Ruby is a computer programming language created in the 1990s by the Japanese programmer Matz, whose full name is Yukihiro Matsumoto. It was designed to make programming fun, and is one of the few computer languages that emphasize human comprehension over machine logic.

Ruby is fast becoming one of the most popular languages for developing web applications. Ruby on Rails, developed by David Heinemeier Hansson to work with Ruby, introduced more people to Ruby. Now, a language that may otherwise have remained unknown has a buzzing community of programmers. They welcome beginners and are focused on one thing - producing the highest quality code.

I have written this book to give inexperienced people an overview of Ruby and Ruby on Rails. Applying the principles and the knowledge that you learn in this book will help you build a strong foundation in Ruby programming, enough to allow you to move on to more advanced programming.