Matthew Bass is a freelance Rails developer, Terralien crew member, Mac addict, and passionate about making top-notch software.
In this interview find out about his experience during the July 2007 Hackfest, how he got started with Rails and where he sees it going to next.
Q: What is your connection to Ruby on Rails?
I started learning about programming during an apprenticeship at Ken Auer's XP studio, RoleModel Software, in 2002. From 2003 to 2006 I worked as a Java and .NET developer at SAS Institute, the world's largest privately owned software company. I made the jump to independent consulting with Ruby on Rails in mid-2006.
Since then, I've worked with my own clients and also subcontracted for other Rails shops like Terralien and Relevance. I'm seriously enjoying my work with Rails and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. The market for Rails developers right now is wonderful. If you really want to work with Rails, don't let the excuse of "I can't find work!" be the one to stop you. It's not an issue anymore.
Q: Tell us about the sort of contribution you made during the contest.
Almost exclusively, my contributions were documentation. I added docs for existing methods that didn't have any, and clarified or expanded docs in other areas. Adding documentation is a really easy way to get started with contributing to Rails, and it's also quite valuable since the docs always need love.
Q: How did you first get involved contributing to the Rails source?
I had contributed to smaller open source projects prior to Rails, but nothing as large or well-known as Rails. Contributing just makes sense when you're using the framework so often. There is really no excuse not to since there are so many good tutorials out there about how to contribute. The toughest part for me was figuring out how the code in Rails was organized. Once I got my head around that, things got easier.
Q: Tell us about your development environment
From a hardware standpoint, I'm using an Intel Core Duo iMac with 2 GB of RAM. When I'm on the road, I develop on a Core Duo MacBook with only 1 GB of RAM. I haven't had an issue with either. To the contrary, I've been quite pleased with my Mac experience since switching last year.
I code in TextMate, use Capistrano for deployment, and work with Subversion via the command line. Lots of Rails plugins have become my friend, including acts_as_authenticated and acts_as_dropdown. More recently, and at the encouragement of my friend Nathaniel Talbott, I've begun hacking with the Camping framework, which I'd have to say is my favorite little library right now. I've also been experimenting with Jim Weirich's X10 library for the CM17A Firecracker device.
Q: Rails 2.0 - What kind of features and functionality do you think we are likely to see in this release?
I'm not sure what we'll see. I'm encouraged by DHH's desire to keep the core of Rails small, and add additional functionality through plugins and whatnot. Being in Java development for many years, I experienced firsthand how difficult it can be to wade through an API that has thousands of classes. I was glad that no super big feature was announced at RailsConf this year. I'm still trying to catch up with this whole REST thing!
One desire I have is to see libraries like RJS and Prototype really get fleshed out until they're solid. I still run into odd little bugs in some edge cases with these tools and while not insurmountable, it reminds me that I'm working with stuff that's still pretty young. But that's also part of the fun!
Q: Closing words
Kudos to the people in my life who have made a difference: my wonderful parents, John and Olivia. My awesome brother, David. Ken Auer, Nathaniel Talbott, Adam Williams, Duff O'Melia, and the rest of the crew at RMS who taught me that software isn't just a job, it's a craft. Jared Richardson, who was a catalyst in my choice to go independent last year and continues to be a big support. Alan Hoffler, my mentor from Toastmasters, who continues to challenge me to improve my presentation skills. And finally Jesus Christ, who 2000 years ago did what I couldn't do for myself, and today continues to shower many undeserved blessings on me as I do my best to follow Him.
If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, I encourage you to visit the local Ruby Brigade (raleigh.rb). I attend the meetups most every month and would love to chat. My blog can be found at matthewbass.com.
One of the most exciting Rails projects I've worked on over the past year has been Teascript, which I spoke about at this year's RailsConf. It was built using the principles outlined in 37 Signals' book, "Getting Real," and has actually been generating some decent revenue. I plan on building more apps like this in the future.
One of the main reasons why I love Rails (and Ruby in general) is the community. The developers I meet who digg Ruby are some of the smartest and most dedicated software guys around. It's a joy being part of such a vibrant community that is doing some seriously cool things in the world.
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