I would agree with your IDE point, IF the person doesn't know how to use the IDE properly. I used RubyMine when learning Ruby/Rails, after having used IDEA for

I would agree with your IDE point, IF the person doesn't know how to use the IDE properly. I used RubyMine when learning Ruby/Rails, after having used IDEA for years (Java), and the two things which helped me learn Ruby and Rails faster than anything else were code completion (for finding methods which I may have not found otherwise) and the Source Navigator (for want of a better term). Being able to Ctrl-Click on a method and instantly see the source for it(Whether in a gem or in Rails itself) was a massive time-saver when it came to understanding what was going on under the covers. Edit: Agree 100% with adding tests.