Eric Wahlforss, one of the founders of SoundCloud, recently said, “To make a product people really love, find those people and iterate together with them”. This puts the focus on customers and what they want. It’s democratization of development. Obviously, you can go too far in this direction and cede to every feature demand, but [...]
Here’s a quick look at something I’m building with the SoundCloud developer tools. Now, I’m sure this type of app has been done a thousand times…but I thought other devs might like to see what’s possible with the tools and phenomenal support SoundCloud provides. Sessian is a browser-based multi-track app that uses SoundCloud embedded tracks [...]
Here’s a quick video I shot to help you get started with SoundCloud’s API in a Rails app. I recommend viewing in 480p to see more detail (you can also watch it on YouTube.com).
Are you on Rails 3 yet? If not, you’re in for a treat. The Rails core team has done a great job with Rails 3. While there are lots of nice improvements, the best of the bunch is bundler. In my opinion, this feature alone is worth the upgrade. So pay attention here. You’re going [...]
If you do anything with the web – or want to develop more creative ideas – you must rush out and buy Steven Johnson’s new book Where Good Ideas Come From. One of the central themes of the book is that an idea is a process, not an event. A great idea, Johnson explains, doesn’t [...]
As your web application matures and your users request more and more features, your code can quickly get out of hand. This leads to hidden bugs, recursive crap and “skeletons” lurking in your code closet. But we both know it’s important to keep our code lean. But how do you do this when you’re adding [...]
A couple weekends ago, I slammed out a new site, called dj search. The concept behind the site is obvious: find a dj for your upcoming event. We wanted the design and functionality to be “as simple as simple can be”. Constructed with the help of a friend who is a professional dj, we cranked [...]
On a martial arts marketing website, Through the Ranks, I use ThoughtBot’s excellent file upload plugin, Paperclip, the defacto standard for managing Rails file uploads. However, one problem has been vexing me since day one. And that is validating only when an attachment exists. For example, in my Rails application, I give users the option [...]
What is going on with RailsRankings.com lately? Seems like every time I visit the site it looks like this: At least it’s good to know the site IS Rails, however.
Ahhhh….jQuery UI. Lucious. It’s the quickest way to get your app looking slick in no time. It’s also highly flexible. jQuery UI’s themeroller feature allows you to tweak your css settings (and the look of your jQuery ui elements) right in a web browser (Wow! We must be living in the 21st century!) Anyway, you [...]
The old standby Rails pagination plugin, Will Paginate has an excellent built-in method for showing the records found in a collection: What this does is returns a count of the model objects in your collection. This sometimes helpful, for example, if you want to show your users how many comments a blog post has. Or [...]
For years, I’ve used my MBP hooked up to a 24″ external monitor, with my laptop closed and an extension keyboard. However, I recently went back to the amazing site run by German web development firm, 9elements. After watching their cool looped video (yes, in Flash!) I noticed something surprising: most of them code directly [...]
Ever wonder what the appeal of Cucumber is? Wonder if you should employ Cucumber to help develop your next Rails apps? Is it worth the time, effort and extra steps involved? My vote is a hearty “yes”. And here’s why: First, Cucumber forces you to SLOW DOWN. It forces you to stop and think. To [...]
If you’re a designer who is just encountering Ruby on Rails…congrats! You’re going to love working the “agile way”. Rails is efficient, fast and a joy to work with. However, Rails can have a steep learning curve, especially for designers. But once you grasp the fundamentals, you’ll never look back.
Here are my top ten tips (and resources) for wrapping your head around Ruby on Rails as a designer: