Rails it is then ... but what project?
06.13.2009
Thanks for the Feedback
Big thanks to everyone for your feedback on whether I should take on Ruby on Rails or Drupal as my object of learning this summer. The verdict is in, and Rails wins out.
Why Rails Won
I have a few reasons, not necessarily in order of significance:
- After working extensively with CodeIgniter I want to work with a more rapid development framework.
- I already know enough Rails that I am not starting from scratch.
- I can see building some more web apps in the future and it would probably involve writing custom code, rather than using a CMS
- I don’t have any foreseeable projects that I would use Drupal for
- Rails has been the hotness for long enough that I’m not just “jumping on the bandwagon.” This is a thought through process here.
All of that said, you can’t really compare a programming language and a framework with a Content Management System. They are two different things, and they only came face to face in this decision because I only have so much time 
What Project Should I Build with Rails?
We all know that the best way to learn a new language, framework, or CMS is to take it on for a new project. So, I ask, “What project should I take on with Rails?”
I would like to do something simple that I could build out from start to finish over the course of the summer. It would be great if it were of service to other folks.
If you have any ideas bouncing around for simple web apps or services that you just haven’t had the time for, but think they should happen nonetheless, let me know and maybe I can end up building it out for you.
Comments
Holler at this article
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Jason Leveille 06.16.09
I have a few web applications that I want to build, but haven’t had the time for. One of which could easily be created using a CMS (EE for example), however I think it’s a candidate for a custom application (and the increased flexibility inherent in custom development). Here it is.
I want to build a site where I can collect best practices on:
CSS
HTML
Servers (IIS/Apache/nginx/lighttpd)
Languages (PHP/Python/Ruby/.Net/etc)
Security
Optimization
Deployment
Version Control
CMS (EE/Wordpress/Drupal/Plone/etc)
Backup Strategies
etc
All I want to be able to do is create a new entry, give it a title, categorize/tag the entry, create a bulleted list of the best practices, and allow for others to post additional material/comments with regards to the particular topic.
Than, if someone visiting the site is building a site using ExpressionEngine, they could perform a search and receive results that display:
1) Best practices for HTML
2) Best practices for CSS
3) Best practices for ExpressionEngine
4) Best practices for securing a web application (for example, securing PHP on the server side, securing the server, etc,etc)
5) Best practices for optimization (sprites, reducing http requests, minifying/combining js, etc)
6) What exactly they should place in version control
etc
You get the idea. The site would have to have a strong tagging system with rich metadata on each entry. It would also have to have a strong search.
This is probably something I should just use EE for, and maybe I will. It is a project idea though, and you’re welcome to use it.
Zac Gordon 06.16.09
That is a good idea, and EE would be good for that (although you would probably want to use the Solspace Tag Module).
I might be duplicating a lot of the infrastructure to do it in Rails, but could be a good learning project.
Thanks Jason!
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