In honor of the official release of Rails 3.0, the Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book is on sale for one day only—click here for a 40% discount on the Rails 3 Tutorial PDF. (You can also use the coupon code rails3final.) This offer expires at 11:59 PM (Pacific time) on Monday, August 30.
I previously mentioned a temporary problem with deploying to Heroku due to a Bundler version compatibility. Happily, Heroku updated their platform yesterday, so now the deploys should go off without a hitch.
UPDATE: This issue has now been fixed.
The Ruby on Rails Tutorial book uses the latest version of Rails, which is the current release candidate of Rails 3.0.0.rc. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, you can't deploy applications to Heroku using the Rails release candidate because of a conflict with the latest version of Bundler. See this blog post for a possible workaround.
I'm pleased to announce the availability of the Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book, a version of the Rails Tutorial book fully up-to-date with Rails 3.0. As always, the book is available for free online, and as of today it is also available for purchase as a PDF download. In addition to the Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book, all purchases include a free copy of the Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial book as well. Since Rails 3.0 is still under development, you'll also get free PDF updates through the final version of Rails 3.0. (As part of this release, the default version of the tutorial has switched over to Rails 3.0. If you want to read the Rails 2.3 tutorial online, you can use the version switcher in the book's sidebar or use this direct link.)
As a thank-you to all the readers who contributed to the book by reporting bugs and typos, the links in this news announcement contain a code for a 20% discount on the PDFs, good for 30 days. If you prefer to use the code directly, it is railstutorial01.
I'm also happy to announce that a print edition, Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example
Finally, I am very excited to announce that, after the Rails 3 ecosystem and book text have fully stabilized, the HTML source of the online version will be available under a Creative Commons license to allow for translation into other languages. Readers interested in serving as translators should email me at my personal address, which is available through my contact page.
To make it easier to spread the word about the Ruby on Rails Tutorial project, I've added a Facebook Like button to the site (and to each news post). If you genuinely like the book, I'd appreciate it if you took the time to click on the Like button when you get the chance. (If you don't like the book, I'm afraid you're out of luck until Facebook comes out with a Dislike button.)
Thanks again to all the Rails Tutorial readers who offered their support, encouragement, and feedback. I couldn't have done it without you.
Many of you are probably aware of "Pi Day", an annual celebration of the number π (pi) that takes place on March 14 (3/14). Some of you may also be aware that there are serious problems with π, which is defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This definition is in many ways a confusing and unnatural choice for the circle constant. I have just launched a new project called The Tau Manifesto, which argues in favor of the true circle constant, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius, and proposes that we call this number τ (tau). And, since numerically τ is 2π, you might note that today is June 28 (6/28)—that is, today is Tau Day.
The Tau Manifesto was written using the same typesetting system (which I call PolyTeXnic) used to write the Ruby on Rails Tutorial book, and PolyTeXnic itself is written in Ruby. I hope the more mathematically inclined Rubyists out there will be interested to read the Tau Manifesto, which can be found at tauday.com.
Happy Tau Day!
One member of the Rails Tutorial Vanguard requested paying in monthly installments, and that sounded like a good idea, so I've implemented it for everyone: membership in the Vanguard is now available for three payments of $165. But in order to keep the Vanguard as small as possible, there are only two places left, so act quickly while supplies last. You can sign up for the Vanguard here.
Given my present rate of progress through the Rails 3 tutorial update, I anticipate that the Vanguard will start in earnest some time soon after the 4th of July holiday break. I hope to see you there!
I've just added some class inheritance diagrams to Chapter 4 of the Ruby on Rails Tutorial book, which I expect will be the last substantive update to the Rails 2.3 tutorial. Starting next week, I'll be turning my full attention to the Rails 3 version of the book. See you on the other side. :-)
I'm pleased to announce the availability of the Rails Tutorial Vanguard, a special group that will be intimately involved in the production of the upcoming Rails Tutorial screencast series. Members of the Vanguard will get priority access to the screencasts as I make them (including a cutting-edge introduction to Rails 3). They will also get free copies of the final screencast series when completed. Most important, Vanguard members will have access to regular live webcasts so that I can answer questions and respond to feedback. You can think of the Vanguard as an extended small-group training course. (I estimate that the webcasts will start in early July, and will take place weekly for 6–8 weeks.)
The Vanguard is a premium product, so it won't be a good fit for everyone. The actual benefits are also a bit vague, since even I'm not exactly sure what they all will be! You should consider joining the Vanguard only if you are confident, based on what you can infer about me from the Rails Tutorial book, that I will deliver an experience of exceptional value. And if joining the Vanguard doesn't fit in your budget, worry not: the screencast series itself will be less expensive by an order of magnitude. (And, of course, the online version of the tutorial will always be free.)
If I've piqued your interest, you can find out more about the Rails Tutorial Vanguard here. I hope to see you there. :-)
I've just released Chapter 12: Following users, thus completing the Rails 2.3.8 version of the Ruby on Rails Tutorial. (Of course, this chapter is only a draft; as usual, I appreciate feedback and corrections.) I will soon be turning my attention to the Rails 3 version of the book, as well as starting work on the associated Ruby on Rails Tutorial screencast series. Finally, I expect to be making a special announcement some time in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned. (If you haven't done so already, subscribe to the news feed to make sure you get it. :-)
It looks like they jumped the gun with Rails 2.3.7; Rails 2.3.8 has already been released. Yet again, the Ruby on Rails Tutorial book has been updated as well.
Today one reader suggested via Twitter the following idea:
Sell the book with just a box for the version, a pencil and eraser so readers can change the version each day.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that!
P.S. Chapter 12 is coming soon. :-)
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