Noobie questions about sotware versions

‘If I can do it then it can’t be done …’.

As Dr. Nick of the Simpsons Sez :

Hi Everybody !

I’m about to start my 1st Ruby on Rails (RoR) development project.

The development platform I’ll be using is a Mac running OSX 10.4 (i.e. : “Tiger”) & 10.5 (i.e. : “Leopard”).

Before I start this development project I have a few questions about version numbers and some related issues :

Specifically :

1. What is the most recent, stable version of Ruby ? 2. What is the most recent, stable version of Ruby on Rails ? 3. Do the 2 versions work together comfortably or are there compatibility issues that I need to be aware of ? 4. I’m planning on using MySQl as the back end database. What is the best version I should be using bearing in mind the answers to questions 1,2 & 3 above ? 5. What Application Server would you recommend I use for this project ? 6. What source code editor do you recommend I use ? By the way, I’ve been using TextWrangler from Bare Bones Software (version 2.2.1 (186 - 20070214) and I’ve been pretty happy with it. 7. And, finally, I haven’t been using an IDE. I find at this stage, although I readily concede that they have some tremendous advantages, I prefer to use just the source code editor as I need to understand the structure of the Rails application and I prefer to work with the source code and ancillary files directly. But, what IDE’s do you folks (and, of course folkettes, no chauvinist, me) recommend or prefer ?

Finally, given that the global economy is currently imploding and the Amerikan economy is disintegrating, I prefer to use free, open source development tools if it is at all possible to do so.

I’d like to thank all of you in advance for your help.

Comme toujours, here is my contact information :

1. Email : simonwhel@yahoo.com 2. Phone : 718-777-7731

The easiest times to reach me are in the mornings before 11:00 AM or in the evening after about 7:00 PM.

            All the best & talk to you soon … Simon.

‘If I can do it then it can’t be done …’.

As Dr. Nick of the Simpsons Sez :

Hi Everybody !

I’m about to start my 1st Ruby on Rails (RoR) development project.

The development platform I’ll be using is a Mac running OSX 10.4 (i.e. : “Tiger”) & 10.5 (i.e. : “Leopard”).

Before I start this development project I have a few questions about version numbers and some related issues :

Specifically :

1. What is the most recent, stable version of Ruby ?

2.2.2 (although 2.3 isn't far off, currently in release candidate phase)

2. What is the most recent, stable version of Ruby on Rails ?

1.9.1 is the latest stable ruby release. It's brand spanking new though, so a lot of gems and libraries aren't compatible with it yet (eg rails 2.2.2). Most people are still using ruby 1.8.6 or 1.8.7 in production.

3. Do the 2 versions work together comfortably or are there compatibility issues that I need to be aware of ? 4. I’m planning on using MySQl as the back end database. What is the best version I should be using bearing in mind the answers to questions 1,2 & 3 above ?

I'd pick the latest 5.0.xx version (5.1 is now the GA release but there's been a bit of a tiff with the guy who created mysql saying that it wasn't ready yet)

5. What Application Server would you recommend I use for this project ?

mod_rails probably the easiest to get going.

6. What source code editor do you recommend I use ? By the way, I’ve been using TextWrangler from Bare Bones Software (version 2.2.1 (186 - 20070214) and I’ve been pretty happy with it.

I personally like textmate. Editors are quite a personal thing though, and if you're happy with textwrangler then stick with it

7. And, finally, I haven’t been using an IDE. I find at this stage, although I readily concede that they have some tremendous advantages, I prefer to use just the source code editor as I need to understand the structure of the Rails application and I prefer to work with the source code and ancillary files directly. But, what IDE’s do you folks (and, of course folkettes, no chauvinist, me) recommend or prefer ?

TextMate's enough for me. It may not be free but < €50 for something I spend many hours on is fine by me (not like the keyboard I type on or screen I look at are free). I hear other are happy with emacs or vim.

Fred