# Rubygems install confusion - beginner problems **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [December 14, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-install-confusion-beginner-problems/155615 "2008-12-14T18:43:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-install-confusion-beginner-problems/155615/1 "2008-12-14T18:43:14Z")
Yesterday I compiled ruby 1.8.7, and have verified that it’s now resident on my Kubuntu Linux 8.10 OS. All’s well, except that I’m in a bit of a muddle with rubygems. It appears that something or other (Philip Gawlowski suggested it might be Amorok) has installed Ruby 1.9 on my OS, and with it rubygems 1.2.0. But I want ruby 1.8.7 and rubygems 1.3.1. Right now, looking at /usr/local/lib/site\_ruby, I see BOTH 1.8 and 1.9.0. Makes sense, I guess. Yesterday I installed rubygems 1.3.1, and things went awry. Ignoring that for now, I just redid the installation, and things went better, indicating that somehow yesterday we had a moment or two of pilot error. Sigh. Here’s the first part of the console output for today install of rubygems v. 1.3.1 - tomc@tomc-desktop:~/Software archive/Rubygems/rubygems-1.3.1$ sudo ruby setup.rb [sudo] password for tomc: mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/site\_ruby/1.8 mkdir -p /usr/bin mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/site\_ruby/1.8/rbconfig What I have now is this: tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ which gem /usr/bin/gem tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ gem -v 1.2.0 tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ which gem1.8 /usr/bin/gem1.8 tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ gem1.8 -v 1.3.1 When I tried, yesterday, to install the RedCloth gem using “gem install…”, the install failed. Something about write permissions. Today, I find that I can install RedCloth just fine, and and just did, using “gem1.8”. So…my question: It would appear that ruby 1.9, when it got installed, by whatever program needed it, also installed rubygems, but not in a way that I can get to, and in any case it isn’t the latest version, and finally, it won’t let me use it anyway. I now have ruby 1.8.7, and rubygems 1.3.1 installed, but I have NO confidence that ruby 1.8.7 will access rubygems 1.3.1 should something it’s executing need it. I sure hope I’m making sense here. How in the world can I get this fixed? I badly need to get some gems loaded and get to work again with ruby, and I’m close, but can’t close the deal. Can someone tell me how to tell ruby 1.8.7 to go to the right rubygems when it needs to? I’m sure this involves some environment variable, and I’ll keep looking for this, but someone who know could sure help me by simply pointing to it. Thanks very much for any help you can offer. t. ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-install-confusion-beginner-problems/155615/2 "2008-12-15T18:09:28Z")
Tom C. wrote: > Yesterday I installed rubygems 1.3.1, and things went awry. Ignoring > tomc: mkdir -p > 1.2.0 > So…my question: It would appear that ruby 1.9, when it got > > Can someone tell me how to tell ruby 1.8.7 to go to the right rubygems > when it needs to? I’m sure this involves some environment variable, > and I’ll keep looking for this, but someone who know could sure help > me by simply pointing to it. > > Thanks very much for any help you can offer. > > t. Well, the response to this is definitely underwhelming. I’ll try to come up with more interesting problems in the future! Meanwhile…it occurred to me that perhaps there IS a rubygems that my ruby 1.8.7 can find, and I just verified that in irb: irb(main):004:0\> require ‘rubygems’ =\> true irb(main):005:0\> require ‘RedCloth’ =\> true irb(main):006:0\> I still don’t know which version of rubygems is being accessed, though - of the two that my system has - 1.2 and 1.3.1. Maybe I can puzzle this out somehow. Any help would be appreciated… t. ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-install-confusion-beginner-problems/155615/3 "2008-12-16T00:26:04Z")
On Dec 15, 2008, at 09:01 AM, Tom C. wrote: > > [sudo] password for > > tomc: mkdir - > > p /usr/local/lib/site\_ruby/ > > 1.8 mkdir -p /usr/ > > bin > > mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/site\_ruby/1.8/rbconfig More important were the last few lines, they’d look something like (I’m on OS X): > RubyGems installed the following executables: > /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/bin/gem > > If `gem` was installed by a previous RubyGems installation, you may > need > to remove it by hand. Which tells you were RubyGems put the `gem` command. > > What I have now is this: > > > > tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ which gem > > /usr/bin/gem > > tomc@tomc-desktop:~$ gem -v > > 1.2.0 gem env is more illuminating: $ gem env RubyGems Environment: - RUBYGEMS VERSION: 1.3.1.1939 - RUBY VERSION: 1.8.6 (2008-03-03 patchlevel 114) [universal- darwin9.0] […] > > So…my question: It would appear that ruby 1.9, when it got > > installed, by whatever program needed it, also installed rubygems, > > but not in a way that I can get to, and in any case it isn’t the > > latest version, and finally, it won’t let me use it anyway. Likely /usr/bin/gem is a symlink to /usr/bin/gem1.9, likewise for ruby -\> ruby1.9. To make things easier for yourself fix the symlinks to point to your most-commonly used ruby. > > I now have ruby 1.8.7, and rubygems 1.3.1 installed, but I have NO > > confidence that ruby 1.8.7 will access rubygems 1.3.1 should > > something it’s executing need it. I sure hope I’m making sense here. I have 100% confidence ruby 1.8.7 will access rubygems 1.3.1. Try: /path/to/ruby1.8.7 -vrubygems -e ‘p Gem::RubyGemsVersion’ Mine says: $ /usr/bin/ruby -vrubygems -e ‘p Gem::RubyGemsVersion’ ruby 1.8.6 (2008-03-03 patchlevel 114) [universal-darwin9.0] “1.3.1.1939” > > Can someone tell me how to tell ruby 1.8.7 to go to the right > > rubygems when it needs to? I’m sure this involves some environment > > variable, and I’ll keep looking for this, but someone who know > > could sure help me by simply pointing to it. It always will. Different major versions of Ruby have different repositories entirely. For 1.9+, minor versions have different repositories. > though - of the two that my system has - 1.2 and 1.3.1. Maybe I can > puzzle this out somehow. Any help would be appreciated… There is only one version of RubyGems allowed per Ruby. Compare gem1.8 env to gem1.9 env, namely GEM PATHS output. ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-install-confusion-beginner-problems/155615/4 "2008-12-16T23:39:54Z")
Eric, Thank you very much for your detailed and thoughtful response. This is more than I ever hoped for, and is certainly quite helpful. Thank you for taking the time to address my problems. We all benefit so very much from you work. Tom Eric H. wrote: > > > 1.9.0. Makes sense, I guess. > > > ruby setup.rb > > > RubyGems installed the following executables: > > > /usr/bin/gem > > > > So…my question: It would appear that ruby 1.9, when it got > > > something it’s executing need it. I sure hope I’m making sense here. > > > my ruby 1.8.7 can find, and I just verified that in irb: > > There is only one version of RubyGems allowed per Ruby. Compare > gem1.8 env to gem1.9 env, namely GEM PATHS output. – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ```