# Ruby to create GUI

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-to-create-gui/155945>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 18, 2008, 12:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-to-create-gui/155945 "2008-12-18T12:08:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pietia](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@pietia](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pietia)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-to-create-gui/155945/1 "2008-12-18T12:08:06Z")

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i already installed ruby one-click installer and would like to create  
simple application with GUI. Can ruby do this? or do i need to install  
any software?  
Any documentation about this?

thanks in advance! 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pietia](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@pietia](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pietia)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-to-create-gui/155945/2 "2008-12-18T12:40:31Z")

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Xx Xx wrote:

> i already installed ruby one-click installer and would like to create  
> simple application with GUI. Can ruby do this? or do i need to install  
> any software?

If you’ve installed one-click Ruby, you already have FxRuby  
([http://www.fxruby.org/](http://www.fxruby.org/)) and Ruby/Tk available to you. They have their  
drawbacks, but both are fine for simple GUI development for your own  
use.

For more complex Ruby GUI development, you might want to look into one  
of the bigger, more sophisticated libraries. They offer more widgets and  
a more polished appearance. I’d suggest either wxRuby  
([http://wxruby.rubyforge.org/](http://wxruby.rubyforge.org/)) or Ruby-GNOME2  
([http://ruby-gnome2.sourceforge.jp/](http://ruby-gnome2.sourceforge.jp/)). They are both very capable and  
have decent documentation.

An additional option is Shoes ([http://shoooes.net/](http://shoooes.net/)). It is very  
lightweight, but you cannot use it with the One-click installer.

There are other options; my forthcoming report on a recent GUI survey  
will provide more information on current patterns of usage.

a