The official unofficial 
#RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon.
Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect.
“Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?”
(Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry)
#WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
At @rubykaigi@ruby.social @daily_mototsune@bird.makeup wrote:
> No one's forcing you to use Ruby.
> Just write Ruby however you want.
> Ruby と共に
> Saeki
"Ruby と共に" reads "Ruby to tomo ni", together with Ruby. The English says nobody forces you.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage97 #RubyLang #RubyLanguage #RubyKaigi
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
In red up the gutter of "The Red Sun Rises", @jhawthorn@ruby.social boiled the chapter down to two words:
> Chunky bacon!
> — jhawthorn
#Ruby committer, #Rails core team, Ruby Architecture team at #GitHub. Wrote #Vernier, the profiler a lot of us reach for when Rails gets slow. Makes Ruby faster for a living. His note here is 🥓 "Chunky bacon!".
A fox nods because that's the right answer.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage16 #RubyLang #chunkybacon #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
An ⬅️ arrow points at the printed "Global variables" heading and @khasinski@bird.makeup says the quiet part out loud:
> USEFUL FOR AI MODELS
> — CHRIS
A book from 2005 about Ruby globals, annotated in modern #AI times.
A fox makes a note and keeps walking.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage31 #ruby #globalvariables #RubyLang #RubyLanguage #AIProgramming
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
After the printed "Plenty of 🥓 chunky bacon to go around", @a_matsuda@ruby.social signed off:
> Chunky Bacon!!
> @a_matsuda@ruby.social
Akira Matsuda, #Ruby + #Rails committer, author of #kaminari, founder of #asakusaRb, chief organizer of @rubykaigi@ruby.social, 2024 #RailsLuminary. Sixteen years of commits.
A fox bows respectfully.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage31 #ruby #chunkybacon #RubyLang #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Right under the comic where the printed fox shouts "Woohoo! 🥓 Chunky bacon accomplished!", @nateberkopec@mastodon.social wrote:
> CHUNKY BACON!!!
> Thank you to _why, the reason I am a Rubyist!
> Nate Berkopec
Nate makes a living making @Rails apps faster. He read this book and stayed.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage32 #ruby #chunkybacon #rails #RubyLang #RubyLanguage #RubyOnRails #SpeedShop #RailsPerformance
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Page 43, @benoit@ruby.social announced the "hidden draw" with the biggest letters possible. 😉
I guess Benoit is 100g of fun.
And up top, 🌈 a rainbow in every marker he could reach, announced that you can find a Ruby friend in him.
A fox RSpectfully tips a rainbow-coloured cap.
Merci, Benoit 🙏
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage43 #ruby #RSpec
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
At the top of "Floating Little Leaves of Code", where two foxes peek over the chapter, @rosa@tu.social left something warm in pink:
> Keep making conferences nicer!
> ♥️ Rosa
The chapter promises the cosiness of the code will become a down sleeping bag for your own solace. Rosa just described the same thing, only she meant people. A fox curls up either way.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage45 #ruby #RubyLang #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
On page 76 @fglc2@ruby.social wrote the kind of note you keep:
> To infinity & beyond!
> Best, Fred
To infinity and beyond, though, is something that all foxes fully understand.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage76 #ruby #RubyLang #RubyLanguage #RubyConference #RubyConferences
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Foxes standing right there to witness @crplanas@ruby.social:
> I always wanted to write something like this book. Now I can say that I wrote in it!
> Keep Ruby weird and see u in the next conf.
> Cristian Planas, #Warsaw 2024
The universe shrugged, handed you a green pen, and said "well, you can write in it".
Every signature in this book is a tiny chapter that _why didn't get to write.
Keep #Ruby weird, Cristian. See you in the next conf.
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Where the printed page promises "a computer and a book", @halfbyte@ruby.social wrote:
> Thanks for letting me write something in this book.
> I miss _why and it's one of the reasons why I try hard to keep ruby weird.
> ♥️ Jan
> (#RubyUnConf 2024)
Missing _why and keeping #Ruby weird are the same act. You cannot bring him back, but you can refuse to let the language settle into a grey suit.
@rubyunconf@ruby.social is one of the places where the weird stays welcome.
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Next to examples of `rescue` and `retry`, a 20-year confession from @noniq@chaos.social:
> I first heard about the 'retry' keyword in 2025, after doing Ruby for 20 years. Maybe I should have read this book earlier.
> Stefan
#Ruby keeps a few foxes tucked into footnotes so that even the people who have been here since 1.6 still get to discover something. The book is older than a lot of the careers it has shaped, and it is still teaching.
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
In a chapter titled "Them What Make the Rules and Them What Live the Dream", over a line of code that defines a CONSTANT as an array literal, @byroot@ruby.social writes:
> Constants should be frozen, really!
> byroot 🙂
The code below the note shows a #mutable array sitting smugly behind a SCREAMING_CASE name, pretending to be immutable. Jean could not walk past it.
Them what make the rules. Them what frozen the constants.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage142 #ruby #immutable #RubyLang
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Where Dr. Cham keeps a MindReader, a WishMaker, and (for reasons the chapter never quite explains) a goat, @issyl0@ruby.social adds a vote:
> Don't know why there's a goat, but Ruby is awesome — as are you!
> Issy
> Helvetic Ruby '24
A note that speaks to YOU specifically, dear reader, and tells you that you are awesome. A fox tips its hat to Issy across the years.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage149 #ruby #helveticruby #rubylang #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
In "Downtown", @st0012@ruby.social signs off with the entire job description of #openSource compressed into 6 words:
> #OSS is about patience and persistence.
> Stan Lo
> #RubyKaigi 2026
That is the whole pep talk. No exclamation marks, no fireworks. The kind of thing you write because you have been at it long enough to know it's true. A fox nods slowly, files it under "things to remember".
@rubykaigi@ruby.social
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage155 #ruby #oss #RubyLang #RubyLanguage #irb
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Page 157, a postcard from @ufuk@ruby.social at @rubykaigi@ruby.social:
> HELLO!
> From RubyKaigi 2026 in Hakodate ❤️❤️
> Ufuk
The kind of note you write standing up, in a hurry, because the next talk is about to start and you want the book to remember you were there. A fox stamps it "FOUND" and files it under the registry, somewhere between a lost umbrella and a chat about #Sorbet and #tapioca
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage157 #ruby #rubykaigi #hakodate #RubyLang #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
The amazing @yujiyokoo@ruby.social gave a piece of advice that is also a way of life:
> Make whatever you want! Never mind the trend!
> Yuji Yokoo
Yuji has been doing cool things with #Ruby for a very long time, and after that long you learn that the trend will move on and the thing you actually wanted to build will not. A fox nods, ignores the latest trends entirely, and goes back to making something weird for his #SEGA #megadrive / #genesis.
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
In green, boxed neatly on page 173, @edouard_chin@bird.makeup made a reference to the #polish #Ruby community:
> The dragon of #Krakow is that strong :)
> Edouard Chin
> Kaigi 2026
The Wawel #dragon, the Smok, that strong. Edouard slid a Polish legend into a @rubykaigi@ruby.social note. A fox tips its hat to the cross-cultural mischief.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage173 #RubyLang #rubykaigi #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Big bold pink capitals fill page 176, all the way to the gutter. @andrzejkrzywda@ruby.social, for the Polished #Ruby Team:
> RubyConf Thailand 2026
> The Polished Ruby Team
> Dla Alexa z Szacunkiem
> Andrzej
The Polish(ed) Ruby Team, written in the least polished, most enthusiastic block letters imaginable, which is somehow the most respectful thing of all. A fox salutes the Polish delegation at @rubyconfth@ruby.social.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage176 #RubyLang #RubyConfTh #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Right where the book pits a Rabbit against a ScubaArgentine, @peterzhu2118@ruby.social left a tiny compliment in Japanese:
> すごい！日本語上手。
> @peterzhu2118@ruby.social
Peter, the #Figma #Ruby core committer who spends his days teaching the GC new tricks (variable-width allocation, Object Shapes, the things that quietly make every #Rails app a little faster), took a moment off from compacting the heap to write here.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage182 #RubyLang #rubycore #RubyLanguage
The official unofficial #RubyLang #conference #guestbook for why’s Poignant Guide to #Ruby—now with more foxes and 🥓 chunky bacon. Where #Rubyists scribble, foxes frolic, and code is never quite what you expect. “Why so poignant? Why so chunky? Why not?” (Not affiliated with _why the lucky stiff, but inspired by his whimsy and code poetry) #WhyTheLuckyStiff #ChunkyBacon #Ruby #Rails #RubyOnRails #RubyConference #RubyConf #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby
Right on the Method Missing page, @mame@ruby.social, Ruby committer, #TRICK champion, the man who made a #Quine Relay across 128 languages, signed in with a tiny program:
> eval$s=%!puts"eval$s=%"<<33<<$s<<33 # Yusuke Endoh!
A self-printing Ruby one-liner. A #quine, written in a guestbook, by hand. Because that's how a fox who breathes obfuscated #Ruby leaves their name.
#whysfoxes #WhysPoignantGuideToRuby #WPGTRPage190 #RubyLang #quine #TRICK #RubyLanguage