5 ms·
This is because the next generation of hot coders is working on JS or something more exotic like Rust. This is why I think that even though Rails is still a goo
by cageface 6y ago
This is because the next generation of hot coders is working on JS or something more exotic like Rust. This is why I think that even though Rails is still a good platform for building a certain class of webapps the writing is on the wall and I'm planning to transition away from it over the next few years.
- thekingofh 6y agoIn 5 years there'll be another shiny thing everyone will flock to. It's part of the fun, but there are some languages that just do that particular thing just right. Ruby/Rails is bittersweet to me. It does that thing just so right, but it feels like there's an evolution around the corner that could be an upgrade when it comes to the ecosystem. It certainly doesn't feel like Rust is a good replacement if you enjoy Ruby syntax and dynamic typing simplicity. Ruby reminds me a lot of how Perl 5 is a great language, yet finding jobs in Perl 5 is becoming more and more difficult. I'd love to think that Raku (formerly Perl 6) would be that language, but it doesn't seem like the trajectory is there.
- cageface 6y agoJust because something is new and shiny doesn't mean it's not a step forward. People dismissed Rails with these same criticisms in the beginning. Sometimes new tech gives us a big step up in productivity and I think we can now do better than Ruby/PHP/Python.
- jaredcwhite 6y agoOr you could become an open source contributor and improve the ecosystem by submitting PRs to existing gems or writing your own. The community is us. Ruby is what we make it. So let's make it better.
- cageface 6y agoRails has been very good to me over the years so I am tempted to try to help out but I think if I'm going to volunteer I'd prefer to help a more modern stack like KTOR.
- nicoburns 6y agoConsider Laravel (PHP) and Django (Python) if you want a like-for-like replacement in a better supported ecosystem.
- cageface 6y agoI'd probably go for Django but it feels like a step sideways more than a step forward. Once you've gotten used to a more modern language with great tooling, typechecking & null handling it's frustrating to go back to a stack where you're getting errors in production that would have been caught by a compiler.
- shiny 6y agoI'm in the same spot. I still use & love Rails, but having adopted TypeScript & VS Code (w/ React) for the front-end, I find myself missing those luxuries when I switch back to Ruby/Rails/Vim. I'm leaning towards a full TypeScript stack for my next project. The idea of sharing types & code between client & server is incredibly seductive. But there's no Rails for TS/Node, so I know it's going to be a shit show assembling all of my chosen libraries into a cohesive whole. Although looking at your previous comment, perhaps I should give Kotlin / Ktor a try?
- davidwf 6y agoFYI I think Redwood is trying hard to be Rails for TS/Node... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22537944 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22537944)
- cageface 6y agoRedwood looks really interesting. I'd like to try it on a small project. The emphasis on serverless seems like a bit of a different direction than Rails though.
- cageface 6y agoI'm in exactly the same boat. Rails gives you so much functionality for free. Kotlin/KTor is not a drop in replacement since it's closer to something like Sinatra in scope but it still looks like the best bet going forward to me.