Java to Ruby

[Raghavendra Shockley]

I have an OCPJP in java and now i want to learn Ruby. I have some questions about it :
1- How do I begin learning it ?
2- Can I begin learning ruby directly by reading a rails book or do i have to read a ruby book first ?
3- What are the major differences between Java and Ruby ?

[Mohamed Sanaulla]

Raghavendra Shockley wrote:I have an OCPJP in java and now i want to learn Ruby. I have some questions about it :
1- How do I begin learning it ?

Read about Ruby- its syntax. There are documentation online which can help you with this. You also need to practice coding in Ruby as just reading it would be of no use.

Raghavendra Shockley wrote:
2- Can I begin learning ruby directly by reading a rails book or do i have to read a ruby book first ?

No, Rails books just touch upon specific parts of Ruby which are required for getting along with Rails, I would suggest you to get familiar with Ruby before getting into Rails, otherwise lot of times you would end up searching for solutions online.

Raghavendra Shockley wrote:
3- What are the major differences between Java and Ruby ?

You can find them here

[Mohamed Sanaulla]

You can also have a look at ongoing Saas class offered by professors at Univeristy of Berkeley. They are covering basics of Ruby and then move on to developing Saas applications using rails.

[Greg Charles]

I started by working out the Euler Problems in Ruby, just using online references. Then I read a really good book Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial. You can read my review of it, as well as other staff reviews of Ruby books here.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to program Ruby professionally, so now I've forgotten a lot of what I learned. So, my best advice is find someone who will pay you to learn Ruby, and will therefore hold your feet to the fire expecting results. It's a fun language. I wish Java had some of its constructs.

[Mohamed Sanaulla]

Greg Charles wrote:
...
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to program Ruby professionally, so now I've forgotten a lot of what I learned. So, my best advice is find someone who will pay you to learn Ruby, and will therefore hold your feet to the fire expecting results. It's a fun language. I wish Java had some of its constructs.

Exactly what I have been thinking. Or may be find some thing that would make you learn ruby and also give an opportunity to program in it professionally and not just some toy programs.

[Hussein Baghdadi]

You can also learn Ruby while playing games.
https://github.com/ryanb/ruby-warrior