I still remember the days when people were saying that Java would never become a mainstream general purpose programming language because it was too slow… it was too inefficient… it was just hyped up. Yet somehow Java turned into a dominant force in the enterprise! In fact, nowadays people are finding that Java apps can be faster than natively compiled ones. The skeptics were proven wrong.
But it seems like the history tends to repeat itself. This time around, Ruby on Rails is in the spot-light, and while many people are branding it as the best thing in the world of web development since sliced bread, there are still plenty of skeptics. The arguments are almost the same as they were with Java: RoR is too slow, it's too inefficient, it's just hyped up. The answer from the Ruby community? Silicone is cheaper than carbon. I love it!
Anyway, given that I am still mostly a Java developer, I don't really have the authority to either bash or defend RoR, so I'll point you to this article instead: Rails Yet To Make Dent in the Enterprise.
What do you think?
