# Ruby 1.8.6 (i486-linux) **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [May 1, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350 "2008-05-01T02:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/1 "2008-05-01T02:59:18Z")
First post here, I hope this is the right forum 🙂 I’ve installed Ruby on a Ubuntu Gutsy box - Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, but when I check the version with the Rails splash screen (localhost:3000) it shows - Ruby version 1.8.6 (i486-linux). How can I upgrade to a i686 version? Thanx for any help. ---
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/2 "2008-05-01T03:16:48Z")
Roy Stannard wrote: > First post here, I hope this is the right forum 🙂 > > I’ve installed Ruby on a Ubuntu Gutsy box - Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, but when I > check the version with the Rails splash screen (localhost:3000) it shows > > - Ruby version 1.8.6 (i486-linux). How can I upgrade to a i686 version? > > Thanx for any help. I believe that Ubuntu compiles all packages for i486 so that people do not have compatibility problems with binaries. You might be able to find one online, or you can of course compile it yourself with the proper CFLAGS. ---
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/3 "2008-05-01T06:43:09Z")
Kyle H. wrote: > Roy Stannard wrote: > > > First post here, I hope this is the right forum 🙂 > > > > I’ve installed Ruby on a Ubuntu Gutsy box - Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, but when I > > check the version with the Rails splash screen (localhost:3000) it shows > > > > - Ruby version 1.8.6 (i486-linux). How can I upgrade to a i686 version? > > > > Thanx for any help. > > I believe that Ubuntu compiles all packages for i486 so that people do > not have compatibility problems with binaries. You might be able to find > one online, or you can of course compile it yourself with the proper > CFLAGS. The only compiling I’ve done in Ubuntu is with ffmpeg which was pretty straightforward. But what would be the proper CFLAGS settings for a Ruby i686 compilation and would it bw necessary to compile Rails and Gems too. Sorry if these questions seem naive but this is a noob writing here Thanx ---
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/4 "2008-05-01T06:59:54Z")
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Roy Stannard wrote: | | The only compiling I’ve done in Ubuntu is with ffmpeg which was pretty | straightforward. But what would be the proper CFLAGS settings for a Ruby | i686 compilation and would it bw necessary to compile Rails and Gems | too. Sorry if these questions seem naive but this is a noob writing here Compiling Ruby on Ubuntu isn’t trivial. But searching the web for ‘compiling ruby on ubuntu’ should unearth what you need. Usually, you don’t need special CFLAGS, as long as your compiler can compile for the i686 instruction set (confused yet?). If your compiler cannot compile using -mtune=i686[0], you’ll have to compile the compiler to include that optimization (and you don’t want to compile GCC. Trust me. Been there, done that, stared at the output for a long, long while). However, as long as you have the compiler, all gems you install _and_ that use C extension libraries (like tmail, or hpricot but not Rails) should pick up your changes correctly. Gems that are just plain old Ruby don’t need to be ‘recompiled’ (since Ruby code isn’t, generally, compiled anyway, as Ruby is interpreted, much unlike C/C++). That being said, the question is more one of aesthetics, rather than power. [0] [http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc-4.3.0/gcc/i386-and-x86\_002d64-Options.html#i386-and-x86\_002d64-Options](http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc-4.3.0/gcc/i386-and-x86_002d64-Options.html#i386-and-x86_002d64-Options) * * * Phillip G. Twitter: [twitter.com/cynicalryan](http://twitter.com/cynicalryan) Blog: [http://justarubyist.blogspot.com](http://justarubyist.blogspot.com) At the base of all these aristocratic races the predator is not to be mistaken, the splendorous blond beast, avidly rampant for plunder and victory. ~ – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.8 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - [http://enigmail.mozdev.org](http://enigmail.mozdev.org) iEYEARECAAYFAkgZTjEACgkQbtAgaoJTgL+MPwCfWpf085eiphmG19FfQ7wF6x3Y qggAnRihhDEJ00vLJhor3Cin1h6nFkTJ =FM87 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ---
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/5 "2008-05-02T06:51:26Z")
Thanx to all for the helpful advice. Yeah you’re right, why waste time more minimal gains. I had thought compiling for the i686 might make some real difference but if not, forget it. regards ---
**Author:** ![mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@mamboze](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mamboze)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-1-8-6-i486-linux/136350/6 "2008-05-01T06:45:18Z")
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Roy Stannard wrote: | First post here, I hope this is the right forum 🙂 | | I’ve installed Ruby on a Ubuntu Gutsy box - Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, but when I | check the version with the Rails splash screen (localhost:3000) it shows | - Ruby version 1.8.6 (i486-linux). How can I upgrade to a i686 version? As Kyle pointed out, you can probably find Ubuntu .deb files to install Ruby 1.8.6-i686. However, the speed gains shouldn’t be all that great, and the versions are equivalent, anyway. In short: worrying about a -686 version is unnecessary and a waste of your precious time. 😉 * * * Phillip G. Twitter: [twitter.com/cynicalryan](http://twitter.com/cynicalryan) Blog: [http://justarubyist.blogspot.com](http://justarubyist.blogspot.com) ~ - You know you’ve been hacking too long when… …you realize you have never seen half of your best friends. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.8 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - [http://enigmail.mozdev.org](http://enigmail.mozdev.org) iEYEARECAAYFAkgZSrEACgkQbtAgaoJTgL95dwCfVMCC2YJQGLjGUzQx+6Jc1toz +PIAoIE8+8GTkyxscz1yK8iir5oYbqca =ALoC -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----