addresses = addressees.<br><br>That's THREE double letters in one word.<br><br>/ Vahagn<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Vahagn Hayrapetyan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:vahagnh@gmail.com">vahagnh@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">@Mark:<br><br>The few times I have tried selling Rails the addresses of my pitch were interested (because the Rails buzz had reached them indirectly), but wanted to know what exactly makes it so magic. My way of going around it is to explain that the benefits Rails gives are two-fold: 1) <b>External</b> (rapid prototyping, possibility for early and continuous feedback, etc) and 2) <b>Internal</b> (culture of best coding practices, testability, clean architecture, etc, hence productivity and maintainability). After which, they usually say "Well that sounds exciting, maybe it's worth a try" or something like that.<br>
<br>So exactly as Dr Nic says, I think the responsibility for actually marketing Rails with the right message is entirely ours - as developers we shape the Rails ecosystem but we also should proactively shape it's image in the world. A healthy amount of buzz (which Rails certainly has) will never hurt the case, but the main thrust of the message should (in my opinion) be more than "because it's cool". Instead, one should put forward the added value of solid architecture, testability, REST implementation, quick and productive iterations, etc.<br>
<br>Not everyone out there is aware of these things, so here is our chance to turn buzz into something more lasting, which I think would not only be good for business but also for the web development ecosystem in total, which is only now catching up with some of the good practices that have been adopted in other areas of software development, for some time already.<br>
<br>Cheers,<br><font color="#888888">Vahagn</font><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM, Mark Coleman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mark@breakthrough-workshop.com" target="_blank">mark@breakthrough-workshop.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Hello,<br>
<br>
I had a IM chat with Dr Nic last week and I was wondering what your experiences are... The bit that got me thinking was this:<br>
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Me: In the current economic climate, do you think rails has advantages over other frameworks?<br>
<br>
Dr Nic: Oh shit yes.<br>
<br>
Tough times are when start asking the big questions: what tools and processes can be use to get this job done with less (staff, time, resources)? Agile development means you get the core 80% done with 20% of the "normal" belated effort of a traditional, over-running project. Rails is still the best web dev toolset for efficient, rapid web development.<br>
<br>
Rails developers and agile development thought leaders need to be shouting this stuff from the roof tops. Or rather, from the boardrooms and sales calls. Similarly, developers in all fields should take the time now to learn Rails and learn the basics of agile development now so they make themselves more valuable. Its exciting times, really.<br>
</blockquote>
[ The full chat is posted <a href="http://www.rails-underground.com/2009/04/interview-with-dr-nic.html" target="_blank">http://www.rails-underground.com/2009/04/interview-with-dr-nic.html</a> ]<br>
<br>
My question is: Do you find that clients are interested in Rails? Is it something you would emphasise when bidding for work? Is it the framework itself, or the benefits that it can bring that people recognise?<br>
<br>
Mostly, my clients are not that web savvy or technical, so I would tend to focus on the advantages that Rails can provide, like rapid prototyping, a faster time to market, well-tested, easier to maintain code, etc. Like any good user requirements document, they are not interested in the technical implementation :)<br>
<br>
I wonder if more technically aware clients ask for rails specifically, or are more interested in rails because they are aware of its advantages; or whether they concentrate on the benefits only. I guess another way of putting it would be: does Rails have a good brand name in business? Can you use it as a shorthand for good quality? Or maybe the opposite? Does the 'rails can't scale' shit stick?<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Mark<br>
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