i mostly agree here. I've used cherry blues and topres and I'd say I use much less pressure when I type now since the actuation force is reliable and I don't have to mash membrane keys.
If you're having joint problems, go for the root causes. Fix your posture, use an ergo keyboard like the...
Koans are a great way to start learning the basic mechanics of a language. I'd check out Java koans paired with a good starter book- I'm not familiar with any. If Ruby interests you, I work with it daily and I found it and it's community a great resource.
http://rubykoans.com/
and if you find...
https://github.com/xdissent/ievms - I use these for testing IE7/8/9 on osx, as the others are available natively.
I don't see how anything else changes from a browser compat standpoint.. you still have to test on as many browsers as you officially support, regardless of your development...
Have to pimp out Rails. As a framework it's not perfect, but as a dev in the Ruby world I can't imagine a friendlier industry, nor one I am more spoiled in.
If you are a competent engineer, Ruby (and most likely Rails, at least as a buzzword) is definitely a path you should check out.
The beta is a ton of fun to play and is a really unforgiving game. None of the bullshit killstreaks and perks that make the recent call of duty games a joke.