It’s December 21st and for many in the programming community this date holds a special place. On this day in 1995, the first public release of Ruby 0.95 was announced on Japanese domestic newsgroups by its creator - Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto. Fast-forward 29 years and Ruby remains a powerful and beloved programming language that has shaped modern software development.
At Pwrteams, we always take a moment to honour the tools and languages that allow us to build exceptional software for our clients. Ruby is certainly one of those languages and it's not just because of its elegance and simplicity, but also due to the vibrant community and innovations it has inspired over the years.
Let’s take a journey through Ruby’s history, its evolution and the reasons why it continues to thrive in today’s dynamic software landscape.
Why Ruby was created?
When Yukihiro Matsumoto began working on Ruby in 1993, he envisioned a programming language that prioritised developer happiness and productivity. Matz wanted to create a language that combined the best features of existing languages like Perl, Python, Smalltalk, and Lisp, while being truly object-oriented. In his own words, Matz said:
"I wanted a scripting language that was more powerful than Perl and more object-oriented than Python. That’s why I decided to design my own language."
Ruby’s initial public release on December 21, 1995 didn’t immediately shake the programming world. At the time, it was primarily embraced in Japan. However, Ruby’s design philosophy - to focus on readability, simplicity and the joy of coding, struck a chord with developers.
The Ruby on Rails revolution
Ruby gained significant momentum in the early 2000s, thanks to the introduction of Ruby on Rails (Rails) in 2004. Created by David Heinemeier Hansson, Rails is a web application framework built on Ruby that fundamentally changed how developers approached web development.
Rails popularised the "convention over configuration" and "don’t repeat yourself" (DRY) principles, which simplified and accelerated development. Tasks that once took days, could now be accomplished in hours. This made Ruby on Rails the go-to framework for startups and agile teams looking to quickly build and deploy web applications.
Famous platforms like Twitter (now X), Airbnb, Shopify and GitHub owe their early success to Ruby on Rails. Rails didn’t just elevate Ruby’s profile, it redefined the entire web development ecosystem.
The Ruby community: a driving force
One of the standout features of Ruby is its strong, supportive and really passionate community. From local meet-ups and hackathons to global conferences like RubyConf and RailsConf, the Ruby community is a driving force behind the language’s growth and evolution.
Ruby developers have always been known for their collaboration and commitment to best practices. The community has built a rich ecosystem of gems (Ruby libraries), that make it easier to integrate functionality and scale applications efficiently. To date, there are over 180,000 Ruby gems showcasing the creativity and contributions of developers worldwide.
Why developers still love Ruby?
Even as newer programming languages emerge, Ruby continues to hold its own. Here’s why developers still love Ruby:
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Readable and elegant code: Ruby’s syntax is clean, intuitive and close to natural language, making it easy to read and maintain.
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Developer productivity: Ruby allows developers to focus on solving problems rather than wrestling with boilerplate code.
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Versatility: While Ruby shines in web development (thanks to Rails), it’s also used in DevOps (with tools like Chef), scripting, automation and even data analysis.
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A focus on developer happiness: Ruby was designed to make programming enjoyable - a philosophy that still resonates with developers today.
The future of Ruby
As we celebrate nearly three decades of Ruby, the language continues to evolve. The release of Ruby 3.0 in 2020 brought significant improvements in performance, concurrency and developer experience. Ruby 3’s promise of being 3 times faster than previous versions has reaffirmed its place in modern software development.
Moreover, Ruby remains a powerful choice for startups, small businesses and enterprises looking to build scalable, maintainable applications.
The Ruby community’s unwavering commitment to innovation ensures that the language will adapt to future challenges while staying true to its core philosophy: simplicity and joy.
Final thoughts
December 21st isn’t just another date - it’s a celebration of a language that has made coding more human and enjoyable. Ruby may not always be in the spotlight, but its impact on the programming world is undeniable. It has powered some of the internet’s most influential platforms, shaped web development best practices and inspired countless developers to write beautiful, clean code.
At Pwrteams, we celebrate Ruby for everything it represents: elegance, productivity and a community-driven approach to software development. So here’s to Ruby, to Matz and to the developers who continue to make this language shine. Happy birthday, Ruby!
Ready to shape the future with us?
Ruby has always been about making programming delightful, and we’re looking for talented developers who share that passion. At Pwrteams, we’re always on the lookout for individuals who excel in building scalable and innovative solutions. Explore our career opportunities and become part of a team that’s redefining web development with creativity and collaboration.
