Rails Envy

RailsLab: Load Testing - Part 2

2009-07-02T16:18:00Z

If you want to know if your application can scale before it actually gets the traffic spike, then you need to learn how to do Load Testing. Thankfully I just released Load Testing – Part 2 of the Scaling Rails screencast series. If you haven’t seen the first video on Load Testing, you should probably start there.

Load Testing – Part 2

Summary

In this second Load Testing Screencast we pickup where we left off with the first load testing screencast and learn how to use httperf load testing with sessions, how to automate our httperf testing using autobench, how to graph the results from autobench, and lastly we talk briefly about a few other load testing tools you might want to be aware of.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the screencast RSS feed or grab it on ITunes to avoid missing any of these episodes. FYI, These videos look great on an iPhone / iPod if you want something to watch on the go.

6 Reasons to use Webbynode

2009-06-30T17:35:00Z

Recently I put together a video for the guys over at Webbynode. Webbynode is a very affordable VPS host (256 RAM for $15) which has great support for Rails applications. Why should you consider using Webbynode? Just watch the video.

Back in the early days of Rails you could find cheap hosting plans that gave you great Rails support. Since then it’s become harder to find middle ground between shared hosting on Dreamhost and managed hosting on Rails Machine or Engine Yard. A few months ago I was lucky enough to run into Carlos Taborda, who was just launching the beta of Webbynode. I decided to give Webbynode a try to run the Ruby Hero Awards.

Since then I’ve been really impressed by the progress made by the Webbynode team, and I think they’ve created an awesome product for the Rails community. Why have they impressed me?

Rails Support – I love the idea that if I run into trouble on my Webbynode VPS, I can go direct to a Campfire room or IRC and get helpful support. This is so important when you find yourself troubleshooting an issue for hours, and need a little extra help.
Readystacks – Readystacks allow developers who don’t have experience with system administration to very quickly get up and running with a Rails server. Just like Rails scaffolding is a great starting point for an app, Readystacks serve as a great starting point for a VPS setup. Back in the day RailsMachine had their “5 minute deploy” script which was cool, but Webbynode did it one step better by providing an easy to use web interface that kicks ass.
Full Access – Like I said before, Readystacks are great starting points, but nothing beats having full and complete (root) ssh access to configure your servers. I just can’t imagine deploying a client’s application on a production box without it, and Webbynode gives you the keys to the castle.

So, check out the video, and maybe next time you need another VPS, give Webbynode a try.

RailsLab: Load Testing - Part 1

2009-06-25T20:12:00Z

I’ve got another Scaling Rails screencast out today, this one the first of two episodes on learning about Load Testing.

Load Testing – Part 1

Summary

In this first Load Testing Screencast we learn what exactly load testing is, why it’s useful, and learn how to properly use Apache Bench and httperf. These tools are very useful to gauge how your application handles under a heavy load.

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #084: 06/24/2009

2009-06-24T14:30:00Z

Episode 84. This week Nathan Bibler joins me to talk about bug fixes of bug fixes, new libraries, video podcasts, Duke Nukem, and Zelda.

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~11:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Runway is a GTD-style action management web application made by geeks for geeks. Created by the folks at Cogent, try a free demo at http://www.runwayapp.com.

NewRelic not only provides rails performance monitoring with RPM, but they also produce Rails Lab, a website dedicated to advice on tuning and optimizing Rails apps.

Show Notes

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #083: 06/17/2009

2009-06-17T13:30:00Z

Episode 83. It's a double feature this week, folks! This week, Obie Fernandez from Hashrocket (check out that snazzy new site) joins me as a co-host. This is both the longest Rails Envy podcast ever and the most bleeped out. It's also full of the usual great Ruby and Rails news and gems.

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~39:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Runway is a GTD-style action management web application made by geeks for geeks. Created by the folks at Cogent, try a free demo at http://www.runwayapp.com.

NewRelic not only provides rails performance monitoring with RPM, but they also produce Rails Lab, a website dedicated to advice on tuning and optimizing Rails apps.

Show Notes

Also mentioned in this episode is BizConf. Gregg will be speaking and it looks like a great event. Check it out and listen to the podcast for more info.

RailsLab: Rack, Metal, and Rails Middleware

2009-06-11T19:22:00Z

Just published a new Scaling Rails screencast, this one covering Rack, Metal, and some of the Rails Middleware internals. By the end of this screencast you should know how to use Metal to help Scale your Rails apps, and how to write Rails Middleware.

Rack, Metal, & Rails Middleware

Summary

Rails 2.3 now uses the Rack. In this screencast I give a quick introduction to Rack & Rack Middleware. Once we get familiar with the syntax of these libraries we move into a tutorial that walks through the Rails Middleware stack, so that we can gain a better understanding of what middleware can be used for, and how we can use it to help Scale our application. Lastly we learn how to use Rack Metal to take certain actions in your Rails application and make them snappy.

I hope you find these videos useful. Don’t forget to subscribe to the screencast RSS feed or grab it on ITunes to avoid missing any of these episodes. FYI, These videos look great on an iPhone / iPod if you want something to watch on the go.

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #082: 06/10/2009

2009-06-10T14:01:00Z

Episode 82. Another week of useful news and libraries for any Ruby or Rails developer, this week co-hosted by Nathaniel Bibler.

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~11:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Show Notes

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #081: 06/05/2009

2009-06-05T07:48:00Z

Episode 81. We're joined this week by the awesome Corey Haines. This podcast is chock full of news and awkwardness. We do apologize for the sound quality this episode -- my one mic had a bit of difficulty picking up 3 people and keeping the levels consistent. Hope you like it!

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~20:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Want to Rejuvenate your legacy Rails application? Call Mocra as your first-choice team, led by Dr Nic. Mocra loves code, loves users, and they want to help you. Mention this advert to qualify for our largest discount consulting rate immediately. Check out Mocra.com for more info.

NewRelic provides RPM which is a plugin for rails that allows you to monitor and quickly diagnose problems with your Rails application in real time. They also recently produced Rails Lab, which gives you expert advice on tuning and optimizing your Rails app.

Show Notes

Diving into Irb

Tagaholic - Demystifying Irb's Commands
Tagaholic - Exploring How To Configure Irb

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #080: 05/27/2009

2009-05-27T15:17:00Z

Episode 80. Gregg sneezes on my dog in this episode. How messed up is that?

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~22:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Show Notes

Alternative to Multiruby

out of time (mat brown on programming) - Installing alternate Ruby versions as optional packages
out of time (mat brown on programming) - A 15-line alternative to multiruby

externals - manage your external git dependancies
Parallel Specs

EngineYard: 5 Tips to Scale Your Rails App

5 Tips to Scale Your Ruby on Rails Application | Union Station
RailsLab .:. Scaling Rails

RubyTrends

RubyTrends
Ruby on Rails Plugins | AgileWebDevelopment

Dear Railsists, Please don't be obtrusive
Family Tree using Graphviz and Ruby
Importing Mephisto Comments into Disqus
Agile Ajax: Fixture Replacement Comparison
Barometer

Toronto Ruby Job Fair

FutureRuby
employment.nil?

Ruby Currying
UC Berkeley 1 day ruby on rails tutorial videos
Ruby One-Click Installer Plegie
Injet and the Mandelbrot Set
Mac Friendly Autotest

ORUG: Eucalyptus & Chef Videos

2009-05-21T17:48:00Z

Last week at the Orlando Ruby Users Group we had two great speakers. First up we had Thomas Meeks talking about Eucalyptus, which allows you to create your own private cloud (think Amazon EC2 on your own hardware). Secondly Tyler Hunt talked about Chef, a Ruby DSL for system configuration.

I managed to film the talks, which you can see below, and also create an iTunes Video Podcast feed if you want to keep track of when new videos are released from our group. Then again you could also just subscribe to the RSS Feed on the ORUG blog if you want to keep up with what we’re up to over here in Orlando.

View Eucalyptus Video

View Chef Video

Lastly, we’re always looking for more sponsors for the meetings to cover food and stuff, so please drop me a line if you’re looking to market your product or service to Rails Developers.

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #079: 05/21/2009

2009-05-20T14:00:00Z

Episode 79. We mess up a lot but it's funny.

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~18:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Ri_Cal gem for iCalender Integration

InfoQ: RiCal: A New iCalendar Library for Ruby
rubyredrick's ri_cal at master - GitHub

Rails Testing Frequently Asked Questions

Agile Ajax » Rails Testing Frequently Asked Questions — The Non-Code Version » Pathfinder Development
Rails Prescriptions

Rails Envy Podcast - Episode #078: 05/14/2009

2009-05-14T14:00:00Z

Episode 78. Another great episode of Ruby/Rails News. FYI, sorry the audio quality is a little off this week, but hopefully we'll be back up to par next week.

Subscribe via iTunes - iTunes only link.
Download the podcast ~17:00 mins MP3.
Subscribe to feed via RSS by copying the link to your RSS Reader

Harvest is a web-based time tracking and invoicing application dedicated to helping freelancers and developers easily track hours and get paid faster. Use coupon code RAILSENVY428 for $10 off the first month of service with Harvest.

Tokyo Cache Cow

Tokyo Cabinet: Beyond Key-Value Store - igvita.com
joshbuddy's tokyo_cache_cow at master - GitHub

Melt Your Brain!

Railsconf 2009 in 34 Minutes

2009-05-13T16:10:00Z

Here it is, Railsconf in 34 minutes. We’ve got some great speakers on video here including Charles Nutter, Ilya Grigorik, Jim Weirich, Matt Aimonetti, Michael Koziarski, Neal Ford, Obie Fernandez, Scott Chacon, Yehuda Katz, David Chelimsky, Aslak Hellesøy, Chris Wanstrath, and David Heinemeier Hansson .. amongst many others.

View Video on Viddler

This Railsconf video is sponsored by NewRelic. NewRelic provides RPM which is a plugin for rails that allows you to monitor and quickly diagnose problems with your Rails application in real time. They also recently produced Rails Lab, which gives you expert advice on tuning and optimizing your Rails app.

Looking for more video? Check out my videos from Tutorial Day, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Rubystein: Ruby meets Wolfenstein

2009-05-11T13:56:00Z

At Railsconf 2009 the guys over at Phusion released Rubystein, a Wolfenstein clone written in Ruby. I managed to track down Ninh Bui to give us a video walk through, and the following video was played at Railsconf before the Wednesday Keynote.

View on Blip.tv

Get the source on Github, and play it yourself.

Railsconf 2009 - Wednesday

2009-05-08T14:39:00Z

Finally, here's the last video I put together for Railsconf, summarizing the event. I'll be working on my speaker video and hopefully have that posted sometime next week.

View on Blip.tv

Thanks for Watching!