Foundation Rails 2 [Paperback]

Eldon Alameda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2008 | Series: Foundation

Rails is a phenomenally popular framework for building web applications. This book is specifically written for the latest release of Rails (Rails 2 released December 2007). It covers the fundamentals of Rails programming from the ground up in the successful Foundation style. It is written in a friendly and approachable manner for web developers rather than being a dry programming book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eldon Alameda is a web developer who currently resides in the harsh climates of Kansas. He currently works as a regional webmaster for the National Weather Service; prior to this, he did development for a variety of companies including local start-ups, advertising firms, Sprint PCS, and IBM. During the nineties, he also acquired a nice stack of worthless stock options from working for dot-com companies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (October 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1430210397
• ISBN-13: 978-1430210399
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real gem of a book, March 16, 2010

By 

Frederic Daoud (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foundation Rails 2 (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book to learn Ruby on Rails. This is the fourth Rails book that I read and it is the only one that has truly clicked with me.

The other books were good, but they threw me right into an application and started showing features left and right. Sure, it's nice to get down to coding, but the features are too often presented in a haphazard way without sufficient explanations. I ended up overwhelmed and "programming by coincidence".

On the other hand, Eldon carefully thought out how to organize the content of his book. His explanations are clear and his examples are excellent for understanding the concepts. The prose keeps the reader engaged, without falling into the trap of distracting the reader with too many jokes, pats on the shoulder and hoorahs.

I highly recommend this book for learning Ruby on Rails. Rails has a tremendous amount of cool features and writing about them is not an easy task. Eldon has met this challenge and produced an excellent result.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beginner Rails 2 w/ TDD, January 7, 2009

By 

grantmichaels "grantmichaels" (sarasota, fl) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Foundation Rails 2 (Paperback)

Finally, a beginner Rails book which is 1) up-to-date w/ Rails 2.x, 2) illustrated appropriately for a beginner (true of all non-professional level friendofED titles), and most importantly 3) includes an introduction to TDD/BDD. Test-driven or Behavior-driven web development, and more specifically "user stories," can/should be a great way to get past the "blank white screen" that many beginners have trouble overcoming. I've been diligently reading Rails texts for an entire year, and while this probably won't raise any bars for a seasoned coder, it is a much better starting point than anything that was available one year ago.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Rails book I've read, November 20, 2008

By 

Ronald Green "Ron Green" (Kansas City MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foundation Rails 2 (Paperback)

I am in the process of reading Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda which is the best book on Rails for beginners I have ever read and I've read quite a few. Mr. Alameda has a unique way of explaining things clearly and in enough detail that it makes sense. If you have ever wanted to dive into Rails and but weren't sure where to start, get this book.