Chapter 11: Where Next?
Hey, congratulations! You've made it to the end of the Pony tutorial. So, what do you do next? Well, there's actually a bit more here. Check out the appendices as they have some useful information that doesn't fit else. After that, here are a few resources that you can look into.
Planet Pony
We don't have an automatic blog aggregator but wish we did. In the meantime, we have a hand-curated list of videos, blog posts etc that would be of interest to members of the Pony community. Just beware when you are checking out older posts, it's quite possible that their examples no longer compile as Pony development is currently moving very quickly.
Pony Patterns
One of the hardest parts of learning a new language is figuring out how to do various different "everyday" tasks. We have a cookbook style book called "Pony Patterns" that enumerates a variety of problems you might encounter and idiomatic ways to solve those problems. The amount of content is still somewhat small but growing all the time.
Standard Library Documentation
You are going to need to learn the standard library. Some of us prefer to open the source code and explore. If you prefer an online experience, we maintain a version of the standard library documentation online. And you don't have to worry about it going out of date as it is updated on every commit to the ponyc master branch.
Standard Library Documentation
Pony Users' Mailing List
We have an active mailing list where you can ask questions and get help. We're a small community so it might take a bit to get an answer. Be sure to check the archives as well.
Ponylang Freenode Channel
If IRC is your thing, we maintain a channel on Freenode at #ponylang.
Pony Virtual Users' Group
The Pony Virtual Users' Group has fairly regularly monthly presentations that you can attend "in person" or catch later via the recorded video. Sign up to the Pony VUG mailing list to be kept informed about upcoming meetings. All the previous videos are available via Sean T Allen's Vimeo account.
A final word
We're immensely happy that you have taken the time to start learning Pony. It's still a new and immature language with plenty of sharp pointy edges. You are going to get frustrated at times. Don't worry, it has happened to all of us. Drop by one of our support channels and someone will try to lend a hand. We want you to succeed. The more people who succeed with Pony, the more the community grows and the better it is for all of us.
Welcome to the community! Have fun!