Matz 2/2: The trajectory of Ruby's growth, Open-Source Software today etc.

4 months ago

The first Ruby conference was held in America in November 2001 with about 36 attendees, including three Japanese participants.
Ruby gained global recognition after the development of Ruby on Rails by DHH in 2004, which became a game-changer for the language.
Matz reflects on the Ruby community's friendly and open nature, influenced by his modest personality and Japanese cultural traits.
The conversation touches on the importance of open-source software (OSS) and concerns about its future sustainability and ideological inheritance.
Matz shares anecdotes about interactions with notable figures like Dave Thomas, Linus Torvalds, and Martin Fowler, highlighting their impact on Ruby's growth.
Ruby's popularity was significantly boosted by its adoption by startups, notably GitHub, during the startup boom.
Matz discusses his favorite programming languages, expressing a preference for Ruby's design but also valuing C for practical use and SmallTalk/Lisp for inspiration.
The interview concludes with reflections on the Ruby community's characteristics and the language's unexpected rise to popularity.

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