# Ruby PDA implementation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [December 31, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078 "2005-12-31T12:54:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/1 "2005-12-31T12:54:34Z")
I asked this question a couple of months ago, and now am throwing it out there again in case anything has changed. Has anyone out there successfully ported Ruby over to the Windows Mobile platform yet? Following the instructions in the wince folder of the Ruby source I still cannot get it cross compiled using Microsoft Embedded MSVC Tools. I have tried to no avail using various Ruby 1.8.x sources and the Ruby 1.6.8 source. Just curious if someone else is having better luck than I… ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/2 "2006-01-04T23:20:13Z")
Just blogged an article describing what I did to get Ruby running on my iPAQ: [http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/ruby-on-ipaq-pocket-pc.html](http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/ruby-on-ipaq-pocket-pc.html) ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/3 "2006-01-05T02:45:42Z")
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > Just blogged an article describing what I did to get Ruby running on my > iPAQ: > [http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/ruby-on-ipaq-pocket-pc.html](http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/ruby-on-ipaq-pocket-pc.html) I did this as well. The problem is that I receive Wince::Strerror error messages when doing various things — from executing a Ruby script from the command line (like using ‘ruby myScript.rb’) to parsing xmlrpc calls. It seems as if these binaries aren’t compatible with my Dell Axim x50 handheld. It has an ARM processor and it uses Windows Mobile 5.0. But for some reason the handling of strings isn’t being done correctly. What OS is running on your iPaq? Can you successfully run Ruby scripts from the command line? I can do things like ruby -e “print ‘hello, world!’” but that’s about it without the Wince::Strerror messages. And trying to cross-compile Ruby for Wince using Embedded MSVC fails due to one compilation error or another using the sources for Ruby 1.8.1 all the way through Ruby 1.8.4 ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/4 "2006-01-05T03:00:45Z")
gregarican wrote: > I did this as well. The problem is that I receive Wince::Strerror error > messages when doing various things — from executing a Ruby script > from the command line (like using ‘ruby myScript.rb’) to parsing xmlrpc > calls. It seems as if these binaries aren’t compatible with my Dell > Axim x50 handheld. Here are a couple of links to my troubles I have had so far: [http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse\_thread/thread/98944ff6113c68ed/7a7bcfd1fd2f0ecb?q=wince%3A%3Astrerror&rnum=1#7a7bcfd1fd2f0ecb](http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse_thread/thread/98944ff6113c68ed/7a7bcfd1fd2f0ecb?q=wince%3A%3Astrerror&rnum=1#7a7bcfd1fd2f0ecb) [http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse\_thread/thread/c456a39be9e5457a/cfb29f994cf837ad?q=wince%3A%3Astrerror&rnum=2#cfb29f994cf837ad](http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse_thread/thread/c456a39be9e5457a/cfb29f994cf837ad?q=wince%3A%3Astrerror&rnum=2#cfb29f994cf837ad) ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/5 "2006-01-05T22:18:44Z")
Jason Stell wrote: > Greg: > > I’m running an iPAQ 5550 with an ARM processor and WinCE 2003. > I can call scripts successfully. For instance, the utility script I just > posted about works fine: > [http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/unique-properties-revisited.html](http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/unique-properties-revisited.html) Perhaps it’s a difference in the OS version. My Axim is running Windows Mobile 5.0, so maybe there is a difference in the way that it handles string values being passed. Thanks for the replies! ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/6 "2006-01-05T21:48:08Z")
Greg: I’m running an iPAQ 5550 with an ARM processor and WinCE 2003. I can call scripts successfully. For instance, the utility script I just posted about works fine: [http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/unique-properties-revisited.html](http://jason.stell.us/2006/01/unique-properties-revisited.html) ---
**Author:** ![gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gregarican](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gregarican)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-pda-implementation/85078/7 "2008-02-18T17:22:36Z")
Hello I am going to reply to this even do it is an old thread. I don’t know how to explain this correclty but I know the solution to the Wince::Strerror error. It is because the filesystem of windows mobile is different then you think. from pocketconsole I did this. cd storage card\ruby\bin ruby.exe hello.rb hello.rb ruby is a file in the map “storage card\ruby\bin” this gives me the error, what I thought at first is that there is an error in the hello.rb file, however it means the file cannot be found. because of the strange filesytem (it doesn’t support relative paths) you have to do this. cd storage card\ruby\bin ruby.exe “storage card\ruby\bin\hello.rb” Now it will run correctly. For me at least. What also worked for me is this cd storage card\ruby\bin ruby.exe -e “require ‘hello.rb’” what strange is that in this require relative paths do work. however if I put File.open “lalala.txt” stuff in hello.rb, then the file is not as expected created in storage card\ruby\bin but in the root of the ipaq. Well I hope this is the solution of the problem for you, cause ruby on the pda rocks (I can know because I have ruby on the pda since yesterday :p) btw I’m using an ipaq 1940 with windows mobile 2003 (maby SE but not sure) It is windows CE 4.20 according to Asset viewer.