Ruby Time
I figure it is time to start learning how to program in Ruby. It appears that this Ruby fad is not going away.
(That was a joke, Ruby people.)
I'm reading Geoff Moore's "Crossing the Chasm" now, and as a result I seem to be applying that metaphor to just about everything. Oddly, I find that I'm more in the early-to-late majority camp with a lot of things, even in technology (for example, I still do not own a smart phone - gasp!). Is this a concern? Does it mean I am not sufficiently passionate? Or does it just mean that I prefer to focus my efforts on learning stuff that will be meaningful?
I don't know, but likely this is why I am still not a Ruby programmer. At any rate, web application development is not exactly a strong point with me, and I figure if I'm going to shore up that part of the fortress, or whatever, then perhaps Ruby is the way to go.
Sadly, this probably does not bode well for nearlyfreespeech.net, my current hosting provider. I've been happy as a clam with nearlyfreespeech.net, but they only provide PHP. That's fine for running a WordPress blog like this one or Seeping Matter (my personal blog) for now, but if I start programming in Ruby I'll end up choosing another provider, and I'm likely to only want one.
I'm looking at a few different hosting providers. I'm open to other suggestions or comments about how these choices are great or not great. Current short list includes:
- WebFaction - $8.50/month
- HostingRails - $8/month
- RailsPlayground - $9/month
All of them support Ruby/Rails, PHP, and Python; all offer SSH access; all provide Subversion; all offer nightly backups. HostingRails also offers pay-as-you-go pricing like NFSN so that's a bit of a plus.
Stay tuned.
