[mattgreenrocks]

Web devs hate him for suggesting that programming technique is important!

No, really, perhaps it is worth giving this a try, if only as a means of deliberate practice? You don't get better at programming by plugging in HN's coolest, most fashionable framework, you get better at it by shipping, maintaining, and learning to feel the impact of design decisions.

Don't complain you have too much to do, this is building foundational skills that are language agnostic and will outlive Ruby on Rails. Isn't that way more important than pulling up Twitter several times today?

[bestie]

Webby Rails types do often get very aggressive towards this kind of thinking. The point you made about this out-living Rails is a very good one. I'd be coding like this in any language with any framework, Ruby just makes writing SOLID code easy.

[mattgreenrocks]

You can't rely on industry to teach you what you need to know. They'll put you on endless treadmills learning hackneyed DSLs fueled by hype cycles. Fact is, Rails is almost entirely composed of patterns from PoEAA, along with DHH's excellent taste. At some point, you need to read and apply those patterns yourself to really understand them.

Actually, now that I think about it, you're almost much better off self-teaching once you get to a certain competency level.