Chunky Bacon: A Public Service Announcement 18 comments
In the past few months, I’ve been on the receiving end of several conversations to the effect of “Why do you use the word ‘bacon’ in some of your code examples? Are you a flaming anti-vegan, or just a pork lobbyist?”
I learned Ruby from the classic Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby. Or rather, I read The Poignant Guide cover to cover and then decided to learn Ruby.
Adrian Holovaty reviewed it by saying
I attempted to [read it] then I started sticking a pen in my eye because I was so annoyed.
Unfortunately, The Poignant Guide is required reading for ALL Ruby programmers! Remove all pens from your pockets, then read at least…
- Chapter 1—a very short intro
- Chapter 3—The most classic chapter of this classic book. I would be willing to bet that 90% of readers have never made it past this chapter, but have subsequently lived meaningful and productive lives.
Then go back to Chapter 2 and follow it through to the end. There is also a soundtrack.
Remember, we need to keep up with other developers who are much funnier than us!
This has been a public service announcement.
Nuby on Rails
Geoffrey Grosenbach / Ruby / Code / Graphics / Design / Rails / Merb / Javascript / CSS
While I never stuck my pen in my eye, I only enjoyed the Poignant guide to a point. After a few chapters, I just found it moving too slowly for my particular tastes.
Chapter 6 on metaprogramming is the beesnees [sic] of all programming guides.
I couldn’t stop laughing during Dwemthy’s Array bit, Rabbit slaying Dragons and using the
*operator (method) as lettuce :)Don’t foget seeing metaclassess clearly more meta cool.
I know this isn’t a good thing, but I admit I haven’t properly read the Poignant Guide. I got about two pages in years ago when I was trying to learn some Ruby and couldn’t deal with the non-sequiturs. Now, I enjoy the cartoons but don’t really look at the code / theory side so much. I will have to add this to my 43things to do :) And, yes, I know he drew the foreword to my book.. but it’s the cartoons man!
I never read it because I found it absurd. I mean if you’ve just found the book and you’re looking for a chapter on say, modules, how the hell are you going to find it? All you see are esoteric chapter names like “The Leaf as a Status Symbol in Ambrose”. What the hell is that?
I can only enjoy absurdity up to a point. That’s why I think The Third Policeman started off great and ended up stupid.
Thanks for the reminder to all that, once upon a time, humor and good will, in an effort to help others, was the big thing in the Ruby community.
A public service announcement indeed.
(And I’m also glad to know I’m not the only one who couldn’t finish chapter 4. It’s time I picked it up and tried again).
I’ve read the thing twice. The first time around I focused on the code. The second one, on the stories and cartoons.
One day I am going to buy _why a beer. Or two.
I’m not sure that understanding is really the purpose. I’ve shown the book to several non-programmers and they’ve enjoyed it a lot.
I think the point is only met when you don’t have a goal. Trying to learn Ruby from the poignant guide is folly. But enjoying the book and maybe picking up a bit of meta-programming along the way isn’t folly at all.
If you really wanted to learn Ruby wouldn’t you just use hacketyhack (hackety.org)?
Why’s guide was my first bitter taste of Ruby. I thought I was going crazy. Chapters 1-3 made some sense, but then it just kept getting weirder and stranger. Still, I’m sure glad I read it, because now I get all the hip bacon jokes.
While I enjoyed the aim of the poignant guide (and consider why a brilliantlittleelusivepunkgenius), the crazy mnemonics only worked up to a point.
(Ryan Allen, surely you remember that % was lettuce, and * were bombs.)
Honestly, I tried getting through WPGtR, but after a point, the story context seemed like it was more important than any actual content. As it’s been said in the comments here already, if you start reading it specifically to learn Ruby, you’re going to get annoyed at the overemphasis on absurd storytelling really quickly. Although I’m still glad I read it for, if nothing else, chunky bacon and raining cats and Doug.
I love bacon. I mean, WPGtR…
As a sometime pro-swine propagandist, I encourage you to be proud of your use of the term bacon (chunky or otherwise).
also, _why’s poignant guide is amazing. people shouldn’t focus so much on trying to “get it” completely – just read it and enjoy it already!
jeez people, it’s funny – can you get that? :)
I loved the book and the price is so right on. Why is a brilliant coder and fully gets the ruby way. I can understand people failing to get through the book. The stories are a bit distracting. Someone should make a practical little leaflet of the useful parts of the book for people to study.
So that’s why they served some of the best bacon I’ve had at the Pragmatic Rails Studio I went to.
Why’s book on Ruby is quite simply one of the best examples of art, science, education and comedy in a single entity ever created, hands down (if you have hands). Long live the bacon, extra chunky with cartoon fox cheerleaders.
I’m quite sure I read it through, then tried the soundtrack. Sitting on the fence, looking at ruby land, I think it’s possible _why ‘made a douglas adams’ by keeping everybody in the dark about bac(o)n until much later in the stories. See the RSpec clone: http://www.ruby-forum.com/topic/137928
It’s all very amusing up to a point. But for learning code, forget it. I’ll stick with recommending Mr. Neighborly’s Humble Little Ruby Book to everyone from now on, for fun and learning.