Ruby Newby, Delphi oldby -- how snappy is "the Roob"?

rubyonrails-talk
#1

I've been a [Borland, Inprise, CodeGear] Delphi programmer for a
baker's dozen years.

I'm looking into 3rdRail (Borland/CodeGear's new RoR IDE) as a
possible "replacement" for Delpi 2006 in a warehouse project I'm
working on.

My main concern is that RoR may not be speedy enough to do what this
project calls for.

For those familar with Delphi, the current prototype I've built uses
MIDAS technology (multiple thin clients, one server app which
interacts directly with the database and is the message dispatcher for
all the clients).

Besides the database reads, inserts, and updates the clients need to
do (actual the clients tell the server to do them, and it does), there
is "a lot" of socket traffic going on--messages being passed from a
realtime system to the server app, which then dispatches them to the
appropriate client, and messages from the clients to the server, then
dispatched to the realtime.

The messages need to be fast and reliable, of course. Just what I mean
by "fast" is, admittedly, rather vague.

Is anybody "out there" (in here?) doing something similar with RoR?

Would y'all recommend Ruby's built-in socket support, or the
"ActiveMessaging" I've heard about but as of yet know nothing about?

I'll check back here from time to time, but feel free to email me
direct at: bcshanno@jcpenney.com

#2

Thanks, Huw; yes, I recognize your name from the Delphi "world"

I'll download your book and czech out your site, too.

The "powers that be" at work are all of a sudden hot on the idea of
turning our project into a web-based type of thing. The closest I've
gotten to web programming is IntraWeb (very Delphiesque, as you
probably know), and so there are a whole lot of new concepts I will
have to wrap my head around to really grok all of this RoR stuff.

BTW, is Collingbourne a common name where you are? My mother's maiden
name was Kollenborn, and is exceedingly/vanishingly rare - the only
groupings of them I've been able to find are in Romanshorn,
Switzerland, and the cemetery in tiny little Avila, Missouri.

--Clay

#3

Hello Cody,

<<I'm an old Delphi guy also>>

I recognize your name, too.

<<Where are you in the US?>>

I've lived in 8 states and hale from northern California, but am
currently in Wisconsin.

Thanks for your thoughts--I'll continue examining Ruby under my loupe.
I just hope her last name isn't Goldberg.