Verified Ruby-Doc.org author
Ruby developer, writer, and creator of Ruby-Doc.org
James Britt created Ruby-Doc.org in 2002 as a central home for Ruby documentation and learning resources. After serving as its long-term maintainer, he now writes practical Ruby tutorials and code examples for Ruby-Doc Learn.
About James Britt
James is an artist, writer, musician, technologist and Ruby developer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He operates Neurogami, which he founded in 2001 for software, art and interactive technology projects.
His Ruby work spans documentation, teaching, JRuby desktop development and open-source projects. For Ruby-Doc Learn, his focus is useful, runnable examples that explain not only what a piece of Ruby does, but when a developer would use it.
- Ruby programming
- Ruby documentation
- JRuby development
- Developer education
Ruby community work
James's public Ruby record extends beyond maintaining Ruby-Doc.org. Independent sources document his technical writing, conference talks, JRuby open-source work and published Ruby packages.
Technical writing
Ruby-lang.org highlighted his 2004 Linux Journal article on manipulating OpenOffice.org documents with Ruby.
Conference speaking
RubyEvents records his MountainWest RubyConf talks “Black-boxing with Ruby” (2007) and “Hubris: The Ruby/Haskell Bridge” (2010).
JRuby and open source
InfoQ interviewed James about Monkeybars, a JRuby MVC framework, and the Rawr packaging tool.
Published Ruby packages
RubyGems lists James as an author of qft and Neurogami-wiiremotejruby.
These sources support James's documented work in Ruby publishing, conference speaking and open-source development. They do not identify him as a Ruby core committer.
Why this profile is verified
Ruby-Doc.org has verified James's identity and current author role. The site's history and his professional background are independently supported by:
- James Britt's original Ruby-Talk announcement of Ruby-Doc.org on 10 November 2002.
- O'Reilly's James Britt author biography, which records his Ruby community, writing and Ruby-Doc.org work.
- James Britt's official personal profile and Neurogami profile.
Identity and role verified by Ruby-Doc.org. Last verified 2 September 2026.
Articles by James Britt
A Practical Ruby on Rails Project: Build a Client Document Portal
Every small agency has some version of the same problem: the client says they sent the file, the project manager remembers seeing it, and nobody can find the approved copy. A client document portal makes a useful Ruby on Rails project because the problem is easy to recognise and the first version can be modest. […]
Automating Enterprise Tasks Using AI in Ruby
Enterprise applications typically generate large amounts of paperwork. When that paperwork comes as a PDF, someone must open the PDF, find the purchase order number, verify the amount and copy some details into another system. Nearby, a Rails application stores most of the necessary information. That gap is a good place to begin thinking about […]
Building a Small Job Tracker in Ruby
A job looks simple on a calendar. There is a date, a customer and something that needs doing. Open the email thread behind the job, though, and things become more complicated. For instance, someone wants to move the appointment. A supplier has not responded. The address in the last message differs from the one on […]
Building an Editor’s Research Reading List With Ruby
Saving a link takes a moment. Recalling why you saved it can take considerably longer. You see a headline, so you keep the tab open. A few days later, dozens of tabs are in front of you and the detail you needed to verify is gone from memory. You have access to the source. You […]
Building a Ruby API Client: REST Requests, Signed Calls and WebSocket Streams
A Ruby script that fetches one price is easy enough to leave in a single file. Add account balances, signed requests and a feed that stays open all afternoon, and that file starts getting awkward. The HTTP code needs one sort of error handling. The streaming code needs another. Neither belongs in a Rails controller. […]
Build a Payment Reconciliation Dashboard with Ruby on Rails
The order says paid, and the payment provider shows a completed transaction. Yet the bank deposit is smaller than the invoice. Someone has to explain the difference. This gives you a starting point for a Ruby on Rails project: a dashboard that brings together orders, payment records, fees, and settlement reports. Its first version can […]