# Installing ruby as a non-privileged user

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-ruby-as-a-non-privileged-user/85423>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 13, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-ruby-as-a-non-privileged-user/85423 "2007-02-13T12:46:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Steven_Van_Vooren)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-ruby-as-a-non-privileged-user/85423/1 "2007-02-13T12:46:48Z")

</div>

Dear list,

I need to install Ruby on Rails without administrative privileges. I  
figured I could install ruby and have ‘make install’ write its output  
to a defined folder, but this doesn’t give me a working ruby. Help is  
welcome. Here’s how I proceeded:

download and untar ruby-1.8.5-p2.tar.gz

./configure  
–prefix=/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby  
–exec-prefix=/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux

make

make install

PATH=$PATH:/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/lib:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/lib/ruby:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/lib/ruby/site\_ruby:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/x86\_64-linux:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/share:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/share/man:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/share/man/man1:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/bin:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/lib:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/lib/ruby:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/lib/ruby/1.8:  
/mypath/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/lib/ruby/1.8/x86\_64-linux/

Still, when trying to install rubygems or even running “IRB”, it won’t  
find its .rb files (error message below):

/users/sista/bioiuser/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/bin/irb:10:in  
`require’: no such file to load – irb (LoadError)  
from /users/sista/bioiuser/rubyonrails/ruby/x86\_64-linux/bin/  
irb:10

Any pointers?

Thanks,  
Steven

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Steven_Van_Vooren)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-ruby-as-a-non-privileged-user/85423/2 "2007-02-14T19:42:19Z")

</div>

I’ve done this before, and my steps looked identical to yours except I  
did not include the --exec-prefix when executing configure. I did ./  
configure --prefix=$HOME; make; make install. Hope that helps.

On Feb 13, 6:46 am, “Steven Van Vooren” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@Steven\_Van\_Vooren](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Steven_Van_Vooren)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-ruby-as-a-non-privileged-user/85423/3 "2007-04-02T21:50:37Z")

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i try to install ruby-1.8.6 in linux

cd /share/apps/ruby-1.8.6  
./configure --prefix=`pwd`;make;make install

i include /share/apps/ruby-1.8.6/bin in my $PATH

but when i invoke irb, i encountered error

/share/apps/ruby-1.8.6/bin/irb:10:in `require’: no such file to load  
– irb (LoadError)  
from /share/apps/ruby-1.8.6/bin/irb:10

what might be wrong?

Eric.