As a programming language, Ruby was part of a particular zeitgeist that rose during the 90s that focused on creating a better experience for software developers. Matsumoto focused on developing a language that was less involved and easier to read, a common goal shared with JavaScript and Python, both developed in the same era.
Matsumoto originally envisioned Ruby as an object-oriented scripting language, one that would fit the same space that Perl had at the time. But little did he know that his relatively small scripting language would grow to become a web development juggernaut.
Enter Ruby on Rails
Rails would remain relatively unnoticed country wise email marketing list until 2006 when Apple announced that they would be including Ruby on Rails (the full name of the framework) with MacOS X 15. That was a turning point for the framework, which led to a whole generation of developers adopting it as a backend solution for their web apps.
Much like Django (another framework based on Python released at the same time), the idea was to provide developers with a set of tools that would let them quickly create web applications in exchange for some flexibility. A bit like the DIY furniture of software development.
Is Rails on its way out?
A lot has changed in the last 16 years. Python 3.0 was released in 2008, overhauling many aspects of the language for readability and google ads conversion tracking errors ease of use. This led to its widespread adoption as well as a rise in popularity in Python-based frameworks like the aforementioned Django or the minimalist Flask.
Perhaps Ruby on Rails biggest contender is NodeJS. JavaScript was already one of the most popular programming languages on the planet, and now that it can run outside of browsers thanks to the V8 engine. In fact, it has become a go-to for backend solutions.
While not as popular as it once was, Rails isn’t going anywhere: it’s widely used, actively developed, and has a strong community that pushes for its adoption. Having said that, if it were to go away, can Ruby survive without its killer framework?
Ruby as a programming language
Ruby is, first and foremost, an all-purpose spam data scripting language. Anything a Python script can do, Ruby can do as well. Python may be faster (for an interpreted language) and use less memory on average, but for many developers, it’s still a more elegant language that’s easier to read and work with.
