Why Chicago is Rails-town, USA

Dietrich Kappe, Wednesday, August 6, 2008 @ 10:42 pm

It's rare that dowdy old Chicago can pull rank on Silicon Valley, but with the red hot Ruby on Rails technology, Chicago leads the pack. How can I make such a claim? After all, everyone knows that SF and San Jose and points in between attract the best developers. There are 7 (and counting) reasons why I can say this:

1. 37Signals - yes, the company where it all started is headquartered in Chicago. They're out of the professional services business and selling software built in RoR, but we used to see them as a competitor and have tried to emulate some of their business plans.
2. Pathfinder Development - yes, the small but growing RoR powerhouse is also headquartered in downtown Chicago. They combine Agile development, User Experience Design (UXD) and RoR to develop "extraordinary applications," as it says in the tag line to the right. Watch for our Rails-based competitor to Mingle, Tasker, in the next few months. Of course we also have Noel Rappin, author of Professional Ruby on Rails.
3. ThoughtWorks - global IT consultancy, but an OO and Agile Rails development shop at heart. Their Agile project management product, Mingle, is implemented in Rails.
4. Centro - they're all Rails, all the time. Their core business is "providing the most comprehensive platform and services to help agencies easily and effectively buy local online media," but they have an impressive team of Rails developers powering their development. Heck, they're just a handful of blocks from us. We may have more Rails developers per square mile than any other neighborhood in America!
5. WindyCityRails - our own local Rails conference (yes, we sponsor it).
6. Two, count'em, two active Ruby groups, ChicagoRuby.org and the Chicago Area Ruby Group.
7. Obtiva - another Agile and Rails shop, this one in the suburbs.

Think your town deserves the title of Rails-town USA? Bring it on!

Related posts:

1. Rails Test Prescriptions to be Published by Pragmatic
2. Rails Development on Windows: Native or Virtualize
3. “Developing iPhone applications using Ruby on Rails and Eclipse, Part 2: Displaying iPhone content to the client” Also up on IBM Developerworks
4. Rails and iPhone article online at IBM developerWorks
5. Ruby on Rails Internship

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1. 

   Hey, we’re here too (http://mad.ly). Geoff and I will be in the demopit with our new startup at TechCrunch50 representin’ Chicago+Rails.

   And don’t forget Mike Mangino’s shop: http://www.elevatedrails.com/

   Comment by Scott M., Thursday, August 7, 2008 @ 1:21 pm

2. 

   Don’t forget 8th Light and Articulated Man.

   Also, Obtiva moved downtown.

   Go Chicago!

   Comment by Dave Hoover, Friday, August 8, 2008 @ 2:01 am

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