I created a simple Merb application which formats Python/Ruby code into HTML, with syntax highlighting. It is powered by Pygments, a powerful syntax highlighting engine written in Python. I limited the languages to Ruby and Python.

I made this application to take a better look at Merb. Merb is a great Ruby framework. It's simple, it has great abstractions and the components are loosely coupled. And I always find myself thinking of Django when I code in Merb and DataMapper. The thought that Merb + DataMapper = Django just keeps coming back. And I love Django.

Along the way, I learned how to use pipes in Ruby. I used Open3::popen3 to pipe the text from Merb and read the STDOUT of pygmentize. I'm unsure if this method is safe.

I also learned how to deploy a Merb app, using some Rails/Mongrel/Apache recipes from Slicehost, and Merb's wiki.

So, there it is. My first Merb application. I'll upload the source code of this app soon.