# Hpricot won't install on Ubuntu and complains because mkmf.r

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [July 6, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770 "2007-07-06T21:21:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/958977/32.png) [@Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Xeno_C)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770/1 "2007-07-06T21:21:29Z")

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I have mechanize installed on Feisty, which has Ruby 1.8.5, but when I  
just tried to install it on Gutsy, which has 1.8.6, I got the following:

root@joehill:~# gem install mechanize  
Install required dependency hpricot? [Yn]  
Select which gem to install for your platform (i486-linux)

1. hpricot 0.6 (mswin32)
2. hpricot 0.6 (jruby)
3. hpricot 0.6 (ruby)
4. hpricot 0.5 (ruby)
5. hpricot 0.5 (mswin32)
6. Skip this gem
7. Cancel installation

> 3  
> 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 mechanize  
extconf.rb:1:in `require’: no such file to load – mkmf (LoadError)  
from extconf.rb:1

Gem files will remain installed in  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/hpricot-0.6 for inspection.  
Results logged to  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/hpricot-0.6/ext/hpricot\_scan/gem\_make.out  
root@joehill:~#  
—snip—  
If this is a problem with the Ruby install on Gutsy/Ubuntu, please  
explain that so I can bug it on Launchpad. Thanks.

xc

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/958977/32.png) [@Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Xeno_C)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770/2 "2007-07-06T21:32:30Z")

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You need the ruby development package (ruby1.8-dev).

Jason

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**Author:** ![Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/958977/32.png) [@Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Xeno_C)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770/3 "2007-07-06T21:50:33Z")

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Jason R. wrote:

> You need the ruby development package (ruby1.8-dev).

Thank you. That fixed it.

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**Author:** ![Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/958977/32.png) [@Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Xeno_C)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770/4 "2007-07-18T22:26:34Z")

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On 6 Jul., 21:20, Xeno C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> …  
> 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 mechanize  
> extconf.rb:1:in `require’: no such file to load – mkmf (LoadError)  
> from extconf.rb:1

I got a similar error when I tried to install mongreal with

# gem install mongrel

In another tutorial I found the advice to download the ruby sources

# apt-get install ruby1.8-dev build-essential

After I did that I had no problems to install mongreal.  
Maybe you have the same problem?

Martin

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/958977/32.png) [@Xeno\_C](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Xeno_C)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hpricot-wont-install-on-ubuntu-and-complains-because-mkmf-r/108770/5 "2007-07-19T00:33:50Z")

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removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote:

> On 6 Jul., 21:20, Xeno C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

I think the resolution was installing ruby1.8-dev:

> xeno@radioflyer:~$ apt-cache policy ruby1.8-dev  
> ruby1.8-dev:  
> Installed: 1.8.5-4ubuntu2  
> Candidate: 1.8.5-4ubuntu2  
> Version table:  
> \*\*\* 1.8.5-4ubuntu2 0  
> 500 [http://archive.ubuntu.com](http://archive.ubuntu.com) feisty/main Packages  
> 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status  
> xc