This practical hands-on guide for first-time Ruby on Rails programmers walks readers through installing the required software on a Windows, Mac or Linux computer, and then jumps into an introduction to the Ruby programming syntax. The application that the book builds, a Digg.com-style Website, is added upon chapter by chapter, and concepts such as user authentication, sessions, cookies and basic AJAX usage are gradually introduced. The book finishes of with chapters on reusable code, debugging, and deployment on a live web server. By the end of the book, even first-time programmers will have a solid grasp of Ruby on Rails development and its practical applications in the real- world.