The TIOBE "Programming Community Index" chart for November 2007 has been released and Ruby has climbed one place from #10 to #9, overtaking JavaScript in the process. The TIOBE chart is not a particularly accurate chart of programming language use, but it provides a data point used by many. Over the last two years we've watched Ruby scale quite a few places.
Ramaze is a simple, light weight (in a good way!), modular Web framework developed in Ruby. Like Rails, and unlike some of its newer competitors, such as Sinatra, Ramaze sticks to the MVC (Model, View, Controller) paradigm, making it more like a lighter, more modular Merb-alike. Ramaze is already a year old, and one thing that the official Ramaze Web site does right is provide lots of example code and documentation. The framework has also seen four releases in the last six months, a sure sign that someone cares about it.
jRails - Seamlessly Redefines Rails Helpers to Use jQuery Instead of Prototype
Wuby, developed by Chris Matthieu, is a new light-weight Ruby Web application framework, much in a similar vein to Sinatra or Camping.
One of the differences of Wuby is that no third party applications or gems are required to run Wuby apps, and the Wuby library itself contains everything necessary to run an HTTP daemon and start serving requests. The wuby.org site itself is running on the Wuby system and certainly seems to serve up pages extremely quickly. No database connections are required (although MySQL and SQLite are easily usable), and data can be stored in a persistent hash for ultra simplicity.
Ryan Davis starting off the RejectConf proceedings (License: CC ASa)
Robert Dempsey of non-profit Rails advocacy group, Rails For All, writes in to remind everyone about the acts_as_conference Rails conference taking place in Florida in February 2008 and to let us know that registration is now open. Tickets cost $100 (plus $2.50 booking fee). Obie Fernandez and Dan Benjamin are the keynoter speakers, but there are many others. Too many to name individually here, although Charles Nutter (JRuby), Ezra Zygmuntowicz (Merb), and Evan Phoenix (Rubinius) are particular standouts. Anyway, if you fancy getting some winter sun while doing the Rails schmooze, hit it up. It doesn't sound like you're going to be bored at this one.
Interview with Evan Phoenix about Rubinius
Eivind Uggedal has written in with a note about a new blog system he's built using the lightweight Sinatra framework. It's about 100 lines long including the inline templates! An example of the finished software powers Eivind's own blog. Sinatra is looking to be an absolutely excellent mini-framework for running up basic non-MVC applications, and you can learn more about it here.