewer platform-related conflicts. Thus, I have addressed one of the biggest complaints about Ruby on Rails - that it takes so much longer to get started compared to Drupal, PHP, and other technologies.
I created my own base box, because I had difficulty finding suitable base boxes that were ready for Ruby on Rails. Most of the base boxes out there that have Ruby on Rails are based on Ubuntu, which quickly becomes out-of-date without frequent and substantial updates. My Debian Stable setup is FAR easier to keep up-to-date.
I am making Vagrant part of my standard operating procedure for Ruby on Rails development. Using Vagrant is more convenient than using VirtualBox directly, and the portability of Vagrant setups allows every member of a team to have the same setup and be on the same page. (That said, I’m not giving up on Rails on OS X.)
If you’re wondering how I create my Debian Stable base box, my source code is at https://github.com/jhsu802701/packer-debian-wheezy-rvm . I use a program called Packer to automate the process of creating a Vagrant base box from a Debian Linux ISO. This repository contains all of the configurations and scripts I use to create my Debian Stable base box.
Thanks to Derek Rockwell (organizer of Rails.MN) for providing an example of a working Vagrant setup at https://github.com/railsmn/railsmn-dev-box . Thanks to Pierre Mavro for providing a working example on how to use Packer to create a Debian-based base box at https://github.com/deimosfr/packer-wheezy .
