# Install the gem or a package?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/install-the-gem-or-a-package/146590>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [August 22, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/install-the-gem-or-a-package/146590 "2008-08-22T18:30:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/install-the-gem-or-a-package/146590/1 "2008-08-22T18:30:12Z")

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I just installed macports. When do you know to install a gem or a  
package? For example the rb-rake package. Whats the difference between  
the 2?

Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/install-the-gem-or-a-package/146590/2 "2008-08-22T18:58:53Z")

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Ben J. wrote:

> I just installed macports. When do you know to install a gem or a  
> package? For example the rb-rake package. Whats the difference between  
> the 2?
> 
> Thanks!

It’s a question of personal taste. In the case of ruby, I prefer using  
the gem system as it is fully integrated and easy to use, also it will  
allow you to update as soon as there is an update available for your  
gem, a thing that might be longer with macports since someone has to  
update the repository. Macports is very useful to install some packages  
that you might want to use with rails such as MySQL or Apache.