We're the gem exec(utives)

On today’s episode of Remote Ruby, the conversation begins with Jason, Chris and Andrew discussing their experiences with podcasting and how they started. Then, the conversation takes a shift to discussing using the latest version of RubyGems in Bundler, the addition of a new feature called, gem exec, that allows for easy running of executables from gems that may or may not be installed, and more about GemX.  Twitter’s new algorithm is mentioned, along with someone who leaked Twitter’s source code on GitHub. Chris talks about some frustrating experiences with his Rails for Beginner’s Course that he’s releasing very soon which will be free, and some plans to expand the curriculum. There’s a discussion on the challenges of teaching and learning programming, the process of recording tutorials, and Chris shares some tips and tricks for Ruby programming. Ruby is magic, so go make some magic and press download to hear much more! 

[00:03:18] The guys catch up on what’s been happening with work, and Andrew tells us he tried the new gem exec stuff in RubyGems, he explains the new feature, and there’s a discussion about the advantages of the new feature and how it works, which ends with a bit of confusion. 

[00:10:03] Andrew brings up an example and mentions a gem called GemX that people are using.

[00:12:09] We hear about a gem Andrew wrote that was printed out a like business card with cool texts in the terminal and how he was inspired by someone in the Node community.

[00:14:04] Jason brings up Twitter releasing “The algorithm,” and how someone leaked Twitter’s source code on GitHub. 

[00:17:52] In Chris’s world, he tells us how he’s been re-recording his Rails for Beginner’s Course and his frustrating experience with trying to use Digital Ocean Spaces for image uploading, as well as frustrations with CORS configuration and policy instructions.

[00:28:41] Chris and Andrew discuss the challenges of teaching and learning programming, specifically Ruby on Rails. 

[00:32:15] Chris mentions the upcoming release of a new Rails for Beginner’s Course, which will include six hours of Ruby content, and plans to expand the curriculum to include more topics like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

[00:33:35] Andrew and Chris discuss the process of recording tutorials, which can be time consuming and difficult to balance between explaining concepts and providing practical examples. 

[00:37:06] Listen here for some tips and tricks from Chris for Ruby programming, including using simple delegator and modules on individual instances of a class. He also talks about a blog post on Thoughtbot and about The Gilded Rose Code Kata.   [00:42:28] Jason chimes in saying he’s just been writing maintenance task and talks about his struggles with abstractions.

Panelists: Jason Charnes Chris Oliver Andrew Mason

Sponsor: Honeybadger

Links: Jason Charnes Twitter Chris Oliver Twitter Andrew Mason Twitter GemX  GoRails [Experimental] Add gem exec command to run executables from gems that may or may not be installed #6309 Evaluating Alternative Decorator Implementations in Ruby (Dan Croak-Thoughtbot)