Press Release
January 24, 2007
Ajax on Rails: Build Dynamic Web Applications with Ruby
Sebastopol, CA--In recent years, Ajax and Rails have been two of the
hottest--if not the hottest--new technologies in web development.
According to Scott Raymond, author of Ajax on Rails (O'Reilly, US
$39.99), the two technologies have a bit of a symbiotic relationship:
"Rails has popularized certain Ajax techniques, and Ajax developers have
been drawn to Rails' approach," he explains. "Although most other Rails
books have touched on Rails' Ajax abilities, they left a lot of fertile
ground uncovered. I wanted to thoroughly explore the intersection of the
two technologies."
As Raymond point out, there are solid reasons to believe that both Ajax
and Rails will be significant features of the web development landscape
for some time. "Big players are leading by example: Yahoo, Google, Apple,
Microsoft, and IBM have all started using and touting Ajax techniques, and
Rails has become so associated with web startups that it's almost cliche."
His new book, which is also available as a PDF (US $19.99), is the
definitive guide to where these two technologies converge.
"Rails and its supporting technologies continue to evolve and grow at a
tiring rate, and the documentation efforts tend to lag behind. This book
covers the leading edge--with the latest enhancements to RJS
(Ruby-generated JavaScript), new Rails best practices like RESTful routes,
and a slew of as-yet-undocumented changes in Prototype 1.5, Rails'
standard JavaScript library," notes Raymond. The recently released Rails
1.2 and Prototype 1.5 are rich in new features, and both are very well
represented in the book.
- The book demonstrates how to use Ajax and Rails to build
high-performance, scalable applications without having to write reams of
difficult-to-maintain JavaScript code.
- Provides a thorough, low-level understanding of what's under the hood,
with a high-level understanding of how to use Ajax techniques
effectively.
- Includes a complete reference to Prototype 1.5 and script.aculo.us 1.6.1,
which can be used even outside of the Rails platform.
- Three fully worked out applications--a quiz program, a photo gallery,
and a workgroup collaboration tool--show how everything fits together
in practice.
"My goal is that serious readers will finish the book with the confidence
to call themselves Ajax on Rails experts," says Raymond. "That means you
will not only understand how to use all of Rails' shortcuts, but you'll
understand how they work as well."
Ajax on Rails is written for readers who are familiar with the
technologies used in dynamic web sites: (X)HTML, CSS, some basic
JavaScript, and some server-side language like PHP. Although this book
isn't an exhaustive guide to Rails (or Ruby), it should be possible for
new users to work through all of the examples.
"On the flip side," adds Raymond, "There is a lot in this book meant for
pros as well that goes well beyond what any other resource offers. The
book covers high-level topics like security, performance, testing, and
debugging."
And there is one secret about the book, says Raymond: "Despite the title,
this book is useful for non-Rails developers as well. Its extensive
references to Prototype and script.aculo.us are the only such resources in
print. Those libraries have users far beyond the Rails community."
Scott Raymond is a Ruby on Rails developer living in Kansas City. His work
has been highlighted on the Rails web site and the "Wall Street Journal
Online." Besides participating in the framework's development, he has led
international training sessions and was a presenter at RailsConf 2006.
Background and Market Information:
http://del.icio.us/oreillymedia/AjaxonRails
Additional Resources:
Ajax on Rails
Scott Raymond
ISBN: 0-596-52744-6, 336 pages, Print: $39.99 US, $51.99 CA
PDF $19.99 US
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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