# Installing gems/updating for a specific user

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 3, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848 "2008-08-03T03:56:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/enchanter)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848/1 "2008-08-03T03:56:10Z")

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So, the admin of my Mac Mini (Running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger) has  
completely forgotten the sudo password. Go figure. Is there a way to  
install gems and etc. for a specific user only? Or would I need to  
install ruby for the specific user? A separate install of ruby?

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**Author:** ![enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/enchanter)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848/2 "2008-08-03T04:33:45Z")

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I don’t know much about gems, but the sudo password is the password to  
an account with administrative rights, not a separate name. It takes  
the password of whoever is logged in as long as they have rights to  
sudo.  
(apologies if he has forgotten that password too)

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**Author:** ![enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/enchanter)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848/3 "2008-08-03T04:47:47Z")

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Sam H. wrote:

> I don’t know much about gems, but the sudo password is the password to  
> an account with administrative rights, not a separate name. It takes  
> the password of whoever is logged in as long as they have rights to  
> sudo.  
> (apologies if he has forgotten that password too)

My account or ‘side’ on the computer doesn’t have admin privs, and he  
forgot the admin sudo password. Would the fresh install of ruby for the  
specified user only work?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/enchanter)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848/4 "2008-08-03T23:35:43Z")

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Boot with a Mac OS X CD (DVD?) and change the admin password.

“Tim M.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote in message  
news:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/ce7236/32.png) [@enchanter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/enchanter)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 6:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems-updating-for-a-specific-user/144848/5 "2008-08-03T06:27:06Z")

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On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Tim M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Sam H. wrote:
> 
> > I don’t know much about gems, but the sudo password is the password to  
> > an account with administrative rights, not a separate name. It takes  
> > the password of whoever is logged in as long as they have rights to  
> > sudo.  
> > (apologies if he has forgotten that password too)
> 
> My account or ‘side’ on the computer doesn’t have admin privs, and he  
> forgot the admin sudo password. Would the fresh install of ruby for the  
> specified user only work?

export GEM\_HOME=“$HOME/.gems”  
export GEM\_PATH=“$GEM\_HOME”  
export PATH=“$HOME/.gems/bin:$PATH”

Modify to meet your needs, and start installing your gems 🙂  
I hope you know where to put the export to get it set when you open a  
terminal, i’m not familiar with osx.

^ manveru