What does NASA use Ruby for?

ruby-talk
1

(I sent this via comp.lang.ruby in June, but it didn't seem to
make it to the mailing list..)

For everything we can.

Lately, I managed to use it to typeset the survey results
from the Edward Tufte's Presenting Data and Information class
NASA Langley hosted last January.

The gory details are at

  http://www.engin.umich.edu/~kleb/TufteSurvey/

Please critique the code if you're up to it. It wasn't built
test-first, so it is quite sloppy. It was also my first foray
into writing LaTeX with Ruby and hooking into XML.

Regardless, it was a joy: Thanks Matz!

Other uses we've found for Ruby that I can immediately recall:

  test/unit for C-code test-first development

  rolled our own xUnit testing framework for Fortran 9X

  documenting Fortran 9X source via a plugin to Rdoc (thanks Dave!)

  automating one of our computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes
  so that we can analyze shuttle tile damage quickly and reliably

  Fortran Code runners

  Fortran makefile dependency generation

  automatically convert our http://fun3d.larc.nasa.gov/ CFD Fortran
  code to complex variables for design optimization

  Beowulf cluster monitoring scripts

  CVS helper scripts, e.g., coding standard commit sentinel, code
  clean-up, log summaries, plot usage generation, rewind files, and
  dependency graph generation via Graphviz.

  Refactoring Fortran code

  Continuous integration and build scripts

  CFD for simple model equations (code available upon request)

Regards,

···

--
Bil Kleb, Hampton, Virginia

2

Bil Kleb wrote:

(I sent this via comp.lang.ruby in June, but it didn't seem to
make it to the mailing list..)

It definitely did make it to the mailing list. I saved the original message to read when I needed a lift (and to use as a good advertisement for ruby).

3

That's really cool.

···

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 20:42:26 +0900 Bil Kleb <Bil.Kleb@NASA.Gov> wrote:

For everything we can.

4

Bil Kleb <Bil.Kleb@NASA.Gov> wrote in message news:<41079117.9060404@NASA.Gov>...

For everything we can.

Lately, I managed to use it to typeset the survey results
from the Edward Tufte's Presenting Data and Information class
NASA Langley hosted last January.

What inquiring minds in *this* group want to know, is whether NASA is
hiring Ruby programmers.

What could possibly be cooler than being a Ruby programmer *at* NASA,
I ask you. Man. Can you imagine? "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a Ruby programmer for NASA."

Now, if you'll excuse me, my fantasies and I need to be alone for a
while.

--- SER

5

Sean Russell wrote:

What could possibly be cooler than being a Ruby programmer *at* NASA,
I ask you.

Being a Ruby programmer in-flight on the first Mars mission.

Hal
(who has been rereading Kim Stanley Robinson)

6

here in boulder there are alot of research facilities. they hire fortran
programmers, perl programmers, c programmers, etc. i got hired as a perl and
c programmer for noaa for a position requiring a phd in biology (i don't have
phd and have barely studied biology). after about two days my boss came in
and said 'can you do this task in two hours' - i said 'sure', but only in ruby
(which was the truth). the task was completed and i haven't written a
character of perl since. moral: research facilities are often open to new
approaches and job descriptions are often not correct - so it's not a bad
idea to just go for it!

regards.

-a

···

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004, Sean Russell wrote:

What inquiring minds in *this* group want to know, is whether NASA is hiring
Ruby programmers.

What could possibly be cooler than being a Ruby programmer *at* NASA, I ask
you. Man. Can you imagine? "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a Ruby programmer for NASA."

Now, if you'll excuse me, my fantasies and I need to be alone for a while.

--

EMAIL :: Ara [dot] T [dot] Howard [at] noaa [dot] gov
PHONE :: 303.497.6469
A flower falls, even though we love it;
and a weed grows, even though we do not love it. --Dogen

===============================================================================

7

Advertisement here:

  http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?WhatDoesNasaUseRubyFor

:slight_smile:

Gavin

···

On Thursday, July 29, 2004, 3:10:07 AM, Joel wrote:

Bil Kleb wrote:

(I sent this via comp.lang.ruby in June, but it didn't seem to
make it to the mailing list..)

It definitely did make it to the mailing list. I saved the original
message to read when I needed a lift (and to use as a good advertisement
for ruby).

8

Sean Russell wrote:

What inquiring minds in *this* group want to know, is whether NASA is
hiring Ruby programmers.

I tried to get some contract work going a few months ago, but as the new
space vision started up, all funding was redirected and is only now in the
process of being redistributed.

I believe the exploration office is currently soliciting proposals from
external sources. I can't find the specific request, but it and other
opportunities should be described somewhere within:

  http://www.nasa.gov/about/business/
  http://www.nasa.gov/about/research/

Regards,

···

--
Bil, Hampton, Virginia

9

I have a friend who (until very recently) worked at NASA Ames, and he
was jealous that I was getting to use Ruby at work instead of C++,
though he probably would have preferred Perl.

Lennon

10

Hal Fulton <hal9000@hypermetrics.com> wrote in message news:<41080288.7090405@hypermetrics.com>...

> What could possibly be cooler than being a Ruby programmer *at* NASA,
> I ask you.

Being a Ruby programmer in-flight on the first Mars mission.

Ok, you win.

Although, you'd get more opportunity to boast at conventions if you stayed on Earth.

--- SER

11

Bil Kleb wrote:

I believe the exploration office is currently soliciting proposals from
external sources. I can't find the specific request, but it and other
opportunities should be described somewhere within:

http://www.nasa.gov/about/business/
http://www.nasa.gov/about/research/

While reading the local announcements, I found it:

  http://exploration.nasa.gov/

···

--
Bil, Hampton, Virginia