Recent Posts by Michael Schuerig

Topic: Enterprise Recipes with Ruby and Rails / User model, LDAP auth and associations

Recipe 9 shows how to authenticate a user through an LDAP server. The user is implemented as a plain Ruby class, not an ActiveRecord model, which precludes any associations involving users.

In the past I’ve worked around this with association tables, relating logins to group memberships, say. Doing it that way is no fun, unfortunately.

Any suggestions on how to work with models that are not backed by a DB table?

Topic: Web Design Theory and Techniques for Programmers / Why PhotoShop? -- Focus on the audience

From the contents I see that you’re using PhotoShop for working with graphics. This, of course, is what probably most professional designers use, however, in my opinion, Photoshop is a questionable choice when talking to a programmer audience.

For one thing, a sizable number of us is working on systems where Photoshop isn’t even available. On systems where it is available, it isn’t exactly cheap, presumably more than many non-designers are willing to spend, particularly when there are free alternatives that likely meet all the needs of non-designers.

The book is targetted at programmers, so I’d expect, well, hope for, a presentation and contents that are tailored to their strengths, weaknesses, and specific skills. For instance, I may be overburdened by the subtleties of choosing colors or fonts, but I’d happily use commandline tools to create, say, color gradients or button images.

Topic: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware / Dreyfus model?

Andy, I think these two cases are not comparable at all. TDD is put to the test if and when I try it and decide that it improves my productivity. If I find this not to be so, I can toss the practice again without qualms.

The five stages of skill acquisition in the Dreyfus model are understood as descriptive or normative. If someone claims that when acquiring a skill a subject passes through these specific, discernible stages as a matter of psychological fact, then I’d like to see proof that this is indeed the case. In other words, facing a theory I’d like to know whether it is true.

No matter what notion of truth one subscribes to, be it staunchly realist or flexibly pragmatist, there’s always more to it than “We all read that book and thought it was plausible”.

When you write “Use the Dreyfus Model on the road to expertise” you imbue the model with a normative force, beyond the plainly descriptive. In effect, you’re saying that the stages of the model are not only real, but in order to attain expertise one ought to, even has to, master these levels in the game of learning.

So, what do I want? I’m looking for some reasonable assurance that I’m not lead down a garden path. Inadvertently and with the best intentions, but still. By contrast, I have no misgivings whatsoever when someone says or writes “Look this is what I did and it worked out well for me. It may or may not for you. Make of it what you will.” This is providing experience, not giving advice.

Compare that to “Use the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to become more expert” and “Leverage the architecture of the brain to strengthen different thinking modes”. These have at their core factual claims about the workings of the mind and brain. And these claims serve as the starting points for how to make the best use of mind/brain. Having good reasons to assume the foundational claims are valid would greatly increase my confidence in the implications.

Topic: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware / Dreyfus model?

I’ve read the Dreyfus book about 20 years ago and from what little I remember, their model of developing skill and expertise is largely anecdotal. As far as I am aware, which admittedly doesn’t say very much, the model with its distinguishable levels has never been put to a rigorous scientific test.

Notwithstanding, the Dreyfus model meme has gained some currency in geek culture—more due to its replicative prowess than its uncertain validity, I’m afraid.

Topic: Deploying Rails Applications / Deployment on Amazon EC2?

I’m not sure whether it fits within the scope of this book and I certainly wouldn’t give it a high priority—still, it would be interesting to have a chapter about deploying on Amazon EC2.

In that context, and even farther out, scope-wise, it would be helpful to have some guidance on choosing a suitable deployment approach for a project. Technically as well as economically.

Topic: Advanced Rails Recipes / Suggestions for Recipes

I’ve got the beta book and it looks quite good already. I have a few qualms about the title as I’m not convinced that those recipes really are “advanced” as compared to “more”. Anyway, I take it there are still a few pages to be filled and these are my suggestions:

• Multi-step forms and wizards
• Long-running and periodic tasks (backgrounDRb, bj)
• Custom validations
• Ajax Uploads (responds_to_parent plugin)
• Upload progress
• Admin-only “maintenance” UI
• Editing has_many and habtm associations
• Authorization at instance and attribute level
• callbacks and observers; built-in and self-defined