Why?

If you’re reading this then either you’re interested in learning about programming, or you’ve wandered in here by accident while searching Google for baboons. If it’s the former then this post is for you. If it’s the latter then slow down and pay more attention to your spelling.

Why learn to program?

Well, there are lots of reasons.

First, it’s fun. At least, it can be fun with the right programming language and the right attitude. I’ve been programming for 14 years, and it never ceases to amaze me what you can accomplish with a few hours and a text editor.

Second, it’s really handy. As soon as you start to learn the basics, you’ll be able to save a lot of time. I work in an office where I’m the only programmer who uses a non-mainframe specific programming language. We frequently need to rename a large number files, sort huge amounts of data, automate Microsoft Word or Excel, or some other time consuming task. Using Ruby, I’m able to finish tasks in an afternoon that would have taken weeks to do by hand.

Third, it can be profitable. There are lots of professional programmers out there. You could be one of them.

Why learn Ruby?

Once again, there are lots of reasons.

First, Ruby is a thuroughly feature packed language. It combines the best elements from many different programming languages in a really wonderful and intuitive way. Ruby is like a greatest hits album for programming. You can think of it as “Now That’s What I Call Programming! Volume 42″. It’s even better than a greatest hits album because you can make all sorts of useful things with it, and you don’t have to listen to Celine Dion.

Second, it’s so simple to use, it’s just stupid. I’ve programmed in a LOT of programming languages, and I have never found another language that is as easy to use as Ruby. You can do things in 10 lines of Ruby code that would take 20 lines of Java, 50 lines of C, and 1,000 lines of Cobol. Ruby is a great language to get things done.

Third, Ruby has many wonderful libraries called “Gems”. Gems let you do things like access databases, create and edit pictures, and even create a full fledged blog in about 10 minutes. Gems make it easy to do really advanced things without breaking a sweat.

To recap, Ruby is a great language to get things done, has lots of great libraries, and you don’t have to listen to Celine Dion. What more could you possibly ask for?