Chapter 2. Hello World
Brian Kernighan
Let’s get coding! Until I get “Hello World” running in a language, I can’t start learning much. Because we’re focusing on using Flex with Rails, we have three “Hello World” versions to do: Flex only, Rails only, and the combination in which Flex talks to Rails.
First you need to install the software you’ll need to follow along with the rest of the book. The goal of this book is to save you time in getting up to speed using Flex and Rails together. As such, I don’t want to say “install everything” and leave you to your own devices figuring out what to install. But I don’t know whether you’re using Windows, OS X, or Linux, and whether you want to use Flex Builder (on Windows or OS X only) or the Flex SDK. So that you get a book that is as tailored to your needs as possible, this iteration has four sections—but you only need to read two of them:
- Everyone should read section 2.1: “Installing Everything.”
- If you have a Windows PC or a Mac and want to use Flex Builder 3, read section 2.2: “Windows or Mac OS X + Flex Builder 3.”
- If you have a Windows PC and want to use the Flex 3 SDK, read section 2.3: “Windows + Flex SDK.”
- If you have a Mac or a Linux PC and want to use the Flex 3 SDK, read section 2.4: “Mac OS X (or Linux) + Flex SDK.”
The rest of the book from iteration 3 onward is written as though you’re using Flex Builder 3 on Windows. I have to assume something, because I don’t want to write three books.