Ruby on Rails on track for major upgrades [Video]

Templates, modularity featured in roadmap that includes merger with rival Merb framework

Credit: Potapov Alexander / Shutterstock

It is looking like a very busy year for the popular Ruby on Rails Web application development framework, with multiple enhancements anticipated in an upgrade due this month, followed by a merger later on with the Merb Web framework.

First on deck is the 2.3 release of the open source Rails framework, set to feature performance optimizations, customizable templates, memory savings, and the ability to write the most performance-dependent parts in Ruby. Rails 2.3 also features HTTP Digest Authentication, an API for authentication.

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“It’s getting pretty close to being done,” with an expected release this month, says David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Rails and a partner at 37signals, a Web application development company.

Rails 2.3 takes early advantage of Merb strengths

While Rails 3, expected in an early format around May, serves as the merged Merb-Rails …