Don't know. I was going to say "Since Pickaxe includes the core
Reference, this is technically documented" but then I looked at the
aforementioned Pickaxe and the above three lines of code seem to be
spread over 5 pages of Pickaxe (v2, p128-132) text, while ::File has no
such example
.
I think the Pickaxe is wonderful... in combination with some other
tutorials and in the company of a good friend, it'll help you start
writing ruby very quickly.
I didn't notice this issue when I was learning, because I probably
googled how to do File I/O or I fired off an email to James Edward
Gray II (this was before I knew about this wonderful list). I think
this is common practice for experienced programmers, to ask one of
their buddies that they know has skill in a certain area, or to google
for an answer, or hit the API references and dig right in, but for
someone who hasn't actively coded in a while or comes from a totally
different language conceptually (I came from perl, so it wasn't a
terrible ride, but I believe Mr. Gibson comes from C ), the Pickaxe
alone might be a bit misleading as it trys to be a tutorial, but
misses out on what are very simple but common concerns.
Maybe in the 3rd edition the tutorial section will be more complete.=20
It's enormously difficult to put so many concepts in one book, and
they did a great job on most accounts.
Does anyone know a good book for people who grasp programming concepts
but really have no ruby experience whatsover (and possibly little
experience with OO). I am in the position where I am teaching
several people who fit this category and would like to be able to
recommend a book that is up to date with 1.8.x that will be a more
gentle entry into the language.
Of course, I've already recommended W(p)GtR, so anything else would be
appreciated