Lemon Foundation

Ruby on Rails is a web application framework, released in 2004, that aims to increase the speed and ease with which database-driven web sites can be created. It has been generating a fair amount of buzz in the web design field recently, and is something we are starting to play around with internally.

Ruby on Rails was originally used on Basecamp, a project-management tool by the web-design company 37signals.  Lemon Foundation uses Basecamp extensively now to manage all of our web projects with our clients, and as such, we certainly believe in the methodology and approach 37 Signals are taking when developing products.  Since then it has been used on many new web projects, including blogging platform Mephisto and Twitter.

Twitter is the most notable use of Ruby on Rails - it allows you to keep track of your friends via SMS text messaging, IM, or the internet by posting status updates. After setting up your mobile to work with Twitter, you can then send a text message with a status update, and it will automatically be posted to the Twitter site.

One advantage of Ruby on Rails is that it requires less code and doesn’t require any configuration files, except for a database configuration file. A Ruby on Rails web application, much like other application frameworks, can be developed simply with a web server and a database.   However, the noticeable difference we have found with the framework is that it simply requires less code through the use of convention and reflection.

The big appeal of Ruby is that it allows faster, easier creation of web applications, as well as allowing faster updates and revisions to interactive Web sites.
According to Rails' creator, David Heinemeier Hansson:

“With Rails, you trade flexibility at the infrastructure level to gain flexibility at the application level. If you are happy to work along the golden path that I've embedded in Rails, you gain an immense reward in terms of productivity that allows you to do more, sooner, and better at the application level.”

Essentially, Ruby on Rails makes for more ‘agile’ management of web projects – it allows developers to do something small, then release it or show it to the rest of the team. You can then listen to the feedback, make any necessary tweaks, then move on to the next task.

 
In E-consultancy’s recent Web Project Management Guide, nearly 88% of respondents said that they set their requirements for projects knowing that they are flexible to change during the course of the project, yet half of organisations say that changing requirements during the course of their projects is one of the biggest challenges they face.

This is where ‘agile’ project management comes in, and Ruby on Rails provides an excellent framework for this.

We are yet to implement a commercial project built upon Ruby on Rails, but we are eager to use our knowledge gained thus far when a suitable web project comes along.  We don't see Ruby on Rails replacing our traditional .NET and PHP & MySQL developments, rather Ruby on Rails will provide a solution for our clients when an agile development environment is required.  Lets hope we have a suitable client soon so we can showcase what is possible with RoR.

SOURCES: Ruby on Rails: An Interview with David Heinemeier Hansson: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/08/30/ruby-rails-david-heinemeier-hansson.html?page=1

Web Project Management: Best Practice Guidelines: http://www.e-consultancy.com/publications/web-project-management-best-practice-guidelines/