About a year ago I wrote that I was no longer a Java programmer—or rather, that my days as a professional Java programmer were numbered. I wrote this in reaction to the announcement that sooner or later the Java language was going to force us to use parameterized types. I simply found that too depressing to continue, so I chose that as a good time to switch to Ruby and have already implemented one small, but successful piece of software on the Rails platform: this weblog. Fortunately, I don’t have a manager dictating the technology I use for my projects. On the contrary, we have just started a medium-sized project in Rails, rather than being beholden to a client’s “requirement” to use a legacy platform like Java Enterprise Edition or .NET. It’s quite liberating.

Still, if I did have to convince a manager, director or client to choose Rails over Java EE, I’m glad I now have Bruce Tate’s From Java to Ruby to give them. It is a quick read, as most of the Pragmatic Programmers’ books are, and it does a very good job of outlining the advantages and disadvantages of Ruby as a development platform. If you know Ruby, then you won’t be surprised by his arguments in favor: shorter development cycles, higher productivity for simpler tasks, more design flexibility and quicker feedback. If you’re a Ruby fan then you might be surprised to read about the disadvantages, because they are likely things that do bother your manager, but don’t bother you. I’ll invite you to read the book, rather than enumerate them here.

If you are thinking of starting a grassroots movement in your organization to move even one subproject from Java to Ruby, then you need to read this book, understand its message, then be better capable of formulating an argument your management can appreciate, understand and believe. If you don’t, then you might be dooming yourself to yet another “crackpot disinformation campaign”, the kind of thing I used to do at IBM before I knew any better.

If you are a manager and your people have started putting pressure on you to adopt Ruby as a development platform, this book will help you navigate the waters, learn how to dip your toe in, or give you the solid arguments you need to convince them that you’re not ready. I suppose you could just veto them with an “I told you so”, but a reasoned argument will be better received and less likely to drive them a step closer to polishing up their resumes.

Bruce Tate’s From Java to Ruby is an indispensable field guide to those who need to decide whether to carry out a campaign to supplant Java with Ruby as your development platform of choice.