The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.
The press release is here:
http://press.oreilly.com/pub/pr/1616
and the book page is here:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/
Curt
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?
I tried to see chapter listings on the page but couldn't find.
Is there something more in this book then in the the quick starts
already out on the web ?
Stuart
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.The press release is here:
and the book page is here:
Ruby on Rails: Up and Running [Book]
Curt
Interesting. When I first checked the page, there was a pdf available
for purchase, as well as the printed book. Now it's just the printed
book.
---John
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
[snip]
and the book page is here:
From your StLouis.rb friends, congrats.
How soon do you think Borders will be to carry it?
Ed
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.The press release is here:
and the book page is here:
Ruby on Rails: Up and Running [Book]
Curt
--
Ed Howland
Curt Hibbs wrote:
The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.The press release is here:
and the book page is here:
Ruby on Rails: Up and Running [Book]
Curt
Congratulations!! Looks like I have to head back down to Powell's. 
Hint: It's 182 pages.
Please don't top post.
-- Elliot Temple
On Aug 25, 2006, at 9:53 AM, Dark Ambient wrote:
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.The press release is here:
and the book page is here:
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?
I tried to see chapter listings on the page but couldn't find.
Is there something more in this book then in the the quick starts
already out on the web ?
Here it is for a bit less:
and even less:
http://www.bookpool.com/sm/0596101325
$20 does seem pretty high for a book with less than 200 pages.
Especially since I just picked up Ruby Cookbook brand new from the
used section on Amazon for $31 including shipping, and it's nearly 900
pages.
On 8/25/06, Dark Ambient <sambient@gmail.com> wrote:
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?
--
Greg Donald
http://destiney.com/
I can't answer you on the pricing -- I had nothing to do with that,
but it us *way* more detailed (in both depth and breadth) that than
quick start tutorials on the web. Its also got a really nice quick
reference appendedix that pretty much coveres the entire feature set
with links to more detailed info on the web.
Curt
On 8/25/06, Dark Ambient <sambient@gmail.com> wrote:
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?
I tried to see chapter listings on the page but couldn't find.
Is there something more in this book then in the the quick starts
already out on the web ?Stuart
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
> The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
> O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
> expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.
>
> The press release is here:
>
> Ruby on Rails: Up and Running--Seven Short Chapters to Lightening Fast Web Development with Ruby on Rails
>
> and the book page is here:
>
> http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/
>
> Curt
>
I can answer that.
My book, "Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist", is 309
pages and sells for $42.50, because lots of people perceive that its info
will save them way more than $42.50 in a few months. Now let's look at Curt's
book:
The press release quotes Curt thusly:
"However, if they want the shortest, easiest way to jumpstart their knowledge
of Ruby on Rails, this book will save them a lot of time."
If that's true, this book is worth a lot more than $30.00.
I need to rewrite all of Troubleshooters.Com's business processes, in Rails,
so that my wife and/or daughter can run the business when I'm out of town.
Rails is a huge, broad, and not always easy topic, and if Curt's book can
help me quickly understand Rails' big picture and get me started designing
and coding my new business processes, it's worth many multiples of $30.00.
I already have "Agile Web Development with Rails", which is worth waaayyyy
more than its purchase price, and has helped me immensely. However, for the
short term I'd like a less comprehensive book with a shorter learning curve.
As far as why it's better than existing web quickstarts, I can compare it to
my Ruby tutorial at
http://www.troubleshooters.cxm/codecorn/ruby/rails/rapidlearning_rails.htm\.
My tutorial is great -- for something that was written in 2 days. There are
better web tutorials out there than mine, but I believe most are one man
efforts, probably done with time gleaned from a technologist's free time, not
done as a full time effort.
I bet Curt spent 2 to 9 months writing and helping produce his book. His book
has been independently tech-edited and grammer edited. It's been layed out
professionaly. O'Reilly probably gave him guidelines on style and what to
include, what to leave out, based on O'Reilly's long and intimate knowledge
of what technologists like.
I haven't read Curt's book, so I can't comment on its quality. All I can say
is that if it lives up to its goal of quickly getting someone up to speed on
Rails, and that person has an economic motivation to learn Rails, Curt's book
is worth considerably more than $30.00.
When I saw the press release a few days ago, I was excited and put it on my
list of possible books to buy.
SteveT
Steve Litt
Author:
* Universal Troubleshooting Process courseware
* Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist
* Manager's Guide to Technical Troubleshooting
* Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting
* Rapid Learning: Secret Weapon of the Successful Technologist
On Friday 25 August 2006 12:53 pm, Dark Ambient wrote:
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30
? I tried to see chapter listings on the page but couldn't find.
Is there something more in this book then in the the quick starts
already out on the web ?
John Gabriele wrote:
Interesting. When I first checked the page, there was a pdf available
for purchase, as well as the printed book. Now it's just the printed
book.
Ah, well, the PDF version sold out.
--
James Britt
"I never dispute another person's delusions, just their facts."
- Len Bullard
I'll bet the PDF isn't ready yet (or they never intended to have it
for this book) and when I reported the problem, they relized the
mistake and pulled it.
Curt
On 8/25/06, John Gabriele <jmg3000@gmail.com> wrote:
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
> [snip]
>
> and the book page is here:
>
> http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/Interesting. When I first checked the page, there was a pdf available
for purchase, as well as the printed book. Now it's just the printed
book.---John
Sorry, but I have no idea.
On 8/25/06, Ed Howland <ed.howland@gmail.com> wrote:
From your StLouis.rb friends, congrats.
How soon do you think Borders will be to carry it?
Ed
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
> The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
> O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
> expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.
>
> The press release is here:
>
> http://press.oreilly.com/pub/pr/1616
>
> and the book page is here:
>
> http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/
>
> Curt
>--
Ed Howland
http://greenprogrammer.blogspot.com
It's a bit niave to think that the pricing wouldn't be opportunism here. An attempt to cash in on the popularity of Ruby on Rails at the moment. I agree the most a book like this should cost is about $25.99. $30 is pushing your luck.
On Aug 25, 2006, at 11:53 AM, Dark Ambient wrote:
Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?
I tried to see chapter listings on the page but couldn't find.
Is there something more in this book then in the the quick starts
already out on the web ?Stuart
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
The book that Bruce Tate and I co-authored was released yesterday by
O'Reilly --"Ruby on Rails: Up and Running". It is a quick-start guide
expressly designed to get you going with Rails quickly.The press release is here:
and the book page is here:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/
Curt
Curt Hibbs wrote:
I can't answer you on the pricing -- I had nothing to do with that,
Is there a way to purchase both the book and pdf in a discounted bundle
like the pragmatic books? Or if the pdf is available at a discounted
rate once the book is purchased?
Thanks,
-Brian
I just got an answer back. The PDF will be available by Monday.
Curt
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
On 8/25/06, John Gabriele <jmg3000@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
> > [snip]
> >
> > and the book page is here:
> >
> > http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/
>
> Interesting. When I first checked the page, there was a pdf available
> for purchase, as well as the printed book. Now it's just the printed
> book.
>
> ---JohnI'll bet the PDF isn't ready yet (or they never intended to have it
for this book) and when I reported the problem, they relized the
mistake and pulled it.Curt
I bought the rough cut PDF version on Safari, and am able to read the book
on my Safari account still. There does not appear to be a PDF of the
release.
I do have the PDF that was updated June 08, 2006, that I'll hang onto.
-Coby Randquist
On 8/25/06, John Gabriele <jmg3000@gmail.com> wrote:
On 8/25/06, Curt Hibbs <ml.chibbs@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ruby on Rails: Up and Running [Book]Interesting. When I first checked the page, there was a pdf available
for purchase, as well as the printed book. Now it's just the printed
book.---John
I'll bet the PDF isn't ready yet (or they never intended to have it
for this book) and when I reported the problem, they relized the
mistake and pulled it.Curt
More pages doesn't necessarily mean more value. Some books are meant
to be the size of dictionaries (_ruby cookbook_) - others aren't.
The pragmatics' books are often pretty short (ie _Ship It_, _Pragmatic
Automate_, _Practices of an Agile Developer are all under 300 pages
IIRC), and yet they are almost always worth the $35 direct or ~$20
from Amazon.
- rob
On 8/25/06, Greg Donald <gdonald@gmail.com> wrote:
On 8/25/06, Dark Ambient <sambient@gmail.com> wrote:
> Congrats Curt. Question though, why is a quick start guide selling for $30 ?Here it is for a bit less:
and even less:
http://www.bookpool.com/sm/0596101325
$20 does seem pretty high for a book with less than 200 pages.
Especially since I just picked up Ruby Cookbook brand new from the
used section on Amazon for $31 including shipping, and it's nearly 900
pages.
--
Companies do whatever pricing the consider to do, they have the right to do so. Normally outsiders have the finest idea about the rationale and any attempt to say this is cheap or expensive is just worthless speculation.
Please stop complaining about the price, just ponder whether the price seems OK TO YOU and take a decission about the purchase.
Well, I just ordered my hardcopy for $30, and since O'reilly gave me
free shipping, it's kinda' like paying $26 + shipping.
And they're not even charging me for the box! 
---John
On 8/26/06, Robert Nicholson <robert@elastica.com> wrote:
It's a bit niave to think that the pricing wouldn't be opportunism
here. An attempt to cash in on the popularity of Ruby on Rails at the
moment. I agree the most a book like this should cost is about
$25.99. $30 is pushing your luck.
Elliot, why do some people get annoyed by "top post's"? Seems perfectly
normal to put the new relevant stuff at the top and leave the rest below
as "reference". I'm not annoyed that you're annoyed, just annoyed
that I haven't been able to figure out why it annoys you (and a few
other people).
thanks,
jp
Elliot Temple wrote:
...snip...
Please don't top post.
-- Elliot Temple
Curiosity Blog – Elliot Temple
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/\.