# OS X/Snow Leo - Specify custom executable location for build/install for 1.9

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 6, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016 "2010-02-06T03:25:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wannabe-coder)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016/1 "2010-02-06T03:25:45Z")

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Been searching via Google but nothing immediately pops up.

I’d like to run Ruby 1.9 on my mac and specify the location the  
binaries install to and run from in the call to configure. What  
options would I set when I execute configure so that when I run install  
they go to that custom location?

My reason for this is that I just don’t want to muss up the  
installation that comes with Snow Leopard.

Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wannabe-coder)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016/2 "2010-02-06T07:00:31Z")

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Joe W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> I’d like to run Ruby 1.9 on my mac and specify the location the  
> binaries install to and run from in the call to configure. What  
> options would I set when I execute configure so that when I run install  
> they go to that custom location?

read configure.in line 15 :

```
    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-baseruby=RUBY], [use RUBY as baseruby;

```

RUBY is the pathname of ruby]),

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**Author:** ![wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wannabe-coder)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016/3 "2010-02-06T09:32:39Z")

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On Feb 5, 2010, at 22:00 , Une Bévue wrote:

> RUBY is the pathname of ruby]),  
> That has nothing to do with his question.

The real answer is that you can answer this by running `configure --help`. The option you’re looking for is “–prefix”. You need not do  
anything tho, as the default prefix is “/usr/local/” and the  
system/stock ruby’s prefix is “/usr”.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@wannabe-coder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wannabe-coder)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/os-x-snow-leo-specify-custom-executable-location-for-build-install-for-1-9/183016/4 "2010-02-06T16:45:42Z")

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In article [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid), Ryan  
Davis [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> >

Thanks, Ryan. After updating my Readline library to version 6.0 I was  
able to build Ruby 1.9 from source and deploy to a custom location  
using --prefix as you mentioned.