Rock and Roll with Ember.js is now free

31 August 2026

I'm making my book, Rock and Roll with Ember.js, free for everyone. You can download a copy from its landing page.

If you care to join me for a short history of the book, please read on.

The short history of Rock and Roll with Ember

RaRwE 1.0

I attended the first EmberFest in October 2013, in Munich, only a few weeks after Ember 1.0 came out (on August 31, 2013, exactly 13 years ago to the day!).

I was so enamored with Ember and so high on conference energy that I decided, on the train ride back, to write a book about Ember and infuse others with that enthusiasm. I recorded a few screencasts that same year, and wrote a blog post almost every week in 2014.

I then released the first version of the book on February 18, 2015, with great fanfare and success.

RaRwE 2.0

Ember 2.0 shipped on August 13, 2015, and RaRwE 2 followed just seven weeks later, on October 1, 2015.

RaRwE 3.0 & Encore

Ember 3.0 was released on February 14, 2018, with version 3 of the book following on March 1, 2018, a mere two weeks(!) later. I always strove to keep up with the framework's releases, but I could never match that pace ever since (and things actually started slipping quite a bit later).

I also released an addendum, a few advanced chapters that extended the book, to RaRwE 3 on October 1 of the same year. To this day I wonder if coming up with the name "Encore" was what pushed me to do it more than anything else.

RaRwE Octane

Ember shifted the focus to editions rather than major versions, so it felt natural to follow suit with the book. The Octane version of the book came out on June 25, 2020, lagging behind the framework's fully shipping the Octane features.

I think it was around that time that my motivation to keep my book up to date with the framework changes took a hit. I had a baby, COVID was in full bloom, and we were moving to Spain the summer after. The minor updates (all of which were free if you bought the "major version" edition of the book) started sliding.

After some minor updates, I released RaRwE 5, the last major version of the book, on August 29, 2024, almost exactly two years before I'm making it free.

Why make it free?

Not following closely in the framework's footsteps is one thing; not following what I consider current best practices is an entirely different one. The book talks at length about concepts I'd advise against using — and would mention as historical artifacts (helpers and controllers are examples).

I'd rewrite the preface. I'd go through the book, and probably throw out at least half of it. Before I'd do that, I'd probably think hard about whether it's even worth writing a book about client-side frameworks in the age of AI, close the laptop, and make some huevos rancheros instead. Take that away from me, AI!

I've been increasingly uncomfortable with charging for something I feel is outdated.

Luckily, I haven't had to battle much discomfort lately, as only six people have bought the book this year. This also made it hard to justify putting in any effort to improve the book.

In hindsight, I should have made this decision a lot earlier, but, you know, life happens.

What do you get?

You can download a copy of the book. Yes, you'll need to give me your email address, and I might write you a couple of times a year about stuff. You can also unsubscribe at any time, but you already knew that.
I also open-sourced the app we're building in the book.
I created a playlist on Spotify for the book with some of what I think are the best rock songs. The original idea was that you can code along to these songs as you develop the app in the book (or other apps), but over the years I've found I use it more for running.

Thank you

If this post seems melancholic, I didn't mean it to be. I couldn't be happier with the decision to write a book about my beloved framework.

Nothing compares to hearing (via email or in person) how your book really made someone grok Ember, how it helped them get a job, and getting some glaring feedback from all over the world.

All the time I spent making and improving the book was worth it.

If you've been along for any part of the ride, thank you so much. If you bought any of the many editions, you deserve an extra-special thank-you.