# RubyGems or packages or both? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [July 24, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-or-packages-or-both/99633 "2006-07-24T16:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rhaus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-or-packages-or-both/99633/1 "2006-07-24T16:41:40Z")
I am puzzled as to what the recommended way to install packages (from the point of view of Ruby developers) should be: RubyGems or distribution-specific (Linux)packages for each (Ruby)package? I am asking because Ubuntu “deliberately” does not include RubyGems as a (Linux) package, arguing that (Ruby) packages should always be installed using the (Linux) packaging system (apt-get etc) instead of RubyGems. They argue that using RubyGems would inevitably break things. Is it known what the opinion of Ruby developers and expert Ruby users is on this? ---
**Author:** ![rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rhaus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-or-packages-or-both/99633/2 "2006-07-24T17:11:37Z")
On Mon, 24 Jul 2006, Roman H. wrote: > on this? > I’m using rubygems on ubuntu, which works fine. In terms of what the ubuntu people (and likely other dists) are saying, is that it is hard to cleanly integrate rubygems into the debian system, when it comes to, say, the user installing debian packages that might depend on some rubygems. e.g. assume you might want to install a rails app, that comes as a stock ubuntu package - if you install your ubuntu from dvd to a machine that does not (currently) have a network connection, ubuntu can’t access your rubygem (while, presumably, if it was another ubuntu package, you’d have it on the same dvd you’re installing ubuntu from). Worse yet, even if you managed to install the package, there is nothing stopping you from de-installing a rubygem, without apt-get or dpkg (the debian package managers) even knowing about it, i.e. you’d break an installed ubuntu package, without the ubuntu package manager having any idea what might have happened. I’m happy with just having my own local gem repository; YMMV… Benedikt ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other’s pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. (Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary) ---
**Author:** ![rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rhaus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-or-packages-or-both/99633/3 "2006-07-24T23:19:20Z")
On 7/24/06, Benedikt H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > e.g. assume you might want to install a rails app, that comes as a stock > > I’m happy with just having my own local gem repository; YMMV… I’ve had good success making a .deb package of rubygems using the checkinstall application, then installing gems of applications that come packaged in gem format. That way, everything is packaged on my system, including rubygems. Being a Debian/Ubuntu user, I would really prefer for everything to be packaged with the same packaging system (apt/dpkg). However, since that’s aprently not very feasible, I have to be happy having everything packaged under 2 systems. The thought of just doing a ‘make install’ or ‘ruby setup.rb’ is far less prefereable to me than doing an apt-get install or gem install. To each their own, I suppose, but I like my installed software under some form of sane package management. – – AL – ---
**Author:** ![rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rhaus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rhaus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rubygems-or-packages-or-both/99633/4 "2006-07-25T22:28:40Z")
Benedikt H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > e.g. assume you might want to install a rails app, that comes as a stock > > I’m happy with just having my own local gem repository; YMMV… You’re misrepresenting Debian and Ubuntu’s reason. Debian and Ubuntu both support CPAN, which is similar. The arguments I’ve heard against rubygems is that it requires source code changes to the programs using iti (require ‘rubygems’, and require\_gem), unlike perl which does not. I didn’t follow the discussions long enough to why this is terribly important. OTOH, rubygems is now packaged in Debian experimental, so look for it to make it into Debian unstable and Ubuntu soonish. –Ken