To start, lets look at the formal definition of ronin from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary:
In Japan, under the feudal system, a samurai who had renounced his clan or who had been discharged or ostracized and had become a wanderer without a lord; an outcast; an outlaw.
Next, we have an interesting snippet from Wikipedia which states:
Bound and dedicated men, most samurai resented the personal freedom that the wandering ronin enjoyed. Ronin were the epitome of self-determination; they were independent men who dictated their own path in life, answering only to themselves and making decisions as they saw fit.
How does that relate to who we are and what we do? Read on to find out…
What Makes us Ronin?
While parts of the literal definition do not apply, we do share a commonality with the ronin of feudal Japan. We are the wanderers of the digital age. Our weapons are our gadgets, web sites, software and our minds.
As wanderers, we have splintered from our clans to seek our own truths. In the digital age, knowledge is not bestowed upon us by our masters but rather it is sought after and scavenged from the far reaches of cyber space.
Individually, we have our own motivations, we have each chosen our own path and we strive to achieve our own objectives. Individually we are wanderers. Together … We Are Ronin.
Our Mission is Simple
We are programmers. We are designers. We are photographers. We are professionals. Most importantly, we are passionate. We enjoy sharing our knowledge, our work and our experience with those who care to listen.
WeAreRonin.com is our platform for sharing what we have with others. Within these pages you will find open discussions on topics such as ActionScript, PHP, symfony, WordPress, AJAX, search engine optimization, security, productivity and much more.
Through open source software, free downloads and productivity suggestions our mission is to help you in your quest for knowledge. We learned from freely available resources. Now it’s our hope to teach through freely available resources.