# Re: Installation question

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-installation-question/61939>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [May 29, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-installation-question/61939 "2006-05-29T23:47:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/re-installation-question/61939/1 "2006-05-29T23:47:52Z")

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> I have a ruby file in /usr/local/bin. Why?

In the Unix world, to which Mac OS X also belongs, you have all  
your files under one big file tree starting with /.  
Now, all the packages which are not maintained by some distribution  
update tool,e.g. because they’re compiled from source by you, go  
to /usr/local in a default way.  
/usr/local/bin is then the default directory to put the executable  
files. So , in this case, the ruby file there is the executable file  
which  
allows you to run ruby script files, which you’ve saved anywhere on  
your system.  
You can also install that executable file elsewhere, but then you  
need to specify the path at the installation of Ruby  
(in the configure step), so that the system can find it.

So these conventions don’t come from Ruby, really, but from Unix.

Best regards,

Axel