Accidental Technologist

Musings about Entrepreneurship, Technology and Software Development

Goruco 2011

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I had never had the opportunity to attend Goruco in New York City before, not because I couldn’t make it but rather because I wasn’t fast enough to get a ticket before the conference sold out. ?Now I can understand why it sells out so fast, it is a fantastic conference run by a great group and organized with precision.

I decided to make the trip from CT to NYC the same day as the conference and return the evening after it ended, making for a long day indeed. ?Getting up at 3:30 AM seems almost unnatural to drive an hour to meet a friend to make the trip by train from New Haven and arriving at Grand Central Station just after 7:30 AM with my friend and fellow Rubyist, Mike Morris of RecDesk (great software for your recreation department, by the way).

A short trip by subway to lower Manhattan put us at Pace University with plenty of time to settle into the conference.

The Venue

Pace University is the host for Goruco and has been in the past. ?Since it is a university and setup to handle students, it makes a perfect back drop to spending the day talking about Ruby. ?The setting in downtown Manhattan is a great place in a wonderful city.

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Just a short walk from Pace visitors are treated with the new World Trade Center under construction.

The Lineup of Talks

Whenever I attend a conference there are always talks that stand out for me, either because the content is great or the topic is something I am working on or interested in at the moment or maybe both.

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As you can see here, Evan Phoenix waves to the crowd while demonstrating some sleight of hand.

There were 7 talks plus RejectConf and of the seven,?Jeremy Ashkenas’s talk titled?Coffeescript for the Well-Rounded Rubyist and?Evan Phoenix’s talk,?Build it and they will come (Rubinius Edition) were the two talks that stood out. ?Jeremy is the creator of?CoffeeScript and Evan the creator of?Rubinius and this fact alone makes their deep knowledge shine through. When a speaker knows a subject as deep as these two, it’s obvious in the delivery and the their ability to answer any question in great detail.

The announcement at RailsConf that CoffeeScript would be included by default in Rails 3.1 and the fact that I have never enjoyed writing JavaScript meant I really was looking forward to this talk. ?I had been playing around with CoffeeScript recently after listening to the screencasts from RailsCasts and PeepCode and really liked what I saw. ?An opportunity to hear the creator of CoffeeScript, Jeremy Ashkenas, speak could not be passed up. ?

Engine Yard has been 100% committed to Ruby and the development of Rubinius for a long time and this level of commitment has piked my interest over the past several months. ?I have spend time with Rubinius, testing my applications and using it for new development. ?It has been very stable and performant and I look forward to the day it supports 1.9.x. ?I think once we see version 2.0 will be the time to start moving Rubinius to production. ?So this talk was important to me and Evan did not disappoint. ?He laid out a clear roadmap for the product with a call to action for developers to use it, report bugs and help fix them.

The other 5 talks were also really good, along with the end of day lightening talks made for a day of learning.

New Friends

I met up with a lot of folks who I only knew from Twitter, blogs or some other way. ?I always find it interesting to walk around and try to catch a glimpse of people’s name badges to see if they are familiar. ?It’s also interesting to try to match a Twitter avatar to a real face.

I am glad for the opportunity to meet these people finally face-to-face.

Missed Opportunities

The conference organizers planned for a cruise on the Manhattan water which included dinner and drinks but our lack of planning left us to only watch as others sailed off. ?After a dinner and a couple cold beers we headed back to CT. ?The trip home seemed like a longer journey than our arrival, finally getting in at 2:00 AM.

I would have liked to spend the entire weekend in the city and attend all the activities the organizers planned but timing didn’t work out. ?I am sure everyone had a great time.

Next Year

It was a great event covering a great day. ?I plan to be back next year but I will be spending the weekend in the city and hopefully there will be another cruise at Goruco 2012.

If I had one suggestion to make to those planning Goruco next time, I wouldn’t mind seeing this as a two-day event full of talks.

InfoQ: Exceptional Ruby

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Exceptional ruby

I picked up a copy of the new book by Avdi Grimm titled Exceptional Ruby, an ebook entirely focused on best practices relating to error handling in Ruby. ?I have to say it’s a great book and really goes into nice detail about a subject most developers treat as an afterthought. ?From the book’s web site:

Exceptional Ruby is an in-depth guide to exceptions and failure handling in Ruby. Over 100 pages of content and dozens of working examples cover everything from the mechanics of how exceptions work to how to design a robust failure management architecture for your app or library. Whether you are a Ruby novice or a seasoned veteran, Exceptional Ruby will help you write cleaner, more resilient Ruby code.

I also had a chance to talk with Avdi about the book for InfoQ, please give it a read.

Readers can also receive a $3 discount off the already great price of $15, just go check out the interview to receive the discount.

InfoQ: Learning Ruby on Rails with Michael Hartl

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My?interview with Michael Hartl of the Ruby on Rails Tutorial series?is now live on InfoQ. ?Michael is such an interesting guy and has a diverse background ranging from physics instructor at CalTech to Ruby on Rails teacher.

Please give Learning Ruby on Rails with Michael Hartl a read.

You can find out more information about the printed version of Michael’s book Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series) on Amazon.com.

InfoQ: Meet the Goliath of Ruby Application Servers

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I have had the opportunity recently to discuss Goliath, a new Ruby application server from PostRank Labs, with its creator Ilya Grigorik. ?The article and interview titled,?Meet the Goliath of Ruby Application Servers, is?now up on the InfoQ web site, please give it a read. ?I think it is a unique and very useful project worth giving a look.

I was fortunate enough to have a look at the project before it was released and was able to work with it. ?I have to say that I am really excited about this project to solve some problems in my own work. ?I had previously thought of using node.js but was turned off by the thought of having to write some server-side JavaScript.

Goliath uses Ruby 1.9+ to take advantage of fibers (continuations). ?This is one example why developers should be moving to Ruby 1.9.2 and beyond. ?Hopefully we see more projects like Goliath that take advantage of 1.9’s features and prod developers to a better Ruby.

RailsInstaller is Instant Rails Evolved

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Today the great team led by Wayne Sequin (rvm fame) and Luis Lavena (RubyInstaller fame)  and initiated by Dr. Nic Williams of Engine Yard released RailsInstaller.

In the Box

RailsInstaller is really what Instant Rails brought to Windows developers wanting to write Ruby and Ruby on Rails code, but now evolved.  RailsInstaller takes Ruby and Rails to their current versions and add some other niceties to give the Windows developer the ability to create real Rails applications today.  Included is:

  • Ruby 1.8.7-p330
  • Rails 3.0.3
  • Git 1.7.3.1
  • Sqlite 3.7.3
  • DevKit

I would expect that we would see a Ruby 1.9.2 at some point but imagine there must be some technical hurdles to get beyond before it makes sense to release.

Installation

Installation is a breeze by just following the simple installation wizard all Windows users know all about.   A nice video has been created to show how to install and get started:

The video is very clear and the installation wizard really simple, just follow the directions and keep the defaults for the best experience.

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The installer explains clearly what is being installed in this particular version.

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The default is to add to the PATH statement.  I would recommend keeping this so your system knows where to find all the needed executables.

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You should notice a nice shortcut to a Ruby and Rails prompt all setup to use.

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The Ruby version as well as the Git version are cleanly shown.  You are good to go.

I was lucky enough to have a prerelease build of the tool and even in a prerelease state, they guys did a great job.  It was easy to create Rails apps and have them running in no time.  Keep in mind that not all Ruby gems will yet be compatible with Windows.  If you encounter issues you are best advised to contact the person in charge of the gem project you are trying to install.

I encourage everyone to who is interested in Rails on Windows in a clean package to download the installer now and give it a go.

Moving Instant Rails Forward

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It has been a long time since InstantRails has been brought up-to-date and I had been wondering if the community had any continued interest in the project.

Well, recently I had been contacted about the project and moving it forward and bring it to Rails 3 and Ruby 1.9.2.

Instant Rails 2.0

Today Instant Rails 2.0 consists of fairly old Ruby on Rails components:

  • Ruby version 1.8.6 Patch Level 111
  • Rails to 2.0.2
  • Mongrel to 1.1.2
  • RubyGems to 1.0.1
  • Rake to 0.8.1
  • SQLite3
  • Apache
  • MySQL
  • phpMyAdmin

Instant Rails vNext

The goal of the next version of Instant Rails would be something really easy to install and use. ?One of the great features of Instant Rails today is the ability to extract the Instant Rails zip file to any directory you choose and have the ability to delete it later without the fancy uninstall ceremony we usually see in Windows.

I wrote here in the past about setting up to run Ruby on Rails 3 on Windows. ?The steps are not complicated but may be more than new developers are able to follow.

My initial thoughts of components to be included:

  • Ruby 1.9.2
  • Rails 3.0.1
  • RubyGems and Rake latest
  • SQLite3
  • No Apache or Mongrel, just WebBrick
  • Git Support

In the spirit of keeping these simple; what am I missing? ?What components are missing?

Let’s not talk features just yet but major components only. ?I am leaving out Apache and MySQL as I don’t think they’re needed. ?WebBrick and SQLite3 work just fine for development purposes.

Please provide your thoughts in the comments as to the interest in a new version of Instant Rails and also what components are needed.

Thank you.

Makandra Notes for Rails Developers

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The Ruby Rails consulting shop Makandra recently opened their internal knowledge base of how-tos and code snippets for all to see and use.  The announcement about the project indicates 500+ links:

This September we decided to take our in-house knowledge base and publish it for everyone to see. makandra notes contains some 200 HOWTOs and 500+ links for Ruby, Rails, RSpec, Cucumber and Javascript and is growing every day.

Whether you’re looking to deliver Paperclip attachments securely, test concurrent Ruby code or marry Capybara with SSL-enabled applications, chances are we already solved your problem for you.

The reality is as of this writing, 718 notes are listed.  It?s a good resource and one I hope they add to and either let others contribute to or open source the application for others to use to build internal/external knowledge bases.

The search is fast too and real-time, narrowing down results as I typed.

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Besides having some useful information you can also see the user interface is nice and clean.  The resource is from a Rails shop but it is not just for Rails issues but rather the issues Rails developers deal with each day, from Ruby, Rails and JavaScript to Ubuntu server administration and cron jobs.

Way to go Makandra and thanks for the resource.

Delete Large Numbers of Amazon S3 Files using Ruby

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I recently found I problem I needed to solve; remove hundreds of thousands of files from Amazon S3.  I mean, it had to be a common problem, right?  Well, it certainly be a common problem but the solution was less than common.

I tried a few tools available, both the tool from the Amazon S3 site but it keep erroring out and I was never sure why.  I then went to third-party tools used for managing S3 buckets but their either errored-out or behaved as if they worked but later determined did nothing.

I posted my need on Twitter and was pointed to a solution (thanks @Kishfy) I had not thought of, use Ruby.  There is a great open-source project named S3Nukem which its sole purpose is to remove Amazon S3 buckets.

S3Nukem

This is an open source project hosted on Github.   Installation and setup is pretty simple (from the Github repo readme), install required gems.

For Ruby >= 1.9:

sudo gem install dmarkow-right_aws --source http://gems.github.com

The docs don?t mention it but I needed to install the right_http_connection gem, the above command fails unless it is installed.

For Ruby < 1.9:

sudo gem install right_aws

Install S3Nukum:

curl -O http://github.com/lathanh/s3nukem/raw/master/s3nukem

Make it executable:

chmod 755 s3nukem

This is done in the directory where the above curl command was executed from.

Usage:

Usage: ./s3nukem [options] buckets...

Options:
    -a, --access ACCESS              Amazon Access Key (required)
    -s, --secret SECRET              Amazon Secret Key (required)
    -t, --threads COUNT              Number of simultaneous threads (default 10)
    -h, --help                       Show this message

Running the application in a terminal window shows large numbers of files being deleted:

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This script is fast.  I tried running this under both Ruby 1.8.7 and 1.9.2 with 1.9.2 quite a bit faster.  I didn?t run any benchmarks but it was noticeably faster, my goal was really to just delete large amounts of files.  Ruby 1.9.2 thread handling really shines here and with the ability to control the number threads from the command line, is really nice.

The nice thing about this script version is the cap on the number of items to be deleted each time, 1000 * thread_count, which defaults to 10.  With this limit in place the script won?t chew up all your system memory. 

This script is designed to delete an entire bucket but could be modified to just remove the content or a directory tree within the bucket.  I may do this for a project I am working which has a need for such functionality.

Running Rails 3 on Windows

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Well, the long-awaited release of Ruby on Rails 3 is now out and all of the Mac and Linux junkies are busy gem-installing the latest version of the framework.? What about all the lonely Windows developers out there looking through their windows (pun intended) and wondering what it?s like on the other side of the fence?

Good news!? It is actually pretty easy to setup and run Rails 3 on your Windows system.? I mainly run on Macs these days but have a couple Windows systems still kicking around and thought I would give a go.? It is actually pretty straight-forward now and works really well.? Follow the steps:

Install Ruby

Rails 3 requires at least Ruby 1.8.7 and is happy using Ruby 1.9.2, I opted for the latest and greatest.

  1. Head over to RubyForge for the Ruby Installer by Luis Lavena.? Download 1.9.2-p0 for the latest.?? A nice feature of this Ruby installer is the latest gem executable is built in, which is version 1.3.7 at the time of this writing and you won?t have to install it yourself.
  2. I installed in C:\Ruby192, which is the default, and added C:\Ruby192\bin to my path so Windows can find the Ruby executables.

Running the Ruby version command from a new command prompt:

ruby -v

ruby-version

If you get a file-not-found or some other undesirable result then the path setting isn?t likely correct or you may want to try closing the command prompt and opening a new one.

Install Ruby on Rails

This is a tough one:

gem install rails

UPDATE: A reader points out of issues with installing Rails as pointed out by a post on the Ruby Forum. The issue was solved by simply adding a –pre to the gem command to install Rails.

gem install rails --pre

Everything you need to run Rails 3 gets installed with the exception of the SQLite3 Ruby gem which Rails uses as the default database provider:

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gem install sqlite3-ruby

You should see a message similar to this:

sqlite3-ruby-gem

I use SQLite3 for most of my local development unless I need a database like MySQL or PostgreSQL.? Installing is trivial.

Installing SQLite3

If you look at the above message when installing the sqlite3-ruby you should notice the gem relies on the sqlite3.dll and it is recommended to use version 3.6.23.1, which you can download form here.? I grabbed 3.7.2 and it seems to work fine, your mileage may vary.? If you?re interested, get the latest from the SQLite3 downloads page.

Now with the sqlite3.dll in hand (unzipped from the download), copy to the bin directory of the above Ruby installation.? In my case that?s C:\Ruby192\bin, and that?s it.

Creating a Test Application

Now it?s time to test the new Ruby and Rails installation.? Pick a location to create the new application and run the new Rails command from a command prompt:

rails new testapp

This command creates a new directory called testapp and spits out a bunch of text along the way, looking something like this:

railsapp

Once done, change directory into the new testapp directory and run:

rake db:migrate

This will test your SQLite3 installation and create a new development database in the testapp\db directory called development.sqlite3.? If you get any errors it is likely the sqlite3.dll is not in your Ruby bin directory, check and come back.

Now from the testapp directory, fire up the Rails development server from a command prompt:

rails server

WebBrick fires up and looks like this:

rails_server

If there are errors reported than something has gone wrong.? If you see this screen, fire up your browser and browser to the address http://localhost:3000.? If all goes well, you will see this screen:

testapp_home

Click on the link below the title that reads ?About your application?s environment?.? This gives a lot of detail about your Rails application configuration.

testapp_config

Congratulations!? You have the latest and greatest Ruby and Ruby on Rails running on the Windows platform.

Now go out and read Mike Hartl?s Ruby on Rails Tutorial for Rail 3 and create some applications.

My Updated Developer Podcast List

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My appetite for podcasts is always growing but my interests routinely change.? I don?t listen to many .NET-specific podcasts any longer, but more along the lines of software craftsmanship, Mac/iPhone, Python and Ruby development.? I hike about an hour a day to try to stay somewhat fit and always have my iPhone loaded up with podcasts to pass the time.

I am always searching for new podcasts and from time-to-time that I come across new ones I consider worth sharing. It has been a while since I have shared any, so now seems like as good a time as any.? My last update from a few years ago titled Software Development Podcast List has seen a few additions.

General Coding, Ruby on Rails, .NET

  • coderpath podcast with Miles Forrest and Curtis McHale ? mainly interviews with Ruby on Rails community folks, great dialog.
  • Teach Me to Code podcast with Charles Max Wood ? covers a wide variety of topics and interviews with community members from Agile to Ruby and everything in between.? Very good detailed discussions, highly recommended.
  • The Dev Show with Dan Benjamin and Jason Seifer ? news covering JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP and more.
  • The Ruby Show with Dan Benjamin and Jason Seifer ? good review of the latest Ruby and Rails news, with a side of hate for MongoDB (just kidding).? Most episodes are 20-min or so in length.
  • The Changelog with Adam Stacoviak ? very detailed interviews and discussions on more obscure subjects in Open Source including JavaScript, iPhone, Sinatra, node.js and others.? This podcast exposes listeners to subjects not really heard elsewhere.? Good stuff.
  • Herding Code Podcast with K. Scott Allen, Kevin Dente, Scott Koon and Jon Galloway ? originally mainly a Microsoft-centric podcast, lately they have been expanding into many great areas such as iPhone development, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, jQuery and more.? Great interviews by people really focused on technology.
  • Startups for the Rest of Us with Rob Walling and Mike Taber ? not a developer podcast per se but a podcast about going out on your own from two software developer.? Truly valuable episodes if you are thinking about starting a software company or even if you have an idea for a product and wonder what to do.
  • Ruby5 with Gregg Pollack and Nathaniel Bibler ? great source of Ruby news in very short episodes (5-6 minutes).

Open Source

  • FLOSS Weekly with Randal Schwartz ? interviews with leaders in open source.? Great insight into great projects.

Mac and iPhone/iPad

  • Core Intiution with Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reece ? includes many aspects of Mac development.
  • The Mac Developer Network ? covers a wide range of development topics for Mac, iPhone and iPad development.

Screencasts

Even though I don?t put screencasts on my iPhone, I do watch these in my free time on my Mac.? These are really good, so I wanted to share.? I didn?t really have enough to put in their own categories, so everything is just lumped together.

  • RailsCasts with Ryan Bates ? short (6-15min) screencasts covering very specific topics of Ruby on Rails development.? This is great for beginners and experienced developers alike who want to come up-to-speed on new topics like Rails 3 (222 episodes as of the time of this writing).
  • web pulp tv with Josh Owens ? very detailed interviews with many high-profile tech companies talking about how they approach a tech stack and make thing scale.
  • Teach Me to Code with Charles Max Wood ? great how-to videos on various aspects of Rails, including Rails 3, RSpec and others.? These are very well done and worth watching for the latest.

I am always looking for any other podcasts or screencasts covering unique topics.? Please leave a comment here with some I may not be including here and may enjoy.? Thank you.