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Beginning Ruby

If you're just getting to know Ruby, these articles will tell you what you need to know to get started. From a basic explanation of the programming language to comparison to other programming languages to descriptions of descriptions of Ruby's basic features, you'll get to know Ruby.
Ruby
11 Subcategories in Beginning Ruby
26 Articles in: Beginning Ruby
What is the Ruby Programming Language?
New to Ruby? Or even to programming? Find out what Ruby really is (and isn't) and why you should (and shouldn't) use it.
The logo, selected as winner of the Ruby Logo Contest - Tom Schaub/Wikimedia Commons
Here's What Ruby Is
What type of language is the Ruby programming language?
Installing jRuby With RVM on OS X
As with most flavors of Ruby, the easiest, cleanest and least painful way to install jRuby is with RVM, the Ruby Version Manager. And although jRuby is different than MRI, the official Ruby interpreter, it can be installed just as easily, arguably easier.
The Ruby Homepage
Homepage of the Ruby programming language. Download Ruby, view documentation and stay up to date with Ruby developments.
Male fashion designer working in an office - ONOKY - Eric Audras/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
A Quick Guide to Forming Command Line Arguments in Ruby
Use command-line arguments to pass parameters to your Ruby scripts from the command line.
ActiveRecord sample in Ruby on Rails. - Public Domain
How to Use Comments for Ruby Code
Use comments to annotate your Ruby code.
Official Ruby logo - Yukihiro Matsumoto, Ruby Visual Identity Team/http://rubyidentity.org/Wikimedia Commons
A Simple Guide to Using Aliases in Ruby
Aliasing is a powerful Ruby feature that allows more than one method to be referred to by multiple names. This can be used to give a programmer more expressive options or to create copies of a method, allowing you to change the behavior of a class.
Keyboard close-up - John Lamb/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images
Wondering if You Should Overlook The "Require" Method in Ruby? Here's the Answer
The 'require' method is the reusable code mechanism in Ruby. It allows you to import other source files into your programs.
The logo, selected as winner of the Ruby Logo Contest - Tom Schaub/Wikimedia Commons
How to Install Ruby
How to install the Ruby interpreter on Windows, Linux and OS X.
A Simple Guide to Using the Command Line in Ruby
How to use the command line interface on Windows, Linux and OS X to run Ruby scripts and use the interactive Ruby program.
What Every Coder Should Know About Running Ruby Scripts
Learn how to use the command line interface on Windows, Linux and OS X to run Ruby scripts and use the interactive Ruby program.
Worked Example: Number Guessing Game
A number guessing game is written, and each of its features explored.
Ruby-Doc.org
Archive of Ruby documentation from across the world wide web.
Programming Ruby
First edition of the book "Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide" for free online.
Ruby Wikipedia Entry
General information about Ruby and the history of Ruby.
JRuby
An alternative implementation or Ruby written in Java and officially supported by Sun Microsystems.
Businesswoman on computer at office workstation - Thomas Barwick/Stone/Getty Images
How to Use 'Ternary' (Conditional) Operators in Ruby
The ternary (or "conditional") operator will evaluate an expression and return one value if it's true, and another value if it's false. It's a kind of short-hand, compact if statement. It has its uses, but it's also a bit controversial.
Combining Arrays in Ruby
There are a number of ways to combine arrays in Ruby.
Doing Things Wrong: Number Guessing Game Part 2
Doing things wrong in Ruby: to to (and how not to) write a number guessing game in Ruby.
Doing Things Wrong: Number Guessing Game Partt 1
Doing things wrong in Ruby: to to (and how not to) write a number guessing game in Ruby.
The fizz buzz test is a basic programming task designed to weed out unqualified applicants to programming jobs. Never mind qualifications, job history or education, just see if the applicant can compose a simple program. Surprisingly, a large percentage of applicants can't complete this task and this makes the interviewer's job much easier. So what are you in for taking this test? The answer is: not much.
Ruby Challenge: Pig Latin
Pig latin is a word game with some simple rules that turn the phrase "pig latin" into "igpay atinlay." Your challenge is to implement this in Ruby.
Ruby Challenge: Asterisk Banner
Do you remember BASIC? Do you remember line numbers? How about surrounding comments and program titles with asterisks? Perhaps you don't want to remember the first two (some things should stay dead), but your challenge is this: create BASIC-style headers in Ruby.
Predefined by Ruby
Ruby defines a number of built in global variables you may find you need at one point.
Ruby Challenge: Run Length Encoding
Run-length encoding is an obsolete but trivial compression algorithm. Not useful to know, but perfect for a programming challenge.
Ruby Challenge: Palindrome
A palindrome is any word or phrase that's the same backwards as it is forwards. Your challenge is to create a method that, when given a string, will detect all english language palindromes.
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