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Many of us came to Ruby by way of Rails (including yours truly about six years ago). We came because our current solutions were clumsy and inconvenient. We came because we appreciated the relative simplicity that Rails offered. And we came because we believe that change is often a good thing. But not all changes are beneficial. Over several blog posts, books, and a couple of years, the Rails community has begun to choose complexity over simplicity. Let's talk about why. And let's talk about how we can try to recapture that simplicity that we so once adored. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/FGbE/
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In his talk titled "If It Bleeds, It Leads" at the Ruby on Ales 2013 conference, Evan Light discusses the increasing complexity in the Rails community, contrasting it with the simplicity that initially drew developers to Rails. He introduces himself as a freelance mentor and code janitor, emphasizing his passion for helping developers improve their software practices. Key points covered in the presentation include: - **Rails Complexity**: Light notes that while Rails was designed for small applications, there's a growing trend towards extreme object-oriented practices that complicate development. He highlights the importance of understanding how Rails’ defaults can simplify development rather than complicate it. - **Decision-Making**: He references "The Paradox of Choice" to illustrate how developers often struggle with overwhelming options when they lack expertise, leading to poor decision-making. - **Pop Culture in Development**: Light discusses the tendency of developers to rush toward the latest gems and tools, using the phrase, "If it bleeds, it leads," to underscore the focus on trending technologies rather than foundational practices. - **Design Patterns**: He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and employing solid design patterns, outlining the limitations of Active Record and showcasing alternatives like the Data Mapper and the Repository pattern. - **Emerging Solutions**: Light introduces the cells gem as a solution for templating issues in Rails, allowing for a clearer organization within MVC architecture. Several anecdotes underscore Light’s arguments, such as his experiences working with varied clients who often make decisions without enough experience in Rails, leading to inefficiencies. He also reflects on his motivations for presenting—driven largely by the desire to correct misinformation in the community. In conclusion, Light advocates for: - **Embracing Rails’ Defaults**: Developers should work within the constraints and conventions that Rails offers, rather than rebelling against them. - **Building an Augmentative Stack**: He encourages developers to innovate within the existing Rails infrastructure instead of chasing the latest trends, thereby enhancing both the community and the overall development experience.
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