# $gem\_hom

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [April 16, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645 "2009-04-16T01:24:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bloodniece)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645/1 "2009-04-16T01:24:39Z")

</div>

I am running cygwin with ruby version ruby 1.8.7 (2008-08-11 patchlevel  
72) [i386-cygwin]

When I installed zipruby I noticed this:

make install  
mkdir -p /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gems/gems/zipruby-0.2.9/lib  
/usr/bin/install -c -m 0755 zipruby.so  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gems/gems/zipruby-0.2.9/lib

Why do I have three gems subdirs? And where should all my gems be  
centrally located and what should $GEM\_HOME be? I would think it would  
be one location for my situation…my home laptop used for ruby coding  
for my night work apart from my full time job.

Also: I installed rubygems, but I am still seeing this below"

$ irb  
irb(main):001:0\> require ‘rubygems’  
=\> true  
irb(main):002:0\> require ‘zip/zip’  
=\> true  
irb(main):003:0\> require ‘rubygems’  
=\> false  
irb(main):004:0\>

Smith@smith-laptop /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems  
$ gem list --local

\*\*\* LOCAL GEMS \*\*\*

appinstaller (0.0.1)  
httparty (0.3.1)  
rubygems-update (1.3.2, 1.3.1)  
rubyzip (0.9.1)  
tags4free (0.1.3)  
ziplookup (1.0.0)

Smith@smith-laptop /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems  
$ echo $GEM\_HOME  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gems

thank you!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bloodniece)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645/2 "2009-04-16T15:39:04Z")

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On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 5:24 PM, Derek S.  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)wrote:

> irb(main):002:0\> require ‘zip/zip’  
> appinstaller (0.0.1)
> 
> ## thank you!
> 
> Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).

I don’t see a problem with having gems/gems/gems as long as all your  
gems  
are there.  
Also the behavior you are seeing in irb is perfectly normal. false just  
means it didn’t load rubygems (because it has already been loaded) it  
doesn’t mean there was an error, or that the load failed.

–  
“Hey brother Christian with your high and mighty errand, Your actions  
speak  
so loud, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

-Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bloodniece)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645/3 "2009-04-16T20:16:41Z")

</div>

On Apr 15, 2009, at 16:24, Derek S. wrote:

> Why do I have three gems subdirs? And where should all my gems be  
> centrally located and what should $GEM\_HOME be? I would think it  
> would  
> be one location for my situation…my home laptop used for ruby coding  
> for my night work apart from my full time job.
> 
> Smith@smith-laptop /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems  
> $ echo $GEM\_HOME  
> /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gems

Typically it isn’t set:

$ echo $GEM\_HOME

$

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bloodniece](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bloodniece)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-hom/165645/4 "2009-04-17T00:25:17Z")

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Glen H. wrote:

> On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 5:24 PM, Derek S.  
> [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)wrote:
> 
> > irb(main):002:0\> require ‘zip/zip’  
> > appinstaller (0.0.1)
> > 
> > ## thank you!
> > 
> > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).
> 
> I don’t see a problem with having gems/gems/gems as long as all your  
> gems  
> are there.  
> Also the behavior you are seeing in irb is perfectly normal. false just  
> means it didn’t load rubygems (because it has already been loaded) it  
> doesn’t mean there was an error, or that the load failed.
> 
> –  
> “Hey brother Christian with your high and mighty errand, Your actions  
> speak  
> so loud, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
> 
> -Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)

Ooops…meant to say rubyzip:

$ irb  
irb(main):001:0\> require ‘rubygems’  
=\> true  
irb(main):002:0\> require ‘rubyzip’  
LoadError: no such file to load – rubyzip  
from  
/usr/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom\_require.rb:31:in  
`gem_original_require' from /usr/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:31:in `require’  
from (irb):2  
irb(main):003:0\>

$ gem list --local

\*\*\* LOCAL GEMS \*\*\*

appinstaller (0.0.1)  
httparty (0.3.1)  
rubygems-update (1.3.2, 1.3.1)  
rubyzip (0.9.1)  
tags4free (0.1.3)  
ziplookup (1.0.0)