Ruby on Rails has been around for a number of years now, but some people have still not got around to trying it out.
Rails makes server-side web development easier, but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Even installing and setting up Rails can seem daunting at first. And when you do, it can be difficult to find a decent guide that is up to date and aimed at beginners.
There has never been a better time to give Rails a go because those two problems have been solved!
No More Set Up Hassle
This first reason why now is a good time to start learning Rails is Heroku. I've already blogged about how fantastic this is. Since then I've used it some more and I have to say it is even better than I imagined.
Heroku takes all the hassle out of setting Rails up on your own machine. This means that you don't need to install rails, any databases or a local server. Everything is handled remotely, so you will need access to an Internet connection. It even has its own IDE built into the browser (although it isn't very heavy on features). Heroku is free while it is in beta and will apparently still be free for small sites after it launches.
Free Resources
There are loads of books available for Rails and loads of online tutorials. The problem with these is that books cost a lot and vary in quality and online guides tend to be very specific.
An excellent reason to start now is that Collective Knowledge Works have just launched a free online course. You get podcasts, screencasts to watch, pages to read and there is a sample web app to build (with source code provided). Everything you need to get started.
There is a good reference guide from invisible that is free to download and is essential to have at your side while working on Rails.
Another great resource are the Railscasts by Ryan Bates. These are excellent hands on tutorials. There are over a hundred of them covering lots of different topics. Ryan is so good at explaining how to use Rails that it feels like you have your own private tutor.
So now there are no excuses - free apps, hosting and resources. What are you waiting for?
