ruby-sandbox/about.html at main · ablzh/ruby-sandbox · GitHub

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<!doctype html>
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    <title>About - Ruby Sandbox</title>
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      <h1>About Ruby Sandbox</h1>
      <p>So, what’s the plan and why am I even doing this?</p>

      <p>Originally, I was inspired by the Python sandbox and wanted to build something similar for Ruby. As a teacher, I know all too well: if a tool isn't documented and doesn't have a lesson plan, it basically doesn't exist for schools.</p>

      <p>In primary and middle school, "Turtle" graphics are the bread and butter of programming. And, as you know, everyone uses Python for this. Even if a teacher wanted to use Ruby, they’d hit a wall:</p>

      <ul>
        <li>"Who’s going to let me?" (Getting Ruby installed on school computers is a mission).</li>
        <li>"Where’s the curriculum?" (Okay, I got it installed, but what do I actually teach?).</li>
        <li>"Wait, does Ruby even have a Turtle?" Spoiler: Ruby doesn't have a Turtle.</li>
      </ul>

      <p>I’ve spent years creating educational materials, and honestly, I have zero desire to write a whole new "Turtle curriculum" right now. I usually find more exciting ways to get students hooked anyway. But I do believe that the more diverse a language's ecosystem is, the better. So, I decided to build it.</p>

      <h2>Current State & Future Plans</h2>
      <p>Just to be clear: I'm just getting started. Right now, there’s only the Ruby WASM playground; everything else is a work in progress (assuming I have the time and energy).</p>

      <p>My vision includes 3 modes:</p>

      <ol>
        <li>
          <strong>Free Playground</strong><br>
          Just a sandbox to poke at some code. No terminal, no debugger (and I don't plan on adding them—I want to keep it simple). Just use good old <code>puts</code> for debugging. It runs on WASM Ruby, so while it doesn't support everything CRuby does, it’s more than enough for the basics.
        </li>
        <li>
          <strong>The Turtle (WIP)</strong><br>
          I want to make it as close to the Python implementation as possible, so you can use the same teaching methods. A quick note: I’m not making a standalone gem or writing lessons myself. I’m building the tool. If any of you want to create a curriculum for it—awesome! I’ll happily link to it right here in the Turtle section.
        </li>
        <li>
          <strong>Introductory Course</strong><br>
          I had the idea to create a beginner course inspired by the book <em>Learn to Program</em> by Chris Pine (That book is really good! Thanks, man!). I don't have time for that right now, but maybe I will in the future. In the meantime, I recommend reading Chris's book. It's quite interesting and funny, although his jokes were sometimes difficult to understand due to the language barrier. I think you can already cover almost all of the book's sections in this Ruby Playground, with the exception of sections <em>9. File Input and Output</em> and <em>12. Remote Data and APIs.</em>
        </li>
      </ol>

      <h2>Why a Web Sandbox?</h2>
      <p>Because setting up an environment for a total beginner is a nightmare.</p>

      <p>I remember trying to learn C++ in middle school using a 3G modem with speeds measured in kilobytes... downloading Visual Studio, trying to configure everything—it was brutal. Modern students might not be the same kind of "nerds" I was, and I see how even basic things like file systems or ZIP archives can cause panic.</p>

      <p>Before we force a student to fight with terminals and dependencies, they need a reason to care about the code itself. Ruby Sandbox is a way to try the language without the pain. No downloads, no setup. And if you want offline access, just "install" the site as a PWA (thanks to Vite, it works surprisingly well).</p>

      <p>Bottom line: I want to hold your hand through the very first steps, but then let you fly solo once you’re ready for the "real" struggle with local environments.</p>

      <p>If you recognized yourself in my description of a scared beginner—don't take it personally. I'm doing this specifically for you, my friend :)</p>
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