has_many :thoughts

The theme of the first two talks I attended at RailsConf today was more business-y and less technical. There was a chat called “Teascript: A Homesteader’s Story” and one called “The Business of Rails”.

The former was a case study by a developer who decided to make his own niche web app and start selling a service around it. The content was interesting, however the talk itself was frustrating as he took all manner of questions all the time and there were zillions of interruptions with dull questions.

1. Get the idea out there fast and start getting feedback. This has always been my view, as opposed to bottling it up fearing that someone will steel your idea.
2. Read 37 Signals book, Getting Real. Apparently this is the bible of developing web apps the Rails way. I was ashamed when a show of hands indicated nearly everyone had read this book except me.
3. Start small. The speaker discussed the benefits of starting your application small with only essential features to get it out there. I’ve been thinking more and more this is the way to go so I was glad to hear this point.

The latter was a panel discussion with open questions from the audience and a panel of owners of Rails development shops large and small. This one was a bit dry because a lot of it was about how to quit your job and take the plunge. Which I did 6 years ago now.