Ruby and Dynamic Languages

The explosion of interest in Ruby on Rails has catapulted Ruby to prominence among dynamic programming languages. Ruby's elegance along with Rail's emphasis on Agile practices is providing many adopters with several-times higher productivity than traditional Java and .NET web-development platforms, creating enterprise-worthy systems in many domains.

ThoughtWorks employs some of the world's leading Ruby developers and contributors to the Rails project. Although Ruby on Rails is relatively new on the scene, it is based on technologies and approaches that ThoughtWorks has used effectively with clients for many years. Our deep experience with bespoke software development gives us an accurate picture of when and where Ruby is a good fit and when it is not.

Our ongoing project work with Ruby and Rails proves that Ruby excels in the following applications:

• Web 2.0 applications that make use of REST and/or AJAX designs
• Small to medium web-based applications with aggressive time-to-market goals
• Low-cost internal prototypes and pilot applications
• Highly-targeted internal applications and utility programs
• So-called "soft layer" APIs on hardened transactional systems
• Build systems for complex enterprise systems.

Ruby's productivity can also result in early hi-fi prototypes that quickly allows for the exploration of new ideas. To learn more about our Ruby capabilities, visit ThoughtWorks Open Source site or send us an e-mail.

ThoughtWorks Ruby projects include Simon and Schuster's new online presence and omio.com an innovative mobile phone comparison site.

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