Any sustainable software development project needs good foundations. While it is possible to write a Ruby on Rails application with nothing more than Ruby, a few libraries, and a text editor; this approach does not lend itself well to a team project where multiple authors may be working on the same code base. In addition, deployment and maintenance of the application once it reaches production becomes problematic if there is no supporting infrastructure in place.

This chapter outlines how to lay some firm foundations for a sustainable Rails development project. The core of this is obviously the Rails stack itself: we'll see how to install and configure this in some detail. But you also need some good infrastructure under this to ease development, deployment, and maintenance. Rails developers have faced the same issues all web developers face, and have integrated Rails with a variety of supporting technologies; things like database servers, graphics generation libraries, IDEs, version control systems, and web servers. Throughout the chapter, we'll encounter a few of the technologies closest to the heart of Rails, which can readily be used to support your development work.

Chapter 3: Laying the Foundations Supporting Rails Development Addressing the Challenges Setting Up a Rails Stack Installing a Rails Stack Using a Bundle Installing a Custom Rails Stack Installing Ruby and Rubygems Ruby on Windows Ruby on Linux Ruby on Mac OS X Installing Rails A Note on Rails Documentation Other Libraries Capistrano for Easier Deployment Mongrel: A Better Way to Run Rails Applications Choosing a Database Platform Installing MySQL Checking Your MySQL Installation MySQL GUI Tools Ruby-MySQL: Making Ruby and MySQL Work Better Together Installing an IDE Eclipse EasyEclipse Instructions for Masochists In the Back Rooms at Acme… Setting Up a Team Server Quick Gem Installation Remote Access via SSH Adding Users Version Control with Subversion Subversion Standard Practices Setting Up a Subversion Repository Setting Up a Project in Subversion Browsing Subversion from Eclipse Other Subversion Clients Using Other People's Servers Back at Acme Summary

Paperback 528 pages Released: October 2007 ISBN: 1847190855 ISBN 13: 978-1-847190-85-7

View the book details on PacktPub.com