Ruby on Rails Tutorial (3rd Ed.) Learn Web Development with Rails Michael Hartl

by RedBassett on August 21, 2015 at 22:12

Michael Hartl has done what many programming tutorial authors have tried, but much better. Anyone who has learned a programming language from a tutorial has been faced with creating a "real-world example use-case". Usually this entails a final project that works kind of like a super-early proof-of-concept-and-nothing-more prototype. In this book, Hartl not only teaches how to develop for the (modern) web with the Rails framework, but also walks you through building a Twitter clone. Not a looks-kinda-like-the-Twitter-homepage clone, an actual, functional, micro-blogging platform that — while not completely web-worthy in terms of security and performance — is absolutely useable by real people with no extra steps needed. If you've never built a webapp before, this is exactly the kind of project that instills enough self-confidence to get you looking for a more advanced RoR book immediately after finishing this one, or better yet, to start on that project idea that's been in the back of your mind for years.

This book is a basics book. It is best read if you have some knowledge of web development (especially HTML/CSS/JS), but no prior Ruby or Rails knowledge is needed. When you run into an issue with an exercise, there is an active Rails support community on Stack Overflow, and many folks there are already familiar with the book and what it asks of you. In the rare event you find an actual error or issue in the book itself, Michael is very good about responding to emails pertaining to the book.

by Michael C on August 21, 2015 at 21:58 Verified Buyer

The lessons in this tutorial go way beyond pure information. Michael knows his stuff inside out, and more significantly, he knows how to pass his knowledge clearly so that I can take action on it right away.

by Naveen on August 21, 2015 at 21:46

by Ahmad Irfan Mohammad Shukri on August 21, 2015 at 21:38

Your book is so fantastic and easy to follow because it is straight forward. I used your book not only as my daily exercise but also as a reference. Hoping there is another version of your book for another version of Rails.

by Tanasak Tantitarntong on August 21, 2015 at 21:06 Verified Buyer

I can't say how much I've learned from this book. Getting start with rails is much easier after I started using the online version of this book. I purchased it right after the 2nd chapter and never regretted it.

by Bita Djaghouri on August 21, 2015 at 20:49 Verified Buyer

I did this tutorial 18 months ago when i was first learning and I did it again with the new version a month ago. Whether you're new with Rails or need to brush up, this book is absolutely essential! I especially love the section on hand-coding authentication! It's a complicated topic that Michael Hartl breaks down so well that it becomes pretty effortless. Fantastic book!

by Wahhab B. on August 21, 2015 at 20:27

I worked for many years as a professional programmer, and have been retired for a number of years. I have developed websites off and on for a number of years, initially directly coding in HTML and CSS and jQuery, and more recently using WordPress as a CMS.

Recently I have become interested in learning more current technologies for data-driven websites, and have explored a number of approaches, from Meteor to KnockoutJS to AngularJS to Python frameworks like Django and Flask. I did the Ruby on Rails tutorial on the RoR website, and liked what I saw a lot. After looking at reviews, I decided to buy this book from Amazon. I was particularly pleased that the new edition related to the (almost) latest versions of Ruby and Rails. I was also grateful to learn that the book was available online, making it easier to copy and paste code when I want to do that rather than typing it in myself.

I have been working through the exercises in the book, and this book is great! In the course of producing three editions, Michael Hartl has continued improving the book based on user experience. His approach of using an online development environment skips over the challenging process of installing Ruby, Rails, and development tools on your Windows/Mac/Linux environment and ensures you are on the same page he is. He has simplified his instruction to the point that even a (highly motivated) beginner can follow it and learn and succeed, but as someone with decades of experience as a programmer, I don't feel it's dumbed down, talking down to me, or moving too slowly. 

Not only is this a great book for learning Ruby on Rails, but it's a great programming book! Thanks to Michael Hartl for all his hard work in creating a really useful tutorial.

by Reed M. on August 21, 2015 at 19:55

From a beginner's perspective, this tutorial seems to be a great way to get you working toward developing a single, complex web project using Ruby on Rails. The book is really easy to follow and I haven't encountered any errata so far that can cause big headaches with using introductory books on coding. Hartl teaches his tutorial using a test driven development methodology, which is helpful in getting readers to start thinking about how to develop their own projects.

If there's any negative to this approach, it's probably that it requires Hartl to delve into a lot of different things that beginners may not be familiar with, stretching the length book out more than necessary to instruct people who are familiar with those topics. For instance, he has to spend a little bit of time instructing the reader on use of Linux commands, Git, Bitbucket, Cloud9, and Heroku. Most of these are skills that are required for this type of work, though, and many beginners may not have these skills, so it is definitely appropriate that he demonstrate all of these steps.

I also like that he has made getting setup to start coding the project extremely easy for people of nearly any skill level by using a Cloud9 profile. I'd never heard of Cloud9 or Heroku before, so being exposed to them was an added bonus!

by Murray on August 21, 2015 at 19:32 Verified Buyer

I am not a programmer and I don't know nor have I ever met Michael Hartl. But I warn you, this is going to sound like a paid social media person writing a puff piece for this book, but it's not.

Here's my story:  I have been a teacher for ten years.  Before that, I managed big media projects and ran a start-up back in the .com boom.  I've never programmed.  I've built web sites in Dreamweaver, done some Flash, used Wordpress quite extensively and am pretty good at the Adobe Suite (which I teach).  But I have NEVER written code, per se.

My wife, a college professor, had this brilliant idea:  we need to make more money (to pay for a big mortgage, cars, stuff) which could be roughly translated into "you need to make more money."

OK, I'm 62 years old and don't think I'm going to find yet another career.  But my wife read an article in the NY Times about the need for coders and that age wasn't really a factor.  OK, but "why me?" I asked. "Why not you?"  "Because you understand all of this tech stuff," my wife said.  OK, she's been right before about my career, I'll give it a try.  But where to start.

I called my friend and neighbor, a CalTech computer science grad who owns a small (14 employees) computer consulting business and invited him to lunch.  Of course I brought my career coach (my wife) with me.  My buddy, the CalTech guy said that, yes, there is lots of opportunity for coders and went on to say that he thought there was even more opportunity for someone with my tech management experience.  So, I was hooked on the idea, too.

But how to begin?  What languages should I learn?  Do I need a bootcamp intensive?I can't do that without knowing if it's something I can do.  My friend told me that in their work, they mostly Ruby on Rails and Angular JS.  

He said that they just hired two new programmers.  But they don't hire programmers.  They hire math and science grads and give them Michael Hartl's "Ruby on Rails Tutorial" and let them have at it.

So, I got the tutorial and the videos and started.  And I love it.  Not saying I'm going to become a programmer or anything but the lessons are simple, well laid out and Michael explains everything in great detail, including how to set up the development environment on Cloud 9 so you are actually building real applications that you test and launch into a real production environment.

I'm about half way through the 12 chapter tutorial now.  I find it challenging -- and frustrating at times -- but always engaging.  Getting it to work is the  real challenge but I find myself going over chapters several times until I figure out where my mistake was.  It's a huge puzzle waiting to be solved.

I also utilize Michael's "universal algorithm" for solving problems which is "Google the error message."  I found with this that there seems to be a critical mass of Michael Hartl devotees out there.  Every time I google an error message, I find answers from others who are working on the same chapter in the tutorial that I am.

The other thing I really like about how Michael has set this up is that the online version of the book is always current and he also has current code snippets set up on his website.  So, for example, Michael may have done the videos with Ruby on Rails 4.0.0 but all of the current code for the latest version (I'm on 4.2.2) is up on his site.  This really helps.  One wrong character can make the difference between getting it to work and not.

As I said, I teach classes in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, etc for a college extension.  I find that the adult students who come to my classes have already tried online tutorials and books but they get stuck and they quit.  When they get stuck, there's no one to guide them.  And they don't yet know enough to find the solutions themselves.

I find myself facing the same issues learning Ruby on Rails.  But Michael has figured out a way to guide you step by step without having someone to help you. Yes, it would be great to have Michael or another great teacher waiting in the wings to get me over the humps.  But I also find that I'm learning a lot solving problems with the "universal algorithm."

Another nice thing about starting to learn Ruby on Rails with this book is that I didn't need to commit a huge amount of money and time to get started. What if I didn't like programming and committed $15,000 and 12 weeks to something I couldn't stand?  This was an easy, cheap way to get my feet wet, to see if it's something I liked.  And, so far, I do!

by John on August 21, 2015 at 18:48 Verified Buyer

This is by far the best book for learning web development.

by Orlando O. on August 21, 2015 at 16:58

For anyone breaking into the Ruby on Rails world, this book is a must. Michael Hartl is the man, and his ability to break the content down into manageable segments is unparalleled.  He makes learning Rails a breeze. Cannot recommend this tutorial enough!

by Engr. Tanbir Hasan on August 21, 2015 at 16:58

I am a developer and learning ruby on rails. This book has helped me.It is the best book in the world.

by Christopher Haupt on August 21, 2015 at 16:40 Verified Buyer

Our Ruby meetup group just completed a multi-month cycle of study sessions for new Rubyists wanting to learn Rails. We used this book as our informal text to give participants something to study between sessions. By all accounts, it was a hit and we plan on recommending it to new members as the current best way to dive in to Rails.

by René on August 21, 2015 at 16:24 Verified Buyer

This book is very good for learning  Ruby on rails for the web.

by Jeff K on August 21, 2015 at 16:07 Verified Buyer

SImple stated - one of the best programming fundamentals books I have ever read!  While never overstating the obvious nor leaving stones unturned, this book really is a comprehensive start to finish on rails - while learning some of the basic elements of Ruby and MVC design.  Michael has elegantly mixed command line programming in Windows/Linux and even provided sample tooling to integrate with popular 3rd party system such as Heroku and Bitbucket -this is a fantastic way to really understand simple app design and build a sane foundation for your teams.

As someone moving back into entrepreneurship - this will become a staple for our development and testing teams.  Well worth the price!

by Tico on August 21, 2015 at 15:51 Verified Buyer

This looks to be the "whole enchilada" . This is not a "drive by" Ruby course .

by MAITREYEE PASAD on August 21, 2015 at 15:12

I took a break from work for a few years and when I returned things were very different. This book got me upto speed with ruby and rails in such a short time. It is very well organized and walks you through enough details to create your own applications with confidence. It also points you to tools for further progress. I worked with the online version but owning the book would be nice. Sometimes it is faster to browse through a book looking for something instead of clicking for pages.

by Chris Simeone on August 21, 2015 at 14:49

Rails is a powerful, complex framework with a unique syntax. It can be intimidating to developers new to the language. The Ruby on Rails Tutorial demystifies the language. This step-by-step tutorial is well written, clear and concise. Hands down the best Rails tutorial on the market today. Without it I would have probably given up and stayed with what I knew best. Because of this book, I love the language and code in Rails everyday. Don't hesitate. Buy it right now! You’ll be glad you did.

by Jesus on August 21, 2015 at 14:07

It is the perfect book to get a good level of programming in rails. It has helped me a lot with my final thesis degree.

by andres anacona on August 21, 2015 at 14:01

This is a excelent book to begin with good fundamentals