# Meaning of subdirs within $LOAD\_PATH

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/meaning-of-subdirs-within-load-path/83480>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 26, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/meaning-of-subdirs-within-load-path/83480 "2007-01-26T15:16:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samoht](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@samoht](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/samoht)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/meaning-of-subdirs-within-load-path/83480/1 "2007-01-26T15:16:30Z")

</div>

Hello,

what’s the meanding of the different subdirectories which ar part of  
$: resp. $LOAD\_PATH?

I suppose a subdirectory “1.8” is for ruby-1.8-modules only, the  
“x86\_64-linux” directory is special for that architecture a.s.o., but  
what is a difference between “lib/site\_ruby” and “lib/ruby”? Where  
should I put my self written modules?

Regards  
Thomas

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samoht](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@samoht](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/samoht)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/meaning-of-subdirs-within-load-path/83480/2 "2007-01-26T16:25:48Z")

</div>

On Fri, 26 Jan 2007, Thomas H. wrote:

> Regards  
> Thomas

i think the difference is suppose be between built-in and add-on  
libraries  
installed via the

ruby install.rb

or

ruby extconf.rb && make && sudo make install

methodology.

then gems does it’s own thing. sigh…

-a