November 2013 Summaries

An update has been rolled out to the build platform, with the most significant change being the implementation of new patch levels of Ruby in response to recent security fixes. For a comprehensive list of all changes made, users are encouraged to consult the platform changelog. Additionally, those interested in discussing the update further can join the conversation on Discord.

Upgrading from Capistrano 2 to Capistrano 3 involves several key changes that streamline deployment processes and improve code cleanliness, although it requires some adjustments due to changes in syntax and configuration. Capistrano 3 now includes built-in support for multistage configurations, making the capistrano-ext gem unnecessary, and it is framework agnostic, requiring the capistrano-rails gem for Rails applications. The new version requires manually moving old configuration files to a new setup, updating the Gemfile, and modifying deployment files to align with Capistrano 3's updated syntax and features. Notably, the handling of deployments has evolved, with the introduction of local repository mirrors and an updated approach to environment variables and branch settings. The main configuration file, config/deploy.rb, has undergone significant changes, such as the removal of deploy_via and the automatic handling of symlinks. Despite these improvements, certain libraries like whenever and bugsnag lack native support for Capistrano 3, necessitating additional manual adjustments by users. Overall, the upgrade results in a more efficient deployment framework, especially with the integration of SSHKit, although users must adapt to the new practices and potentially contribute to open-source documentation to fill in the gaps.

The new Custom Files feature allows users to manage specific configuration files directly, enhancing security by enabling the creation, editing, or deletion of files outside their repository. Users must specify a target file path for these custom files, and encryption is recommended for sensitive content like SSH keys, although encrypted files cannot be edited. The feature includes generating an MD5 hash to identify files, with potential applications such as saving additional SSH keys, creating a database.yml with unique attributes, and storing custom /etc/hosts files for subdomain configuration. Users are encouraged to join the discussion about this feature on Discord.

When working on Ruby projects with Bundler, developers typically use a Gemfile to manage dependencies, but managing multiple gem versions over time can be complex. To address this, Bundler allows the use of multiple Gemfiles within a single branch by passing the environment variable BUNDLE_GEMFILE to its commands. For example, specifying BUNDLE_GEMFILE=Gemfile-rails4 allows users to install and test gems specific to that Gemfile. On Semaphore, it's recommended to create a new project with tailored build commands for a custom Gemfile.

Semaphore, a continuous integration and delivery platform, reports that 80% of its projects are private and commercial, reflecting the current distribution of Ruby versions in use. The chart referenced highlights the versions and implementations of Ruby actively tested on the platform, noting that any versions not included have yet to be requested by users. Semaphore invites further discussion on the findings through their Discord channel.

The latest platform release introduces several upgrades, including the addition of Ruby 2.1.0-preview1, which offers new features such as refinements, required keyword arguments, and improved method caching for testing in applications. The default locale has been changed to en_US.UTF-8 to address issues experienced by some users with the previous setting. Postgres has been updated to version 9.3, enhancing the JSON datatype capabilities, while MongoDB is now at version 2.4.7, supporting text search and symbol returns from the aggregation framework. Additionally, Firefox has been upgraded, and users are advised to update selenium-webdriver via bundle update. Further details are available in the platform changelog, and discussions can be joined on their Discord channel.