Object-oriented and open-source programming language, Ruby, is considered by some to have a part in revolutionizing web development (led by variant Ruby on Rails and subsequently AJAX on Rails). Created in 1993 by Japanese computer scientist Yukihiro Matsumoto, Ruby is well-known for not only being extremely powerful, but also extremely easy and accessible to developers from all camps (especially fans of PERL, Smalltalk and maybe even Python). Those interested in giving Ruby a go should check out this short and sweet, 15 minute hands-on tutorial, all taking place within your web-browser of choice.

[Ruby hands-on tutorial | Ruby entry @ Wikipedia | Ruby on Rails]