# What does this mean in the Rails installation command?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [July 19, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835 "2010-07-19T16:17:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835/1 "2010-07-19T16:17:27Z")

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In the Rails guides, it shows thee following for installing Rails:

gem install rails --pre

What is “–pre”?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835/2 "2010-07-19T16:28:03Z")

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abbreviation for “pre-release”. is a version to be installed

2010/7/19 Abder-Rahman A. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835/3 "2010-07-19T16:50:59Z")

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Luciano S. wrote:

> abbreviation for “pre-release”. is a version to be installed
> 
> 2010/7/19 Abder-Rahman A. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

Thanks. Can I specify a specific version.

As for --pre, is it a specific version? Like for example when I used it  
it installed Rails3 and I think it was saying also beta4 or something?

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-does-this-mean-in-the-rails-installation-command/191835/4 "2010-07-19T22:18:15Z")

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On 19 July 2010 15:50, Abder-Rahman A. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Luciano S. wrote:
> 
> > abbreviation for “pre-release”. is a version to be installed
> > 
> > 2010/7/19 Abder-Rahman A. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)
> 
> Thanks. Can I specify a specific version.

For example  
gem install rails --version 2.3.5  
(that is two ‘-’ chars).

> As for --pre, is it a specific version? Like for example when I used it  
> it installed Rails3 and I think it was saying also beta4 or something?

Don’t know that one.

Colin