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Ruby is known to be "complex language for writing simple code" and "designed to make programmers happy". Yet while those principles are fully embodied in the language spirit and logic, the documentation is traditionally more problematic, especially for newcomers who are already programming-literate and expect a quick and deep dive. Let's talk about several aspects of language and standard library documentation, its history, current state, and the future, expectations it should ideally meet and some unfortunate road bumps.

Victor Shepelev is an Ukrainian programmer and poet with twelve years of programming experience and fifteen years of Ruby programming. Working at Verbit.ai, mentoring students (including Google Summer of Code-2016-2018, as a mentor for SciRuby organization), developing open source (Ruby Association Grant 2015).

Welcome to the #NoRuKo conference. A virtual unconference organized by Stichting Ruby NL.

#NoRuKo playlist with all talks and panels: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9_A7olkztLlmJIAc567KQgKcMi7-qnjg

Recorded 21th of August, 2020.
NoRuKo website: https://noruko.org/
Stichting Ruby NL website: https://rubynl.org/

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**Summary of Victoria Shepelev's Talk at NoRuKo 2020**  
The presentation by Victor Shepelev addresses the persistent challenges surrounding the documentation of the Ruby programming language. He highlights the irony of Ruby being celebrated for its complexity in creating simple code while simultaneously suffering from inadequate documentation, particularly for newcomers. Shepelev, with significant experience in Ruby, expresses his passion for enhancing the language's usability.  
  
**Key Points:**  
- **Documentation Issues:**  
  - The existing Ruby documentation contains inconsistencies, lacks comprehensive references, and presents information in a disorganized manner, often leading to confusion for new users.  
  - Common beginner queries, like understanding file reading, are difficult to navigate within the official documentation, as basic concepts are not clearly outlined.  
- **Comparison with Competitors:**  
  - Shepelev contrasts Ruby’s documentation with those of languages like Python, Rust, and Elixir, which implement structured and user-friendly references, illustrating Ruby's shortcomings in this area.  
- **The Community's Role:**  
  - The supportive nature of the Ruby community is emphasized, as experienced developers can help guide and mentor newcomers. Shepelev promotes collaborative efforts to enhance documentation quality, encouraging both seasoned users and new contributors to participate in maintaining and updating resources.  
- **Current Efforts:**  
  - Shepelev mentions his project, Ruby Reference, which aims to consolidate existing materials and improve organization. He recognizes other ongoing initiatives within the community to make Ruby's documentation more accessible.  
- **Call to Action:**  
  - The speaker concludes by urging attendees to advocate for better documentation, highlighting its importance in improving the language's perception and usability, not just for beginners but also for seasoned developers familiar with other languages.  
  
**Conclusions:**  
- The need for structured, comprehensive, and updated documentation is critical for enhancing the overall experience of Ruby users.  
- A collective effort from the community is essential to achieve this goal, fostering an inviting atmosphere for both new and experienced programmers.

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