# Changing the installation prefix to the lib after configure/make/make install

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/changing-the-installation-prefix-to-the-lib-after-configure-make-make-install/132617>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 21, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/changing-the-installation-prefix-to-the-lib-after-configure-make-make-install/132617 "2008-03-21T23:29:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/llothar)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/changing-the-installation-prefix-to-the-lib-after-configure-make-make-install/132617/1 "2008-03-21T23:29:48Z")

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Lets say i compile ruby on Unix with

./configure --prefix=$HOME/my\_ruby; make; make install

And later i want to move it to $HOME/your\_ruby  
What can i do to get the inital paths for the standart library to also  
refer to  
the new location.

The RUBYLIB\_PREFIX environment variable (which i expected to use)  
is obsoleted.

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**Author:** ![llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/llothar)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/changing-the-installation-prefix-to-the-lib-after-configure-make-make-install/132617/2 "2008-03-22T00:27:07Z")

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On Mar 21, 2008, at 15:25 PM, llothar wrote:

> Lets say i compile ruby on Unix with
> 
> ./configure --prefix=$HOME/my\_ruby; make; make install
> 
> And later i want to move it to $HOME/your\_ruby  
> What can i do to get the inital paths for the standart library to also  
> refer to the new location.

./configure --prefix=$HOME/your\_ruby; make; make install

Otherwise, anything depending upon Config::CONFIG will break.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@llothar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/llothar)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/changing-the-installation-prefix-to-the-lib-after-configure-make-make-install/132617/3 "2008-03-22T00:54:59Z")

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On 22 Mrz., 06:23, Eric H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> /configure --prefix=$HOME/your\_ruby; make; make install
> 
> Otherwise, anything depending upon Config::CONFIG will break.

Well or there is some way to patch the new path into Config::CONFIG?

How can i add a ruby interpreter to an application that can move  
around  
(for example on a USB Stick)?

Fixing CONFIG[“prefix”] and CONFIG[“configure\_args”] is simple but i  
see that in “config.h” the paths are really hard coded. That sucks.

Can’t we change this? I do not see any reason for this inflexibility.  
I don’t understand why RUBYLIB\_PREFIX was removed (well it was never  
implemented  
on Unix just Win32).