The document discusses Ruby, a dynamic, object-oriented scripting language created in Japan in 1993 by Yukihiro Matsumoto, emphasizing its human-centric approach to programming. It also covers Ruby on Rails, an open-source web development framework that simplifies application development and enhances productivity by promoting good design practices. Key principles of Rails include 'Don't Repeat Yourself' and 'Convention over Configuration', aimed at reducing barriers to programming and speeding up development times.