Video Podcast: Ruby on Rails with NetBeans 6.1

Remember my first attempt to create a video podcast a while back? And how i had promised to refined the video? Well, here it is. Still need a patch work, because i've personally seen similar video with much much more superior quality in YouTube.


Creating Ruby on Rails Project with NetBeans 6.1 from Rhama Arya Wibawa on Vimeo.

The best part is, i've actually managed to create a Part II of this video. Although for the time being, it would have to remain digressed for a little while.

An Attempt to Create a Video Podcast

This is my very first ever attempt to create a video podcast! A Podcast! A Video! I'm using Jing, a free Screencast app for Mac OS X, if you knew any free Screencast app for Mac OS X that you feel better than one i use, do let me know. Meanwhile, a first attempt is always, well... first. Therefore, i expect that the result will be far less than stellar, mediocre at best, ugly to say the least. But anyway, as with any other masterpieces, persistence is the key. Rome is, after all, doesn't built in a day.

Anyway, as the video captured my entire desktop, the file is fairly large. A staggering 3 MB for a mere minute video and as this was my FIRST attempt, i hadn't bothered to optimize the video for blog. But i promised, i'd get into it later this week as i create more podcast in various programming subject (not just Ruby in Rails, that is). Meanwhile, if you're interested enough, this link will bring you to screencast.com where you could download the video. OR you could straight as an arrow download the file through this link. Wait, allow me to rephrase. MY video. Wow, that actually feels good.

First Ruby on Rails Application (Mac OS X)

I've still got a Mac OS X 10.4.11 codenamed Tiger in my MacBook early 2007 despite that Leopard 10.5.3 has just recently released to the market.
A Tiger Mac OS X was pre-installed with Ruby 1.8.2. Knowing this, I immediately fired the same step-by-step tutorial as I did yesterday. However, when I tried to execute "ruby script/generate controller App", it complains that I don't have a required RubyGems to run Rails. It offers me a hint to update the gem installation. I did just so, and it complains that it can't find a rubygems-update-1.0.1. I head out to my most trusted friend on the internet, Google, and immediately directed to the HiveLogic about how to manually update the ruby installation in a Tiger machine to 1.8.6. I just tried it once, no luck, and decided to let no more time goes waste and instead, creating a new Ruby on Rails project through the NetBeans IDE.

Probably historically incorrect, but ever since NetBeans 6.1, creating a Ruby on Rails application couldn't be more simpler. Simply choose Ruby on Rails application on the New project dialog, and seconds later you had your application up and running. By default, you should see database.yml opened at your editor right away, in which you provide a database connection information to your application. In my case, it took me another several seconds to set-up MySQL databases and configured them so my newly created Ruby on Rails application could communicate with it. After all set and done, I run the project, it opened up on my Safari web-browser, up and running. Seconds flat. But still, the stench that I still had no illusion of control made me hasn't yet fully apprehended nor appreciated the nimbleness and easiness that is Ruby on Rails.
Finally, without the luxury to automate the Controllers and Views through a command line prompt as I did yesterday with my Windows version of Ruby on Rails first application, I created two additional files, app_controller.rb under the Controllers folder, and greeting.rhtml under the Views/app folder manually to obtain the same output as I did yesterday.

Next, hopefully, a further insight into this whole Ruby on Rails thing. And although it would seems rather obnoxious in my part, pardon me if I ever did just so, a blown-by-blown set up. Hm, a Video Podcast perhaps?

First Ruby on Rails Application (Win 32)

Following the step-by-step tutorial to wrote and set-up my very first Ruby on Rails running on Windows32 platform application that merely prints this following greeting screen:
I was immediately faced with this very first problem.
Fortunately, this is a small, almost insignificant problem. When we created our first Ruby on Rails application, by typing the command, in my case, "rails hello" unto the command prompt, Rails automatically creates a database connection (config/database.yml) with sqlite3. It turns out that the problem could be solved in seconds flat by head to http://sqlite.org, download the sqlite3.dll and put it on the "bin" folder of your local Ruby installation, and reload the WEBrick server.

At a first glance, I must say that Ruby on Rails live up to its advertised gimmick, "Web Development that Doesn't Hurt". A friend of mine from my previous job who has no education background in Computer Science or its related, ascertained this fact by saying that "Ruby language is very humane, it is easy for me to understand". I agreed with him on this point. It took far longer time for me to write this post than downloading and made my first Ruby on Rails application up and running.

However, as a programmer in core, with a sufficient eduaction background to support the claim, while it is true - in a sense - that developing web application, at least a simple web application with a simple CRUD with Ruby on Rails is quick and easy, I found out that with Ruby on Rails, I've got a considerably less control than what I would have had I develop the same web application with my preferred arsenal, Java. But as I've pointed out earlier in this blog, I had planned to give Ruby a chance by seeing for myself how things turned out with this beast.

As you can see in the images, I develop the very first Ruby on Rails application on my Toshiba Satellite running Windows XP, and accessed through the network from my Mac OS X. Next in this blog, developing Ruby on Rails on my preferred platform, Mac OS X and probably aforementioned step-by-step tutorial in its wholesome.