About

  • This site serves as a supplement to the Rails for PHP Developers book published by The Pragmatic Programmers. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to add Rails as a tool to your development toolbox. If you’re proficient with PHP, you already have the essential skills needed to build web applications. This site will present an ongoing discussion of techniques for learning Rails and Ruby from a PHP perspective.

    All tools have their strengths and weaknesses, and we are firm believers in using the best tool for the job. We hope to promote a healthy dialog between Ruby and PHP developers, so that we can learn from each other to make better web applications.

    Acclaim

    “This is a thorough and approachable introduction to Ruby and Rails for PHP programmers from fellow developers who are well-versed in both Ruby and PHP.”

    Paul M. Jones
    Lead Developer on the Solar Framework for PHP

    “This book is not only an excellent guide to Ruby and Rails for PHP developers, it is, quite simply, an excellent resource on professional web development. It offers insight into how to properly manage a product and customer expectations, from the planning stages to site delivery. I cannot recommend this book enough.”

    Matthew Weier O’Phinney
    PHP Developer and Zend Framework Core Contributor

    “The quality of the writing is superb, the challenges and examples are engaging, and the PHP to Ruby information is a valuable resource. The exercises are nice, are short, and follow the topic well, giving readers some creative time between each chapter.”

    Mislav Marohnić
    Prototype JavaScript Framework Core Developer

    “This is an enjoyable book packed with great information and usable examples. I like the organization of the book and the gentle, informal voice with which the authors cover many complex topics. It’s easy to read, yet it has plenty of substance and depth to give the reader a great introduction to Rails.”

    Bill Karwin
    MySQL Guild and Former Zend Framework Project Leader

    “The book provides interested PHP developers a thorough introduction to the Ruby language and the Rails framework in a fluent and enjoyable writing tone. By implementing the example application of the second book part any decent PHP developer will derive a solid understanding of the Rails framework, he can build upon and that puts him in the position to make reasonable judgments for using/flaming it or not. IMHO this book is so far one of the best PHP related book releases of the out fading year 2008…”

    Raphael Stolt
    <raphael.on.php/> Blog (Read this review)

    “The author is clearly an expert PHP programmer, and while you will certainly come away with an appreciation for the elegance and parsimony of Ruby the programming language and Rails the web application framework, the book is by no means ‘down on PHP.’ Indeed, I learned a couple of PHP tricks…”

    Michael A. Alderete
    Amazon.com Reviewer (See all Amazon.com Reviews)

    “Rails for PHP Developers is not a ‘Rah, Rah, Rah for Rails’ manual. It never once treats PHP as a lesser development platform. It demonstrates what Rails is good for, and it does it in a neutral way. It quickly brings any PHP programmer up to speed with one of the hottest technologies in existence today. I’d recommend this manual to any PHP developer who would like to quickly learn how to use Rails.”

    Book Review
    BlogCritics Magazine (Read this review)

    “I’m very happy with your book, I’ve tried to learn Rails before and it’s a must to understand basic Ruby before you try to learn, otherwise you end up just doing a bunch of monkey typing and not learning what parts are Ruby and what parts are Rails. Your book explains everything so well.”

    Charles Choiniere
    Pragmatic Bookshelf Forum (Read this review)

    “I highly recommend Rails For PHP Developers. Provides side-by-side PHP/Ruby code and is overall a great introduction to Ruby.”

    Ben Borowski
    Stack Overflow (Read this review)

    “Die-hard Ruby developers might suggest dumping PHP if you want to work with Rails, but DeVries and Naberezny show their audience that this is completely unnecessary. … The text additionally does a very good job at introducing web development in general. … Although I don’t think that one book ever tells the whole story, Rails for PHP Developers comes pretty close.”

    James Pyles
    Linux Magazine (Read this review)

    “If you are an existing PHP developer that is looking to add Rails support to your web app, this is a great resource to have by your side. Content is good, and the ‘all bells no whistles’ design serves well for the reader. Easy to recommend, great to learn from.”

    Daniel McKinnon
    Amazon.com Reviewer (See all Amazon.com Reviews)

    “I highly recommend this book to all PHP programmers. I have been tinkering with Ruby on Rails for many years but I have gained such a new understanding after working through the material presented in this book (and I’m only half-way done).”

    Paul Marek
    Mailing List (Read this review)

    “I’ve just finished reading the book. Great choice for any PHP developers thinking about taking on Rails. ”

    Blake Simpson
    Mailing List (Read this review)

    “The authors of this book are such good PHP developers, the book will probably improve the way you write PHP (as it did for me). If you are web developer and your job (or hobby) gives you the option of using Rails, buy this book!”

    Cory D. Gagliardi
    Amazon.com Reviewer (See all Amazon.com Reviews)

    “This book does exactly what it says on the front: it gives a comprehensive overview of Rails from the perspective of the seasoned PHP developer and it does it very, very well.”

    Peter Daly
    BCS Book Reviews (Read this review)

    “Overall, I was very impressed with ‘Rails for PHP Developers’. The wording was down to earth, the flow of the book was coherent, and the content was relative and informative. … If you are a current PHP developer serious about learning Ruby on Rails, then I would certainly recommend this book.”

    Brandon Ching
    Login: The Usenix Magazine (Read this review)