The language that changed the world of programming celebrates 29 years

How Ruby's story began

The man behind the creation of Ruby is Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto, a Japanese software developer who has long been concerned with the quality and convenience of programming. In 1993, Matz was looking for a language that was truly intuitive, straightforward, and modular. He wanted programming to be not just a means to an end, but an enjoyable process. He took inspiration from Smalltalk, Perl, Lisp, and Eiffel, but none of them quite fulfilled his ambitions. So he decided to create his own language - Ruby.

Ruby was born in 1995, when its first public version was released. From the beginning, Matz built the language on a few fundamental pillars: the code should be readable, clear and easy to understand. With Ruby, a developer should spend a minimum of time thinking about syntax and a maximum of time focusing on logic and system design. Ruby is distinguished by its philosophy of "for humans, not machines". This approach later brought him global success.

Philosophy and key features of Ruby

Ruby was designed to remove the barriers that programmers in other languages often experience. One of its main strengths is its full support for object-oriented programming. In Ruby, everything is an object - numbers, text, even methods. This approach allows developers to use elegant and consistent rules.

Another distinctive feature of Ruby is its dynamism. Code can be modified and customized while the program is running. Thanks to its flexibility, developers can quickly test new ideas and prototype applications. In addition, Ruby has a clear and readable syntax that has led many programmers to claim that "you don't program, you write text." For example, Ruby's ease of iteration and working with collections makes it an ideal language for everyday development.

Also unique is the "don't repeat yourself" philosophy known as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself). Ruby allows developers to write efficient code that is easy to maintain and doesn't repeat itself unnecessarily. This principle is found in many modern programming languages today, but Ruby was among the first to adopt it.

Ruby in the Spotlight: How it Changed the World of Web Development

The first major milestone in the global adoption of Ruby was the release of the Ruby on Rails framework in 2005. Rails built on Ruby's strengths and added tools that allowed developers to quickly build robust web applications. Rails brought radical change to the world of web application development. For the first time, it added standards like "Convention over Configuration", i.e. conventions instead of complex settings. Thanks to Rails, it was possible to write the first working prototype of a website in a matter of hours.

Big global brands were quick to seize the opportunity. Famous apps built on Ruby on Rails include GitHub, Airbnb, and Shopify. Ruby dominated the startup scene for a while, where it was all about rapid development and product launches.

Ruby and Rails have become synonymous with easy, straightforward, productivity-focused development. However, with the rise of competitors such as Python with TensorFlow or JavaScript with Node.js, Ruby had to find its new place. Still, it remains a key language for backend applications within e-commerce and other areas.

Ruby vs. the competition: how is it different from the rest?

Ruby often competes with other languages such as Python, JavaScript, and PHP. Each of these languages offers different benefits and target areas.

Ruby vs. Python

Both languages emphasize readability and simplicity. Python is popular in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Ruby, on the other hand, wins where applications need to be built with an emphasis on ten times faster web development thanks to Rails. Python excels in the world of data analytics, while Ruby holds its own in the web platform sector.

Ruby vs. JavaScript

While Ruby is predominantly a backend language, JavaScript rules the frontend. However, combining Ruby with JavaScript is a common choice for web applications, where Ruby handles databases and JavaScript handles user interfaces.

Ruby vs. PHP

PHP has long been the standard for dynamic web development. Ruby, however, offers greater flexibility and a more modern approach thanks to its more advanced constructs and Rails.

Current Challenges and the Future of Ruby

Ruby faces challenges especially in the areas of performance and scalability under high load. However, modern versions of Ruby 3.0 are moving towards greater efficiency, including support for parallel threads or optimizing running processes. The future of Ruby lies in its ability to keep pace with technologies such as cloud services and complex data pipelines.

Ruby is celebrating 29 years and has influenced millions of developers around the world in that time. While modern languages and technologies exist today, Ruby still holds a reputation for being easy to use, elegant, and adaptable. Whether you're looking for a language to start your project or tools for rapid web development, Ruby remains a unique choice. What Ruby started in 1995 changed the world of programming - and its philosophy still makes sense today.