# Problem installing ruby in a local (home) directory

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-installing-ruby-in-a-local-home-directory/61992>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 30, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-installing-ruby-in-a-local-home-directory/61992 "2006-05-30T17:10:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan\_M\_Brooks\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Jonathan\_M\_Brooks\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jonathan_M_Brooks_J)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-installing-ruby-in-a-local-home-directory/61992/1 "2006-05-30T17:10:12Z")

</div>

“make test” succeeds, but then I get the following error on “make  
install”  
(the install prefix is my home directory):

./miniruby ./ext/extmk.rb --dest-dir="" --make=“make” --mflags=""  
–make-flags="" --extout=".ext" --extension --extstatic – install  
cp -r ./.ext/. /home/mbrooks/lib/ruby/1.8  
/home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1239:in `copy': unknown file type: ./.ext/. (RuntimeError) from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:447:in`copy\_entry’  
from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1308:in `traverse' from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:445:in`copy\_entry’  
from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:423:in `cp_r' from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1379:in`fu\_each\_src\_dest’  
from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1393:in  
`fu_each_src_dest0' from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1377:in`fu\_each\_src\_dest’  
from /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:422:in `cp\_r’  
from ./ext/extmk.rb:386  
make: \*\*\* [do-install-ext] Error 1

Jonathan M. removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan\_M\_Brooks\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Jonathan\_M\_Brooks\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jonathan_M_Brooks_J)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-installing-ruby-in-a-local-home-directory/61992/2 "2006-05-30T18:18:27Z")

</div>

Hi,

At Wed, 31 May 2006 00:06:44 +0900,  
Jonathan M Brooks JMBROOK2 wrote in [ruby-talk:195191]:

> “make test” succeeds, but then I get the following error on “make install”  
> (the install prefix is my home directory):
> 
> ./miniruby ./ext/extmk.rb --dest-dir="" --make=“make” --mflags=""  
> –make-flags="" --extout=".ext" --extension --extstatic – install  
> cp -r ./.ext/. /home/mbrooks/lib/ruby/1.8  
> /home/mbrooks/ruby/lib/fileutils.rb:1239:in `copy’: unknown file type:  
> ./.ext/. (RuntimeError)

What does this command show?

./miniruby -ve ‘ARGV.each{|d|puts “#{d.inspect} =\> #{File.ftype(d)},  
#{File.directory?(d)}”}’ . ./.ext ./.ext/.