Posted by Nick Quaranto
Jun
25
Last week I sat in on the Training class we held here at the Boston office. I haven’t considered Ruby or Rails from the point of a greenhorn in a few years, and helping the students learn about both opened my eyes quite a bit to some aspects of our language and framework of choice here at Thoughtbot.
Ruby is natural, not simple.
This is paraphrased one of my now favorite Matz quotes. Watching others learn about Ruby for the first time was a lot of fun, because usually they were astounded to find out that what they used to do was just so…simple. Of course, under the hood, Ruby is exactly the opposite, but that’s the beauty of it. Scott Hanselman explains it best by showing a great example of using Ruby DSLs such as 20.minutes.ago instead of the more verbose Java equivalent new Date(new Date().getTime() - 20 * 60 * 1000). He ends up concluding:
That was a perfect way to describe __, and there’s no ambiguity.
This aspect of Ruby has stuck with me since I first tried to dive through the Pickaxe. However, it didn’t really work out that nicely: I learned Rails first, and Ruby along the way. Having a basic understanding of Ruby, especially with how blocks and the yield keyword works can go a long way. The best part is that given a bottom-up approach, it’s easy to see how the expressiveness of Ruby fits perfectly into Rails.
Rails isn’t full of black magic.
Without a good understanding of Ruby, it’s easy to think that this is the case. ActiveRecord can seem like a bag of tricks dumped on top of your precious database, and don’t even get me started with some of the ActionView helpers. One of the best parts of the training was when we hooked up a form, and used error_messages_for to show the validation errors. Watching the students’ eyes light up with understanding how that all came together was fantastic, but it did seem like “witchcraft” to a few.
Granted, there is a lot of metaprogramming going on in Rails, but I feel the more Ruby one understands, the less “magical” it seems. Learning Ruby first is the best way to go, especially since it allows one to dive easily into the latest and greatest projects, such as Cucumber or Sinatra.
Someone’s already done this before.
Convention over configuration here is key: not having to understand some cryptic XML file to set up your database or the application as a whole is a huge win. Using pure Ruby for migrations is just one example of how Rails makes web development easier. Staying on the “golden path” is a huge part of Rails, and you can usually bet that someone has solved the problem you’re facing before. Looking for the solution inside the framework or outside for a well-tested and maintained plugin before you steam ahead with your own implementation is always a smart idea. I definitely have been to blame for this: I began writing my own Prototype implementation of periodically_call_remote before getting called out on it.
One of the big lessons that I took away from training was that we really do depend on the community for most of our tools: Capistrano, Git, Prawn ...the list goes on and on. If you’re not looking to community for your solutions in the Ruby world or are not aware of what’s available, you’re missing out. Keeping in touch with what’s new is tough, but luckily there’s a few sites that make it really easy for you to do so.
Overall, training was a lot of fun. Over the course of three days we went from playing around with Ruby objects in irb, whipping together a simple Rails site, to deploying it live on Heroku. Going back to the basics was definitely eye opening, and it was a good reminder that I should trudge through the Pickaxe for Ruby 1.9 as soon as possible.
Posted by Chad Pytel
Jun
11
I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that we still have several positions open at thoughtbot.
We’re looking to hire up to 2 web designers, preferably one in Boston and one in NYC, and up to 3 developers in Boston.
Also, this summer, we’ve had Nick Quaranto in as a development intern, and he’s worked out so well that we’d like to get another, so we’re opening the internship position back up to find another.
All positions include relocation expenses as part of the benefits. You can read more about these positions on our jobs page.
Our team works in a relaxed and educational environment. We use the latest web development technologies, and embrace both agile development methodologies and a “getting real” project philosophy. We limit our work weeks to 40 hours, stock the fridge with free drinks, and provide lunch on Fridays.
We believe in goal-driven business development (we want to understand what’s valuable to clients before we begin), design-driven product development (we want to know what a product will look like and how it will work before we start building it) and test-driven software development (we want to ensure ongoing quality and a successful post-launch existence for the applications we build).
If you are interested, contact us at resumes@thoughtbot.com.
Posted by Dan Croak
Jun
06
I have a friend from another city who is considering a Ruby job in Boston. He asked me for advice on places to live.
Since we’re currently in the midst of hiring designers & developers & many candidates have been from other areas (we require that they move to Boston or New York), I thought I’d share publicly.
Opinions
If you’re a Rubyist or a designer, you’ve already got taste. The following neighborhoods are what I personally consider the nicest, most intellectually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing, or funkiest neighborhoods.
This is by no means comprehensive but that’s partly the point. Moving is stressful & keeping options limited lightens the mental burden.
Cost of living
Boston rent is not for the faint of heart. Expect to pay between $750-$1,250/month for a clean apartment close to Boston. You should be able to knock it down to $500/month if you share a bedroom with someone or live in Jamaica Plain.
However, average salary, and more importantly, the quality of life are also high.
Cambridge
I’ve mostly lived in Cambridge over the last 5 years so let’s start here. The Wikipedia entry hits the high points of Cambridge culture: Harvard University, MIT, the Charles River, & The Red Line.
The blue line encompasses the sections of Cambridge I’d recommend: most of Cambridge except areas that are more industrial or North Cambridge, which is just a little too far from downtown Boston for my tastes.
I put three pushpins in Boston for reference: Fenway Park, the Prudential Center, & Park Street at Boston Common (where the thoughtbot office is located).
If, like my friend, you’re not working downtown, but instead in Watertown, Waltham, Somerville, Medford, or Charlestown, I’d strongly recommend Cambridge.
Brookline
Again, the Wikipedia entry will give you the best overview of the town & it’s culture: John F. Kennedy, The Country Club, & The Green Line.
This is an area I’d recommend for people with kids. Quiet, safe, & great schools. It’s close to Waltham, Watertown, & the Mass Pike if you’re working out along Route 128. It’s also extremely convenient if you’re working in the Longwood area (I believe there are a number of hospitals & universities over there hiring Rubyists).
Within Brookline, Coolidge Corner & Washington Square are the two areas I would focus on. They’re both right on the Green Line along Beacon Street & have plenty of things worth walking to.
Jamaica Plain
Wikipedia calls Jamaica Plain The Eden of America. I can see that.
This is where you want to be if you’re a park lover or a real artist. The population is extremely diverse demographically. The Milky Way Lounge (Latin dance nights), JP Licks (ice cream), & Doyle’s Cafe (oldest Irish pub in Boston, longtime evening hangout for the city’s Irish politicians) are iconic institutions.
The area I’d recommend is bounded by the Orange Line on the right, the ponds on the left, and is split by Centre Street, which is filled with attractive cafes, galleries, restaurants & shops.
South End
Scan through the Wikipedia entry then take a walk through the area. If you’re not touched by the signature brick architecture of Boston that is prevalent in the South End, you have no heart. You’re probably a vampire. Might want to get that checked out.
The South End is known as a gay & artistic neighborhood. Tremont Street may have the greatest concentration of “Saturday night date restaurants” in the city. Unbelievable food over there. Lots of theaters, lots of music, lots of visual arts.
I’ve bounded the South End by some major streets.
It’s a tricking balancing act of trying to live in the South End, however. The closer you are to Copley, the closer you are to some of the highest rent areas of Boston. The closer to Washington Street, the further you are from all subway lines & the closer you are to some higher crime areas. Like any city, however, often the best places to live are on the edge of gentrification of former combat zones.
For the venture capitalists…
It wouldn’t be tour through Boston’s neighborhoods if I didn’t point out the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, & the North End.
These are all awesome neighborhoods that are out of the price range of most individuals unless you’re the kind of person who likes to fund Twitter or knock home runs out of Fenway Park.
