# Cannot access gems **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 18, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958 "2008-09-18T17:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/1 "2008-09-18T17:00:13Z")
I seem to have run right into my ignorance again. Working on Kubuntu Linux 8.04.1, I’ve a fresh compile of ruby 1.8.6. Irb runs. I have installed rubygems from the adept package manager - the install produced no errors of any kind. I’ve installed a number of gems, including the marvelous webby, which I’m now trying to use it (I have considerable experience with it). I’m not getting anywhere. To wit: $ webby bash: webby: command not found $ On a hunch, I did this: irb(main):001:0\> require ‘rubygems’ LoadError: no such file to load – rubygems from (irb):1:in `require' from (irb):1 irb(main):002:0> require 'webby' LoadError: no such file to load -- webby from (irb):2:in`require’ from (irb):2 irb(main):003:0\> require ‘activerecord’ LoadError: no such file to load – activerecord from (irb):3:in `require’ from (irb):3 irb(main):004:0\> I don’t understand what’s happening. Is this a path problem? If so, how do I fix it? I’ve change my path before, so that’s not an issue. I just don’t know what is needed here, if anything. Finally, if one needs to modify the path, manually, after any of these things I’ve just done (installation of ruby, rubygems, and a bunch of gems), why isn’t that stated somewhere so perpetual amateurs like me can get a clue? I’m not born knowing this stuff. I’d be really grateful for any help offered. Tom – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/2 "2008-09-18T19:29:08Z")
Alle Thursday 18 September 2008, Tom C. ha scritto: > I’ve a fresh compile of ruby 1.8.6 This is the issue. The ruby you compiled is in a different location than the one installed by the package manager. I don’t use Kubntu, but I guess the one installed using the package manager is in /usr, while the one you installed manually is in /usr/local (that is the predefined path where the configure script wants to install it, of course you can have changed it). When you install rubygems using the package manager, the files are put somewhere in the /usr/lib/ruby/ directory. The ruby you installed manually (which, I guess, comes before the other in your PATH) expects to find its libraries in /usr/local/lib/ruby, but rubygems hasn’t been installed there. I can think of two ways you can take: 1. manually install rubygems using your custom install of ruby. This should be quite easy to do. This is the easiest and cleanest option. 2. remove the ruby you installed manually, then reinstall it passing the – prefix=/usr option to configure. This will overwrite the version of ruby installed by the package manager, but allow you to use gems and other ruby libraries installed with it. This is a very messy solution, and you shouldn’t use it unless you have a reason not to use option 1. I hope this helps Stefano ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/3 "2008-09-18T21:16:41Z")
> I don’t know much about this, but why don’t these installs establish and > reference symlinks. Because UNIX tradition means that often things grow chaotically up to the point where it needs to be fixed. But if it does not need to be fixed yet, it will continue that way. That is the power of UNIX design - grow and grow and grow. Never think before you grow. Thinking delays growing. Bad design can be fixed later - is a mantra. That not many fix it later, because it would be a lot of work, is another issue … > ruby gets installed and established a symlink > which anything can access to find it, and likewise with rubygems. But you are only applying a cosmetic surface to the underlying problem 🙂 The distribution will probably demand of you to “keep” to its way. I remember the debian “philosophy” applied to ruby and splitting the packages in many individual yet arbitrary components which means it is in a way sometimes crippled. I remember an old plea from python devs to stop doing this, as users who install python via package manager (and more importantly the devs who code something) cannot rely that all the “required” things in python are actually there. I.e. if one went and compiled python from source he would have less trouble. > This mess is the result of someone who should know better not > thinking things through. Typical UNIX evolution. Things like Udev or Fontconfig XML files was the result (not to forget the many different config file formats) > For compiled ruby to go one place and package manager ruby another??? This is the old design principle in Unix - if you can make it complicated, why make it simple? Your package manager by default will probably dominate the /usr hierarchy whereas your self compiled programs should be default populate /usr/local (unless you have given --prefix). Some distributions think that is not enough and populate /opt for reasons unknown to mankind, and almost no distribution is applying AppDirs/PackageDirs (what belongs to a program, belongs to the same directory). But wait a second! If you already decided to go on your own, i.e. compile ruby from source, why not compile it into a specific directory? I compile into /Programs/Ruby/Version and symlinks will then be used. There may be nicer approaches, the best one would be to work without any symlinks - but it worked for me since a long time and I like it. It is simple and easy and I dont have the time nore knowledge to try something more “beautifully” for now. The unix way is a big mess and will never be fixed due to legacy reasons. After all these years applications which you compile from source will behave differently - i.e. not everyone uses GNU autoconfigure, not everyone honours --prefix or some other important directives etc… > The guy behind this surely has a career in investment banking > waiting for him somewhere. The power of UNIX, as long as it works, it’s fine. And the more important a piece of software is, the more annoying these guys are 😉 But it was more historic growth. Unix is a patchwork, it was never designed with a grand vision in place. And Linus, as smart as he may be and as brilliant the work he can pull off with the kernel and git, is restricted to exactly this - the rest does not interest him that much. And modular xorg was modern about 50 years ago… > I compiled my ruby from source because I was having some problems with > the package manager version. Doesn’t it start all so often exactly like that 🙂 > But then rubygems wouldn’t install. Kept insisting that > some libraries which WERE there were not. An expert I > had look at the mess couldn’t make sense of it. > I then installed rubygems from the package manager. > No problems. Except ruby cannot find the gems. Well, all I know is that i think the whole rubygems situation should be rethought. I compile rubygems from source but it all seems to bring up stupid and wrong dependencies. Requires “rubyforge”, “hoe” and loads of others. Rake refuses to compile it. If i copy setup.rb though and go via the setup.rb route, THE INSTALLATION WORKS NICELY. Myself, I dont need rubygems because I keep track of all the packages on my own (as said, it is a lot of work in total, but when a version changes, all I have to do is change a single line in my “database” and I can compile it.) I wish you the best luck to solve your problem! Maybe it is better to stick to your package manager. I never managed and I have entirely given up about it, but I often regret that I invest time into something others get for “free” (provided that they learned about it in the first place. I found package managers so insanely boring that I am too lazy to learn and read boring man pages until I am “expert”) ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/4 "2008-09-18T20:36:08Z")
Stefano C. wrote: > install rubygems using the package manager, the files are put somewhere in the > libraries installed with it. This is a very messy solution, and you shouldn’t > use it unless you have a reason not to use option 1. > > I hope this helps > > Stefano Arrrgh! THIS makes tons of sense. I don’t know much about this, but why don’t these installs establish and reference symlinks. I.e., ruby gets installed and established a symlink which anything can access to find it, and likewise with rubygems. That would keep this sort of crap from happening. This mess is the result of someone who should know better not thinking things through. For compiled ruby to go one place and package manager ruby another??? This is a thoughtful solution to anything at all? The guy behind this surely has a career in investment banking waiting for him somewhere. I compiled my ruby from source because I was having some problems with the package manager version. But then rubygems wouldn’t install. Kept insisting that some libraries which WERE there were not. An expert I had look at the mess couldn’t make sense of it. I then installed rubygems from the package manager. No problems. Except ruby cannot find the gems. I will try try to use your idea to fix this mess when I have a little more time this evening. Thanks so much for your thoughts. Tom – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/5 "2008-09-19T01:17:47Z")
Marc H. wrote: > The distribution will probably demand of you to “keep” to its way. > > > This mess is the result of someone who should know better not > > This is the old design principle in Unix - if you can make it > > I compile into /Programs/Ruby/Version and symlinks will then be used. > > and as brilliant the work he can pull off with the kernel and git, is > > stupid and wrong dependencies. Requires “rubyforge”, “hoe” and loads of > I have entirely given up about it, but I often regret that I invest time > into something others get for “free” (provided that they learned about > it in the first place. I found package managers so insanely boring that > I am too lazy to learn and read boring man pages until I am “expert”) Marc - Wow! Thanks for validation, as we say in my trade. I’m VERY committed to Kubuntu Linux, after converting from WinXP earlier this year. So many things to like. BUT I still vividly recall the first time installed a program and watched it disappear with a trace. Not in the launch menu. Not on the desktop. It took me hours to find out that sometimes they get put…uh…now where was it? Unless it goes here, or maybe there. I’m still incredulous about this crap. Just plain dumb. But then there’s a lot of that because there are lost of people in the Linux world with what I call “secret knowledge” - defined as that stuff which, though I spend DAYS working through Linux, Ruby, HTML, CSS and god knows what else problems, I never seem to learn. Like where DO installed programs go? And thanks for validating my concerns about Rubygems. Why is this thing, nice as it is, such a … (uh “rhymes with witch”) to install? All I can say is that more people ought to be yelling. Just because we’re grateful for the wonder that is ruby (and other, associated wonders) - and I certainly am - doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable that how to compile it is such a mystery that it actually makes sense for “Compiling Ruby, RubyGems and Rails on Ubuntu” to be a blog entry at the FiveRuns website - [http://blog.fiveruns.com/2008/3/3/compiling-ruby-rubygems-and-rails-on-ubuntu/comments/5614](http://blog.fiveruns.com/2008/3/3/compiling-ruby-rubygems-and-rails-on-ubuntu/comments/5614). It’s a very nice entry, but why in blazes isn’t it at the ruby-lang website? And one like for the other major OS’s, as well? Does the ruby community (not to mention the Ubuntu, etc., communities) want broader acceptance or not? If so, then get this basic information out where we can find it. I’d be utterly dead in the water without Google and the enormous mercies of this list. Well, I still don’t have a functioning rubygems. Or rather, I do, but it cannot be found by my also-functional ruby install. Gotta go wrestle them alligators. t. – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-access-gems/148958/6 "2008-09-20T18:35:48Z")
On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 7:07 PM, Tom C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > But then there’s a lot of that because there are lost of people in the > Linux world with what I call “secret knowledge” - defined as that stuff > which, though I spend DAYS working through Linux, Ruby, HTML, CSS and god > knows what else problems, I never seem to learn. Like where DO installed > programs go? The biggest secret is knowing how to do good google searches. > . > > It’s a very nice entry, but why in blazes isn’t it at the ruby-lang > website? And one like for the other major OS’s, as well? Does the ruby > community (not to mention the Ubuntu, etc., communities) want broader > acceptance or not? If so, then get this basic information out where we can > find it. I’d be utterly dead in the water without Google and the enormous > mercies of this list. There is lots of info on the issues with installing Ruby, rubygems, rails etc. on Ubuntu and other Debian based distros. Much of this is in the context of folks trying to install Rails, since 1) it’s probably the most popular reason to install ruby, and 2) it pre-reqs ruby and ruby gems. Searches with various combinations of ubuntu/debian, and rubygems/rails will uncover lots of such info. [http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/RailsOnUbuntu](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/RailsOnUbuntu) [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RubyOnRails](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RubyOnRails) Note that this recommends installing rubygems directly, going around apt-get > Well, I still don’t have a functioning rubygems. Or rather, I do, but it > cannot be found by my also-functional ruby install. Gotta go wrestle them > alligators. Much as I LOVE Ubuntu, and i’s parent Debian, sometimes the debian philosophy results in problems when the Debian maintainers think they know better than the upstream developers and make changes without understanding the reasons for why things are done in a way that are outside of their ken. One recent very visible example was the discovery that the debian maintainer of ssh-keygen had fixed a ‘bug’, and the bug resulted in removing almost all of the entropy from keys generated on Debian based systems, leading to a mad scramble to recover from a rather widespread security exposure. And rubygems is, IMHO, another example. The Debian maintainers decided that rubygems packaging didn’t really fit with debian packaging, the debian community’s ‘position’ on rubygems is here: [http://pkg-ruby-extras.alioth.debian.org/rubygems.html](http://pkg-ruby-extras.alioth.debian.org/rubygems.html) They pretty much reject the notion that a package management system should allow the client of a package(gem) to specify a versioned dependency in the source code, or to have multiple versions of a package/gem which can by dynamically required. This is a crucial feature of rubygems which allows flexibility in deployment. Not everyone might need it but when you do you really do. As I said there is a lot of good in Ubuntu/Debian, and I use Ubuntu for my server, although I’ve moved on to using a MacBook for development. On a less technical level, using the debian packaged versions of ruby/gems/… means that you are dependent on the maintainers to provide new versions, and even if they do, you might need to update to a new release of the distro to get them unless someone has done a backport. When I first started playing with Ruby, it was on an Ubuntu system, and I ran into these issues. I got some good advice from Andy H. to install both Ruby and Rubygems from source rather than using apt-get. That’s what I recommend when asked, but that’s just my advice. – Rick DeNatale My blog on Ruby [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)