Object Thinking

The Complete Guide to Building Highly Scalable, Services-Based Rails Applications

Ruby on Rails deployments are growing, and Rails is increasingly being adopted in larger environments. Today, Rails developers and architects need better ways to interface with legacy systems, move into the cloud, and scale to handle higher volumes and greater complexity. In Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails, Paul Dix introduces a powerful, services-based design approach geared toward overcoming all these challenges. Using Dix’s techniques, readers can leverage the full benefits of both Ruby and Rails, while overcoming the difficulties of working with larger codebases and teams.

Dix demonstrates how to integrate multiple components within an enterprise application stack; create services that can easily grow and connect; and design systems that are easier to maintain and upgrade. Key concepts are explained with detailed Ruby code that was built using open source libraries such as ActiveRecord, Sinatra, Nokogiri, and Typhoeus. The book concludes with coverage of security, scaling, messaging, and interfacing with third-party services.

Service-Oriented Design with Ruby and Rails will help you

• Build highly scalable, Ruby-based service architectures that operate smoothly in the cloud or with legacy systems
• Scale Rails systems to handle more requests, larger development teams, and more complex code bases
• Master new best practices for designing and creating services in Ruby
• Use Ruby to glue together services written in any language
• Use Ruby libraries to build and consume RESTful web services
• Use Ruby JSON parsers to quickly represent resources from HTTP services
• Write lightweight, well-designed API wrappers around internal or external services
• Discover powerful non-Rails frameworks that simplify Ruby service implementation
• Implement standards-based enterprise messaging with Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP)
• Optimize performance with load balancing and caching
• Provide for security and authentication

It’s easy to write correct Ruby code, but to gain the fluency needed to write great Ruby code, you must go beyond syntax and absorb the “Ruby way” of thinking and problem solving. In Eloquent Ruby, Russ Olsen helps you write Ruby like true Rubyists do–so you can leverage its immense, surprising power.

Olsen draws on years of experience internalizing the Ruby culture and teaching Ruby to other programmers. He guides you to the “Ah Ha!” moments when it suddenly becomes clear why Ruby works the way it does, and how you can take advantage of this language’s elegance and expressiveness.

Eloquent Ruby starts small, answering tactical questions focused on a single statement, method, test, or bug. You’ll learn how to write code that actually looks like Ruby (not Java or C#); why Ruby has so many control structures; how to use strings, expressions, and symbols; and what dynamic typing is really good for.

Next, the book addresses bigger questions related to building methods and classes. You’ll discover why Ruby classes contain so many tiny methods, when to use operator overloading, and when to avoid it. Olsen explains how to write Ruby code that writes its own code–and why you’ll want to. He concludes with powerful project-level features and techniques ranging from gems to Domain Specific Languages.

A part of the renowned Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series, Eloquent Ruby will help you “put on your Ruby-colored glasses” and get results that make you a true believer.

Get expert architectural and design-level guidance for building distributed solutions with the Microsoft® .NET Framework—learning how to synthesize your knowledge of application development, servers, and infrastructure and business requirements. This guide assumes you are familiar with .NET component development and the basic principles of a layered distributed application design. It examines architectural issues and solution design for a range of project stakeholders—whether you build and design applications and services, recommend appropriate technologies and products for applications and services, make design decisions to meet functional and nonfunctional requirements, or choose appropriate communications mechanisms for applications and services—providing straightforward guidance, recommendations, and best practices gleaned from real-world solution development. All PATTERNS & PRACTICES guides are reviewed and approved by Microsoft engineering teams, consultants, partners, and customers—delivering accurate, real-world information that’s been technically validated and tested.

Praise for Design Patterns in Ruby

" Design Patterns in Ruby documents smart ways to resolve many problems that Ruby developers commonly encounter. Russ Olsen has done a great job of selecting classic patterns and augmenting these with newer patterns that have special relevance for Ruby. He clearly explains each idea, making a wealth of experience available to Ruby developers for their own daily work."

—Steve Metsker, Managing Consultant with Dominion Digital, Inc.

"This book provides a great demonstration of the key 'Gang of Four' design patterns without resorting to overly technical explanations. Written in a precise, yet almost informal style, this book covers enough ground that even those without prior exposure to design patterns will soon feel confident applying them using Ruby. Olsen has done a great job to make a book about a classically 'dry' subject into such an engaging and even occasionally humorous read."

—Peter Cooper

"This book renewed my interest in understanding patterns after a decade of good intentions. Russ picked the most useful patterns for Ruby and introduced them in a straightforward and logical manner, going beyond the GoF's patterns. This book has improved my use of Ruby, and encouraged me to blow off the dust covering the GoF book."

—Mike Stok

" Design Patterns in Ruby is a great way for programmers from statically typed objectoriented languages to learn how design patterns appear in a more dynamic, flexible language like Ruby."

—Rob Sanheim, Ruby Ninja, Relevance

Most design pattern books are based on C++ and Java. But Ruby is different—and the language's unique qualities make design patterns easier to implement and use. In this book, Russ Olsen demonstrates how to combine Ruby's power and elegance with patterns, and write more sophisticated, effective software with far fewer lines of code.

After reviewing the history, concepts, and goals of design patterns, Olsen offers a quick tour of the Ruby language—enough to allow any experienced software developer to immediately utilize patterns with Ruby. The book especially calls attention to Ruby features that simplify the use of patterns, including dynamic typing, code closures, and "mixins" for easier code reuse.

Fourteen of the classic "Gang of Four" patterns are considered from the Ruby point of view, explaining what problems each pattern solves, discussing whether traditional implementations make sense in the Ruby environment, and introducing Ruby-specific improvements. You'll discover opportunities to implement patterns in just one or two lines of code, instead of the endlessly repeated boilerplate that conventional languages often require.

Design Patterns in Ruby also identifies innovative new patterns that have emerged from the Ruby community. These include ways to create custom objects with metaprogramming, as well as the ambitious Rails-based "Convention Over Configuration" pattern, designed to help integrate entire applications and frameworks.

Engaging, practical, and accessible, Design Patterns in Ruby will help you build better software while making your Ruby programming experience more rewarding.

Pushing the Limits with iOS 5 Programming is an expert guide for developers aiming to create unique applications for Apple's iPad 2, iPhone, and the iPod Touch, which includes the latest version of the Apple iPhone SDK, iOS 5. This text goes beyond the basics to keep you ahead of the technology curve and spark your innovative nature to create seamless, functional, and fun apps. With a focus on advanced techniques for app development, you will learn to differentiate your apps from all the rest.

With this must-have book, you'll explore advanced coverage of a variety of development topics, such as developing with deep Objective-C, while you learn to create amazing applications for Apple's iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod touch. Veteran mobile developers and authors guide you through maximizing your programs as they delve into topics not commonly found elsewhere.

• Provides a solid foundation in the patterns of iOS
• Shares tips for running on multiple platforms and best using security services
• Discusses topics such as controlling multitasking, advanced text layout and more
• Demonstrates how to think differently with blocks and functional programming
• Teaches table view, performance, and money-making optimization
• Eliminates common challenges with memory management and iOS information flow

Pushing the Limits with iOS 5 Programming allows you to take on the future with confidence in your new, stand-out app design skills.

Ruby’s widely admired ease of use has a downside: Too many Ruby and Rails applications have been created without concern for their long-term maintenance or evolution. The Web is awash in Ruby code that is now virtually impossible to change or extend. This text helps you solve that problem by using powerful real-world object-oriented design techniques, which it thoroughly explains using simple and practical Ruby examples.

The First Guide to Scrum-Based Agile Product Management

In Agile Product Management with Scrum, leading Scrum consultant Roman Pichler uses real-world examples to demonstrate how product owners can create successful products with Scrum. He describes a broad range of agile product management practices, including making agile product discovery work, taking advantage of emergent requirements, creating the minimal marketable product, leveraging early customer feedback, and working closely with the development team.

Benefitting from Pichler’s extensive experience, you’ll learn how Scrum product ownership differs from traditional product management and how to avoid and overcome the common challenges that Scrum product owners face.

Coverage includes

• Understanding the product owner’s role: what product owners do, how they do it, and the surprising implications
• Envisioning the product: creating a compelling product vision to galvanize and guide the team and stakeholders
• Grooming the product backlog: managing the product backlog effectively even for the most complex products
• Planning the release: bringing clarity to scheduling, budgeting, and functionality decisions
• Collaborating in sprint meetings: understanding the product owner’s role in sprint meetings, including the dos and don’ts
• Transitioning into product ownership: succeeding as a product owner and establishing the role in the enterprise

This book is an indispensable resource for anyone who works as a product owner, or expects to do so, as well as executives and coaches interested in establishing agile product management.