# Building Ruby by newbi on Win32

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [September 1, 2006, 11:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213 "2006-09-01T11:53:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dingo)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213/1 "2006-09-01T11:53:44Z")

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Hi, All,

My first post here:) I am trying something I have been doing with Lua  
for years - dragging Ruby source files into an empty VS project and  
trying to build it. That’s all on Win32 XP with MSVS. It doesn’t  
compile! Missing config.h, which I can’t find anywhere in ruby source  
except for VMS, not for Win32, some constants defined in parse.c are  
used in lex.c and so they don’t compile either. Any ideas as I can  
succeed at what I am doing? I hope I am not trying to do something  
people have never expected anyone to do:)  
I am still browsing through the web site in search of any info as to  
what might be going on, but will appreciate ideas and pointers here as  
well.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dingo)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213/2 "2006-09-01T12:11:46Z")

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dingo wrote:

> Hi, All,
> 
> My first post here:) I am trying something I have been doing with Lua  
> for years - dragging Ruby source files into an empty VS project and  
> trying to build it. That’s all on Win32 XP with MSVS. It doesn’t  
> compile! Missing config.h, which I can’t find anywhere in ruby source  
> except for VMS, not for Win32, some constants defined in parse.c are  
> used in lex.c and so they don’t compile either. Any ideas as I can  
> succeed at what I am doing? I hope I am not trying to do something  
> people have never expected anyone to do:)

config.h is, confusingly enough, a header file with configuration.  
Machine and user-specific configuration. Usually a configuration script,  
confusingly called “configure”, generates this header file, and a  
makefile you can use to build the program. This essential is usually  
described in a file someone confusingly named INSTALL or README,  
sneakily hidden in the main directory of the source archive.

Welcome to the POSIX build process. Lua is an exception rather than a  
rule in that you can build it that way due to being a very simple  
language and environment. Whoever makes the one-click installer might eb  
able to describe how to build Ruby using MSVS in more detail, I’d just  
get MinGW and use a POSIX environment where the ./configure && make all  
install incantation works.

David V.

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**Author:** ![dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dingo)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213/3 "2006-09-04T14:46:39Z")

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Sorry, saw your note too late - not vary familiar with Google groups  
yet.

Thanks anyhow. Yeah, I first did the configure thing, according to the  
readme file [the instructions for this have one step missing BTW too]  
and then noticed that it produced the needed config.h. Had to poke  
around with a few other things here and there to finally have it built.

Also the POSIX build process produces executable that is about 40%  
larger then my release build. Go figure:)

D.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dingo)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213/4 "2006-09-04T14:46:39Z")

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Never mind, folks,  
Built it:) A ton of warnings of all sorts, but nevertheless.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dingo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dingo)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/building-ruby-by-newbi-on-win32/67213/5 "2006-09-04T14:46:41Z")

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dingo wrote:

> Also the POSIX build process produces executable that is about 40%  
> larger then my release build. Go figure:)

Compiling in support for extra features or creating unoptimized code by  
default maybe? At least Curt H.’ builds and Linux ones create a  
static executable that invokes the interpreter stored in ruby18.dll, so  
there might be some size overhead appearing around those parts too.

I can’t really vouch for MinGW or whateer you used as far as code  
compactness is concerned.

_shrug_

David V.