i tried to learn ruby from why's guide and i couldn't get through the first few chapters. still not sure if the guide was good. i think i'm glad it existed but maybe i'd stop at that
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you're an incredibly capable and knowledgeable programmer. i think a lot of the positive sentiments about why_'s work (including the poignant guide) are coming from folks with little to no programming experience, speaking as someone that used it to get into programming.
or folks who had very stodgy, corporate approaches to programming. i think there's an artistry and playfulness in why_'s work that wasn't as popular back then, and because of why_ is now more popular (learn you a haskell).
back when i learned ruby i used railsforzombies - now i believe it’s a code school thing on pluralsight but back in the mid 10s it was its own thing. pretty well iirc
The guide is mostly art. It’s some of my favorite art: it’s not a great way to learn a programming language but it’s a great resource for becoming more of one’s self.
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The “pickaxe book” from Pragmatic Programers was what actually got me going.
Interesting series about why he quit cold turkey when it was making $1M/year: https://rbates.dev/railscasts-retrospective-part-1-the-fuel
Con: "Crispy bacon" is seared into my brain