Paul Krill
Editor at Large

IBM mashup maker uses Ruby on Rails

news
Dec 12, 20072 mins

IBM has released IBM Sharable Code, an online development platform for the Ruby on Rails Web framework, the company said on Wednesday.

Sharable Code and another new tool, Web Highlights, are free services for entry-level developers and users to utilize Web 2.0 resources, IBM said. Sharable Code is a mashup maker leveraging Ruby on Rails. Web Highlights, for highlighting content on the Web, was built with Sharable Code. Both Sharable Code and Web Highlights are available on IBM’s alphaWorks site.

Geared toward Web application developers, Sharable Code offers scaffolding, or a skeleton framework, for building situational applications that can be quickly updated or changed, IBM said. These applications also can be downloaded onto a desktop or local database.

Situational applications such as one to manage calendars can be built, aggregating events from sources such as Facebook and RSS feeds. A news item aggregator also could be developed, with the gathered information presented on a single Web page.

With Sharable Code, a domain-specific language (DSL) is used to represent a mashup and its design. This DSL then is converted into a Ruby on Rails application. Sharable Code can be used with Ruby on Rails 1.4.5 or above, according to IBM. Ruby on Rails 2.0 was released last Friday.

Web Highlights, meanwhile, makes it easier to share relevant information. It simplifies the tasks of using Web 2.0 social tools, such as digg, IBM said. A user, for example, could post a news article to the Web Highlights Web page and highlight sections he wants everyone to read.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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