Great posts Trache! Good to see this discussion heating up.
I've done the PHP thing, written apps got bogged down in SQL, etc. I've "played" with Rails and have a site in the development stages that is far in advance than my PHP efforts and in a fraction of the time.
And I truly believe what I have so far will be reusable. I can't say that for my PHP code.
I got into Rails by way of the Agile book and I followed the tutorial chapters to the letter. A great introduction and very fast. I then stepped off into my own ground as I tried to write my first app. This was a challenge - constantly in the index of the books, or on Google with questions. But I slowly came around to the Ruby language and the Rails way and I feel I am turning a corner. I will persevere with the app I am writing and see how I get on. But I have to say that, so far, Rails has been able to handle everything I have thrown at it. And so elegantly!
I'm all up for sharing hints and tips here
