# Error installing rcov gem on ubuntu 7.1

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-installing-rcov-gem-on-ubuntu-7-1/153206>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 13, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-installing-rcov-gem-on-ubuntu-7-1/153206 "2008-11-13T12:36:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/e68b1a/32.png) [@Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ikenna_N)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-installing-rcov-gem-on-ubuntu-7-1/153206/1 "2008-11-13T12:36:53Z")

</div>

I am running Ubuntu 7.1 and getting the following error when trying to  
install rcov. What do i do?

dev@localhost:~$ sudo gem install rcov  
Select which gem to install for your platform (i486-linux)

1. rcov 0.8.1.2.0 (mswin32)
2. rcov 0.8.1.2.0 (ruby)
3. rcov 0.8.1.1.0 (ruby)
4. rcov 0.8.1.1.0 (mswin32)
5. Skip this gem
6. Cancel installation

> 2  
> Building native extensions. This could take a while…  
> ERROR: While executing gem … (Gem::Installer::ExtensionBuildError)  
> ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

ruby extconf.rb install rcov  
extconf.rb:1:in `require’: no such file to load – mkmf (LoadError)  
from extconf.rb:1

Gem files will remain installed in /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/rcov-0.8.1.2.0  
for  
inspection.  
Results logged to  
/var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/rcov-0.8.1.2.0/ext/rcovrt/gem\_make.out

dev@localhostt:~$

–  
Ikenna C. Nwaiwu  
Linkedin: Ikenna N.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/e68b1a/32.png) [@Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ikenna_N)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-installing-rcov-gem-on-ubuntu-7-1/153206/2 "2008-11-13T12:40:59Z")

</div>

No worries. Was able to get it to work with  
sudo apt-get install rcov

Cheers  
Ikenna

---------- Forwarded message ----------  
From: Ikenna N. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
Date: Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 10:42 AM  
Subject: error installing rcov gem on ubuntu 7.1  
To: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

I am running Ubuntu 7.1 and getting the following error when trying to  
install rcov. What do i do?

dev@localhost:~$ sudo gem install rcov  
Select which gem to install for your platform (i486-linux)

1. rcov 0.8.1.2.0 (mswin32)
2. rcov 0.8.1.2.0 (ruby)
3. rcov 0.8.1.1.0 (ruby)
4. rcov 0.8.1.1.0 (mswin32)
5. Skip this gem
6. Cancel installation

> 2  
> Building native extensions. This could take a while…  
> ERROR: While executing gem … (Gem::Installer::ExtensionBuildError)  
> ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

ruby extconf.rb install rcov  
extconf.rb:1:in `require’: no such file to load – mkmf (LoadError)  
from extconf.rb:1

Gem files will remain installed in /var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/rcov-0.8.1.2.0  
for  
inspection.  
Results logged to  
/var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/rcov-0.8.1.2.0/ext/rcovrt/gem\_make.out

dev@localhostt:~$

–  
Ikenna C. Nwaiwu  
Linkedin: Ikenna N.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/e68b1a/32.png) [@Ikenna\_N](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ikenna_N)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-installing-rcov-gem-on-ubuntu-7-1/153206/3 "2008-11-13T22:01:39Z")

</div>

I think the recommended way is to do the following

sudo apt-get install build-essential

Then install gems the normal way. Otherwise you will be dependent on  
ubuntu repositories for all your gems with native extensions, and you  
may be stuck a few versions behind (or completely without – is  
Nokogiri, for example, available at all yet?)

– Mark.