It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on this blog. There I was, getting my ruby on rails funk on, getting all RIA, with my javascript and flex, and planning a startup or 2 with my good friend Jon Baker, when life suddenly decided it had different ideas.
Since then I’ve been working for Adobe consulting, the last 5 months, as a senior consultant with Flex 2. It kinda happened by accident, but boy am I glad it did :).
I’ve been using Flex 2 for more than a year now, and flash for a long time before, but I hadn’t quite fallen for it, if I’m honest. I was still loving all of my Ruby on Rails goodness, and getting quite agile (no pun intended) with js and programming the DOM.
I was using Flex in a very specific way: Writing portal’s and services in Ruby on Rails and mysql, and having the actual “rich” bit (the app), in Flex.
I thought I’d take the Adobe gig for a bit, then get back to the world of freelance Ruby on Rails, and making sites by my lonesome… but that hasn’t happened. I’ve actually totally fallen for using Flex now: No more messing around with cross browser issues, no javascript worries, no DOM Hassle, and the framework is fantastic : Powerful, and very flexible.
It really is what I like to do – I love ECMA Script based languages, and the frustration of js in the browser for me has always been the DOM, and not the js. With flex I get to do the programming I love most. I still get to do some js, and xhtml, and backend stuff like Java and Tomcat and all that (I’m lucky enough to be using Live Cycle Data Services on a project), so I’m still keeping my finger in lots of pies here, and as such keeping myself interested, and always raising my game..
As for contracting – I gotta say it : I prefer working as an on-site consultant, to freelancing at home. Sure, I gotta wear the trousers and shirt, I gotta be on site pretty much in core hours, I’m not my own boss, but man.. it’s great! I like having to wear smart clothes (I can rip them off when I get home and forget about work), I like being there in core hours (means I can’t procrastonate, or waste time), I like being told what to do – I mean, I still end up getting responsibility for stuff (don’t we all?), but at least it’s not ALL on my shoulders.
Biggest of all though, is that I’m not alone at home, with just IRC. No, let me rephrase that, I’ve got good company at work.. In fact, I’ve got really good company – great colleagues who are not only really really technically savvy and know their shit, but who are a great crack – real great blokes – everyday I feel so lucky to go to work, not only with such great technology, but also with such ( professionally and personally ) wonderful people.
So it’s been a real time of change – changing technology (going toward flex, LCDS and Java from Ruby on Rails and AJAX), changing philosophies and changing fortunes. Its meant I’ve been too busy to update life on rails, but I think now I’m ready to write up some more articles, which I hope others will find useful.
Have I gone all Zed Shaw, and turned my back on rails? Shit, no! I still think Rails rocks, but it’s just not where I want to be at the mo. For the time being, I’ve kinda had it with all the pressure of making sites by myself (and supporting them.. yuk!).. and Rails is particularly good for that. I’m enjoying more being part of the whole, and contributing with others, to create something much better than I could make by myself.
I’m keeping the name of this blog, too: “Life on rails”, clearly a a pun on ruby on rails – but after my wild 20’s, travelling around and doing crazy shit, it’s a reminder to me, if anyone, that I’m on the rails, and for the time being, I’m on them with Flex :)
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