Articles, notes and random thoughts on Software Development and Technology
OnJava.com have a very good article on Ruby On Rails that gives an intro to what is this framework and why is it getting so much attention.
The article covers several pages, and coveres each of the components/services in the framework, for example, ActiveRecords, ActionPacks. ActionMailers, Validation and Callbacks.
I mentioned a few days back a very interesting article on the OnJava.com site describing the evolution of the web, being commonly called Web 2.0. There was an amazing fact burried several pages into the article describing the fact that the Flickr website, am online photo album service which incidently is now owned by Yahoo, builds and deploys their code ‘on a good day’ every half hour.
This is an amazing fact and shows that it really can be done. It just goes to show that projects that struggle with their build and deploy processes really are making it hard for themselves with the processes they adopt, and it is possible to be able to build and deploy with an automated process on a very regular bases.
Sony released released v2.50 update for their PSP handheld gaming consoles which allows PSP to interact with Sony’s LocationFree devices
The update for the PSP allows TV and film content to be streamed and saved onto the PSP for later viewing, and also allows the PSP to remote control the LocationFree device.
I think there is a strong chance that the upcoming PS3 will also be LocationFree enabled allowing it to be a ‘super-Tivo’ like device. There has been speculation the PS3 will come in a ‘media server’ version, and since Sony already has LocationFree devices on the market, it would seem logical that this support is also built in to at least the high end version of the PS3 when it is shipped.
The problem with relying too heavily on one development toolset is that you become complacent and ignorant of other advances in the same problem space.
It has been argued that Java is the ‘new Cobol’. Everything around you is implemented in Java, therefore why should you consider any other alternative. The trouble is that you eventually stop seeing even the drawbacks and inherant problems with the tool, and carry on regardless.
Ruby, and in particular ‘Ruby on Rails’ has been getting a lot of press recently due to its ease of development, ease of use, and quick development times. The trouble when new technologies appear is that people tend to cast them aside as ‘not mature enough for primetime’.
The thing is, the Ruby on Rails (RoR) approach solves a lot of the complexity issues that are inherrent in the J2EE type development approach. What if this approach really is superior? What if I can realy develop an application in a tenth of the time I can with J2EE? What if a RoR solution is ready for implementing enterprise solutions?
Could it be possible that RoR or a similar technology could overtake Java and leave it in the dust? I think it’s time we started paying closer attention to other innovations out there, and either learn from them, or jump on the next train, because if the hype is real then Java could already be the next Cobol, and Java developers could be looking at the next 10 years of maintaining Java legacy systems.