# FW: Ominous quietude

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/fw-ominous-quietude/60375>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 12, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/fw-ominous-quietude/60375 "2006-05-12T20:30:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Fred_Allen)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/fw-ominous-quietude/60375/1 "2006-05-12T20:30:53Z")

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Dear Sirs and Mesdames:

Yesterday I executed the Windows Quick Install of Ruby’s release 18.  
4.17rc2. I’m running Windows XP.

When I initiate Ruby’s interactive application (c:\ruby\bin\ruby.exe) it  
seems strangely inert. No prompt appears on the opened window (exact  
reproduction below). I believe the commands I tendered comport with the  
languages’ rules of composition, but they remain, alas, unrequited. If  
any among you have a suggestion, I shall remain,

Gratefully yours,

Fred Allen

a = “Hello, world!”  
puts a  
a.class  
puts 225/15

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Fred_Allen)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/fw-ominous-quietude/60375/2 "2006-05-12T20:40:49Z")

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From: “Fred Allen” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
Subject: FW: Ominous quietude  
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 03:30:17 +0900

Hi,

Yiu have started the ruyb interpreter itsself.  
Try to find and execute irb.exe (guessed,…I am working on a UNIX  
system, where there are no “\*.exe”…they are name – for example –  
simply “ruby” instead of “ruby.exe” – therefore I think, that “irb”  
on UNIX must be “irb.exe” under windows.).

irb is the “interactive ruby shell”.

ruby.exe (“ruby” on UNIX) is the interpreter which process textfiles  
with commands.

Hope I could help a little.  
Dont hesitate to ask because who who do not ask will get no answers  
🙂

Keep hacking!  
mcc

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fred\_Allen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Fred_Allen)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/fw-ominous-quietude/60375/3 "2006-05-12T20:40:57Z")

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From: “Fred Allen” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

> When I initiate Ruby’s interactive application (c:\ruby\bin\ruby.exe) it  
> seems strangely inert. No prompt appears on the opened window (exact  
> reproduction below).

Hi,

For interactive ruby, try “irb” instead of ruby.exe.

ruby.exe invoked with no parameters reads a script from stdin  
(standard input) and will execute it when end-of-file is  
reached. (On windows, you can use control-Z to type and  
end-of-file character.)

But for an interactive ruby session, try irb.

Hope this helps,

Bill