It was pointed out to me recently that my Ruby posts up until this point kinda left my readers with the sense that I don’t like Ruby.

I’d like to take this opportunity to categorically state that this is not true. In fact, I am a member of the Ruby Users of Minnesota group, which probably takes the cake for most entertaining user group in my experience. I think that the success of Ruby — even ignoring Rails — is a leaps-and-bounds advancement in scripting languages. Compared to Perl, it’s an awesome advancement.

I do have a hesitancy about using Ruby for large production applications. With the right IDE, a very aggressive set of unit tests, and some sanity rules (e.g. limit Mix-Ins and apply immediately in the code), Ruby is probably no worse for this kind of work than Java (and certainly more fun). However, I’ve really been spoiled by the combination of duck typing and static type checking (and the associated parameter pattern matching) that Ocaml provides. For heavy lifting (i.e. any application too big to fit in your head at once), I’d take Ocaml in a heartbeat. On the other hand, for simple web apps, reporting, and sys admin stuff, I’d take Ruby over Ocaml without a thought, even if Brian thinks Ocaml’s not a half bad scripting language.

A great example of Ruby’s power is Ruport: the Ruby Reporting framework. It leverages Ruby’s ActiveRecord system (thereby gaining reflective DRY DB coding for free) and Ruby’s natural succinctness to generate business reports with disturbing ease. If you don’t believe me, check out the Ruport example page. Keep an eye out on the book, too, which I’m doing some reviewing/editing on in my copious free time.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I have to vent a little bit about this article, which is claiming that the “real” deficit last year was $1.4 trillion, instead of the $248 billion reported. Now, you should know by now that I’m no friend of either Bush or the Republicans. And I agree that both the real debt and real deficit are higher than reported. But they’re not $1.4 trillion.

How they get this number is bogus math.

Continue Reading »

Popularity: 2% [?]

I’ve had this idea kicking around for a while, and I’ve decided that I don’t want to do it. But I think it would be, quite likely, a very popular idea. So I’d though I’d throw it out, and if anyone else wanted to do it, they can have at it.

The basic idea is this: the vast majority of people who are using databases at this point don’t really want a database. Specifically, they don’t care about the relational calculus or SQL, and indeed are going to great pains to hide the fact that these even exist. Let alone take advantage of them.

What they really want is a shared persistent object store that takes care of synchronization issues.

So give it to them. Ideas on how to do this after this short commercial break.

Continue Reading »

Popularity: 5% [?]

I’ve taken selective quotes from a well known American political party’s platform from a previous election, and am quoting them below. As you read them, try to guess which party, and when. Giveaways have been redacted, in the honorable (heh!) tradition of the current administration. Spoiler at the bottom.

Continue Reading »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Kyle Drake’s commentary from the ruby.mn mailing list, which I felt like sharing.

Some of the people there were kindof depressing, they would sit in the
presentation and not actually pay attention, but just type in their irc chat
rooms all day. [...]
It’s an interesting contrast to the Twin Cities scene though, where we
actually talk to eachother and take showers and radical concepts like that.
Long rant short, Railsconf was okay, but I liked Minnebar a whole heck of a
lot more.

It’s definitely true — although we certainly have our share of socially inept attendees, whether you’re talking SciFi cons or programming conventions, it seems like the Twin Cities scene is a lot more chatty and sociable (not to mention clean) than some others.

Popularity: 2% [?]