Reviews for Simply Rails 2

1. A good accessible intro to a potentially complicated subject.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, May 12th, 2009

   This book manages to strike the balance between being simple enough to be an entry-level introduction to Ruby and Rails, but without dumbing down so far that what you learn isn't useful in a practical sense. As such, it's one of the better options if you're looking for a starting point.
   
   It does require a certain amount of prior knowledge around general programming, but it starts with a useful intro to Ruby before diving into Rails itself. Like many Rails books, it's built around creating a sample application - in this case, a Digg clone - but the examples are transferable enough to be applicable for other projects. It's stronger on the "how" of building an application than the "why" - which is why I think you'll get the most from this book if you've played around with a bit of programming before - but there are quick primers on things like object orientation and MVC patterns, so it's not completely in at the deep end.
   
   Plus points are the clear writing style - it's conversational, but without the laboured humour that you sometimes find; and the fact that best practices like REST and testing are introduced from the outset and not treated as optional extras. It also brings in other topics such as Ajax and deployment, so it covers (at a basic level) most of the core topics that you'll eventually need to become an effective Rails developer.
   
   The downsides are that it's only an introduction to the subject, so you'll probably need to back this up with something more in-depth (although that could equally be seen as a strength if an introduction is what you're looking for). The flipside to this is that the Rails world moves so rapidly that attempting to cover absolutely everything would very quickly go our of date. There's also quite a few errors in the code samples, so it's worth checking the errata section on the Sitepoint site as you go along.
   
   Overall, I preferred this to the titles from the Pragmatic series. If you're looking for an accessible intro to Rails that will start you off with what you need to know, this is worth a look.
   

2. Much better for beginners than pragmatic book.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, May 12th, 2009

   I think all new Ruby/Rails newbies go to Pragmatic Programmers books to get started. I would suggest they consider this book instead. I am an experienced developer and have gone the PP book route. The books are good but hard going. Too little practical and too much information.
   
   This book is one long tutorial but broken up in to logical, small steps that ensure you don't get (too) lost. I have been making much better progress and understanding with this book than any other on the Rails 2 topic.
   
   Note: it only has a basic section on Ruby at the start. Enough to get going but you will probably want something more in the long run.
   
   Excellent.

3. I like it

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2009

   The book is well organized. The author begins with instructions on installation and to share concepts of OOP. The explanation of Ruby is explicit and efficient. I suggest this book to all that starting learning Rails.