How different are the problems you face on a massive project in Java versus Rails?
Neal: I think the opposite is true: Java is good for small applications and Ruby is better for large, strategic projects. For small Java projects, there are tons of libraries and frameworks available to kick-start the project. The inherent limitations of Java don’t bite you as much because you’re building a small, simple thing. For large projects, you need a powerful language that doesn’t get in your way at every turn, and you need a framework that allows graceful extension. In fact, for large projects like this, the purposefully leaky abstraction of AciveRecord allows for smarter tuning. If you pull the string on the back of my neck, I’ll say “Scaling is hard”—no matter what technology you choose. For our current project, we would be able to get better raw execution speed from using Java, but that’s only a small part of what needs to happen to build scalable systems. Lots of things go into building scalable systems, they are just different things depending on technology. Paul: I actua
