Martin Fowler at RailsConf 2006

opinionated :: focus on limited problem space

drive toward simplicity :: facilitated by focus

conversational approach :: move developers from closet to customer

• often focus can be accelerated by shooting, then aiming. show the customer something -- is this what you want?
• observational approach to requirements -- see what the customer actually does
  

ruby :: not the same level of uniformity as lisp and smalltalk, but provides a better foundation for dealing with computing resources as they lay

post modern computing :: just as buildings composed of modules don't live, software built from a uniform paradigm don't live

• ruby says: dive in a deal with the mess in the world -- be the glue
• ron jefferies pointed out that becasuse it deals with more messy realities of the real world, a payrole system is more complex than an operating system