The Ruby Wayassumes that the reader is already familiar with the subject matter. Using many code samples it focuses on "how-to use Ruby" for specific applications, either as a stand-alone language, or in conjunction with other languages. Topics covered include: Simple data tasks; Manipulating structured data; External data manipulation; User interfaces; Handling threads; System programming; Network and web programming; Tools and utilities. Note: The appendices offer instruction on migrating from Perl and Python to Ruby, and extending Ruby in C and C++.