Head First Rails

A learner's companion to Ruby on Rails

By David Griffiths
December 2008
Pages: 462
Series: Head First
ISBN 10: 0-596-51577-4 | ISBN 13: 9780596515775
Press Release

Description

Ready to transport your web applications into the Web 2.0 era? Head First Rails takes your programming -- and productivity -- to the max. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals of Rails scaffolding to building customized interactive web apps using Rails' rich set of tools and the MVC framework.

By the time you're finished, you'll have learned more than just another web framework. You'll master database interactions, integration with Ajax and XML, rich content, and even dynamic graphing of your data -- all in a fraction of the time it takes to build the same apps with Java, PHP, ASP.NET, or Perl. You'll even get comfortable and familiar with Ruby, the language that underpins Rails. But you'll do it in the context of web programming, and not through boring exercises such as "Hello, World!"

Your time is way too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Rails uses a visually rich format designed to take advantage of the way your brain really works.

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"I suggested Head First Rails to a friend before I even finished it. He was asking me questions that I didn't have time to answer, and I knew the book could explain better than I...I have been waiting for this book to be written and available for at least a year and a half. This was the first beginning Rails book that I found that didn't assume I was transitioning from a background in PHP. I have been spending time with the Ruby and the Rails community for close to 2 years now and am grateful that I finally have an explanation of the topic that is accessible for me. "
-- Anita Kuno, Slashdot.org

"As with any good teacher, this O’Reilly series attacks the material from a variety of angles. If you know it, or you’re a quick learner, you can breeze right through. If you’re like me, they try everything possible to make things comprehensible."
-- Dana Blankenhorn, Dana Blankenhorn & Paula Rooney, ZDNet.com

"I got hooked on reading Head First Rails on Safari. I'm already on page 307 of 417, not bad hein?...There's a problem with other books in that they give you a clear path... but don't make you 'fudge' around at all, so in the end you can't find your way if you get lost a little bit in the Rails forest. In a HEAD FIRST book, you are forced to fudge around, so in the end, you will always find your way."
-- Caroline Schnapp, 11 heavens

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"I suggested Head First Rails to a friend before I even finished it. He was asking me questions that I didn't have time to answer, and I knew the book could explain better than I."
--Anita Kuno, Slashdot.org