Based on the bestselling first edition, Beginning Ruby: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition is the leading guide for every type of reader who wants to learn Ruby from the ground up.

The new edition of this book provides the same excellent introduction to Ruby as the first edition plus updates for the newest version of Ruby, including the addition of the Sinatra and Ramaze web application frameworks and a chapter on GUI development so developers can take advantage of these new trends.

Beginning Ruby starts by explaining the principles behind object-oriented programming and within a few chapters builds toward creating a full Ruby application. By the end of the book, in addition to in-depth knowledge of Ruby, you'll also have basic understanding of many ancillary technologies such as SQL, XML, web frameworks, and networking.

• Introduces readers to the Ruby programming language
• Takes readers from basic programming skills to web development with topics like Ruby-based frameworks and GUI programming
• Covers many ancillary technologies in order to provide a broader picture (e.g., databases, XML, network daemons)

Autorentext
Peter Cooper is an experienced Ruby developer, trainer, and publisher who runs Ruby Inside, the most popular blog in the Ruby and Rails worlds, with 18,000 subscribers. He also curates RubyFlow, a popular Ruby community link blog. Over the past few years he has developed, launched, and sold two startups (Feed Digest and Code Snippets), both powered by Ruby and Rails.

Inhalt
PART 1 - Foundations. 1 Installing Ruby. 2 A Whistle-Stop Tour of Ruby and Object Orientation. 3 Ruby's Building Blocks: Data, Expressions, and Flow Control. 4 How to Create a Basic Ruby Application. 5 The Ruby Ecosystem and Community. PART 2 - The Core of Ruby. 6 Classes, Objects, and Modules. 7 Projects and Libraries. 8 Documentation, Error Handling, Debugging, and Testing. 9 Files and Databases. 10 Deploying and Distributing Ruby Applications and Libraries. 11 Advanced Ruby Features. 12 Tying It Together: Developing a Larger Ruby Application. PART 3 - Beyond The Basics. 13 Web Application Development with Rails, Merb and Other Frameworks. 14 Ruby and the Internet. 15 Networking, Sockets, and Daemons. 16 GUI / Desktop Application Development. 17 Useful Ruby Libraries and Gems. APPENDIX A Ruby Primer and Recap for Developers. APPENDIX B Ruby Reference. APPENDIX C Useful Resources.