I've to agree to a certain extent with Bob. I started developing on
Rails couple of months ago and almost stopped entirely due to the lack
of relevant and up to date online literature. The API page is no better
(if not worse) than JavaDocs, which is to say pretty useless. Most, if
not all, of the available tutorials are outdated and incompatible with
newer versions of Rails. DaveThomas' book is great to be sure, but not
a substitute for readily available online lit. When you're trying to
get people on board, you need to make sure those people have all they
need in order to be productive and start using your framework in a
real-world fashion. By not having robust (and up to date) literature
you simply are implicitily fending off would-be adopters. It's not a
matter of being lazy or not putting some effort, it's a matter of
getting past the hype and hooplah and opening the framework to everyone
who wants to take a stab at it.
It's not a
matter of being lazy or not putting some effort, it's a matter of
getting past the hype and hooplah and opening the framework to everyone
who wants to take a stab at it.
<...>
I still think this is the matter of being lazy. Also, I do not think
it is a good
idea to open it to everyone.
"These people should not be helped. There is an informal
mountaineering rule that you never help incompetents up a mountain to
killed higher up, only down, to get out alive."
"I still think this is the matter of being lazy. Also, I do not think
it is a good
idea to open it to everyone. "
Very opinionated answer there. I'm sure the developers of Rails DO WANT
to give access to whoever wants it. If you don't, I strongly advise to
start your own framework with your own exclusive rules.
So now we take advice on how to treat users and fellow developers from
a Java guy?
I'm sure you can fork Rails and have fun with your "smart" community
of people who "get it." I'm pretty sure the Rails core would rather
leave theirs open.