Shoes 2 Makes Its Debut | Hacker News Reader

Shoes 2 Makes Its Debut

shoooes.net

41 pointsbprater21 comments

I think I'm the only one not cool enough to know but what is this?

It's a framework for creating simple desktop apps in ruby with inspiration from Processing.

Anyone know why it's also referred to as Raisins?

The author is a surrealist.

Every release is called by some word and a number. I don't know if there's a pattern to it. But for that particular release, it happened to be called Raisins, as far as I could tell.

_why (the author) is using it as a platform to write hacketyhack, a set of libraries and tutorials to help teach kids how to program, but letting them build blogs, downloaders, etc. in a couple lines.

Ubuntu calls its releases "Hardy Heron" and "Intrepid Ibex"

OGRE3D calls its releases "Eihort" and "Shoggoth"

I assume they're following the model of attaching a name to each official release.

To reply to the rest of your comment, I think it would be more exciting for beginners to learn how to program games. There is a much higher effort:reward ratio, though. You can't write Pong in 2 lines of code quite yet.

You can't write Pong in 2 lines of code quite yet

The included Pong weights in at 62 lines (36 after removing comments and blank lines).

You could probably add a bit of readability by making the follow paragraph bullet points:

Compare... "This release adds a built-in manual, an error console, RubyGems integration, simple asynchronous downloads, an in-memory and database-backed image cache, support for external fonts, and, most prominently, its own unique library for packaging apps into little executables. OS X support is significantly better, as we switched from Carbon to Cocoa."

To...

"This release adds:

-A built-in manual

-An error console

-RubyGems integration

-Simple asynchronous downloads

-An in-memory and database-backed image cache

-Support for external fonts

-Most prominently, its own unique library for packaging apps into little executables

-OS X support is significantly better, as we switched from Carbon to Cocoa."

(Sorry if I mis-spaced it, I'm not sure where all the commas should go with my ultra-limited technical experience... but yes, bullets typically add a lot of readability in a paragraph with tons of things going on)

I'll add: I'm not sure how much of these are really simple for most hackers, the way "The U.S. flag is red, white, blue, rectangular, contains 13 stripes horizontal stripes, and 50 white stars on a blue background as a separate rectangle in the top-left corner" is simple for an American - but as someone far more business-inclined than technologically inclined, I can piece together 90% of the changes when reading in bullets, whereas the paragraph is overwhelming. If it's all super-simple things for a decently skilled hacker, then never mind the input and congrats on the new release :)

This just makes me chuckle. Apparently you have not seen _Why's other docs, particularly the epic entitled Nobody Knows Shoes.

You're lucky (and I, who have different tastes, am unlucky) that the list wasn't delivered as a napkin scrawl that could only be read by printing it out and folding it into a Moebius strip. Or as an illuminated epic poem. Or in musical form.

The product look pretty cool, but the marketing sucks.

You should get a business type!

_why is one of the most amazing, creative hackers out there. I get the sense that his goal isn't to take over the planet with Shoes, but he'd rather get Ruby programming into as many hands as possible.

I think his style alienates as many people as it attracts. Ruby also need a more "normal" advocate.

I don't think that _why cares much for people alienated by mere silliness. Not everything has to read like O'Reilly.

Who does it alienate? Certainly not the mainstream. I've linked his (poignant) guide to friends who aren't big programming types, and they all fell in love with it. Isn't that the more important audience as it is? The people who want to fall in love with programming but haven't yet?

Some people like it, some people say "WTF is this!?" and never look at Ruby again. I'd show WPG to friends but never to "serious" work colleagues.

Hmm. That's a shame. It's well-written, easy to follow, and teaches well. I'll never understand the programming mentality that says hard is better just because it excludes people.

Because a macho programming position will pay you more than one where you can be more effective with less work and less possibility of error.

I think DHH is a pretty "normal" Ruby advocate.

Who also alienates as many people as he attracts. But between DHH and _why Ruby stopped needing to worry about marketing a looong time ago.

Maybe because it's not a product?

Not everything is for sale, you know.

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