# FW: Ominous quietude

**URL:** <https://rubytalk.org/t/fw-ominous-quietude/27387>\
**Category:** ruby-talk\
**Created:** [12 May 2006 18:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/fw-ominous-quietude/27387 "2006-05-12T18:30:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Fred\_Allen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fred\_Allen](https://rubytalk.org/u/Fred_Allen)\
**Post date:** [12 May 2006 18:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/fw-ominous-quietude/27387/1 "2006-05-12T18:30:17Z")

</div>

Dear Sirs and Mesdames:

Yesterday I executed the Windows Quick Install of Ruby's release 18.  
4.17rc2. I'm running Windows XP.

When I initiate Ruby's interactive application (c:\ruby\bin\ruby.exe) it  
seems strangely inert. No prompt appears on the opened window (exact  
reproduction below). I believe the commands I tendered comport with the  
languages' rules of composition, but they remain, alas, unrequited. If  
any among you have a suggestion, I shall remain,

Gratefully yours,

Fred Allen

a = "Hello, world!"  
puts a  
a.class  
puts 225/15

---

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**Author:** ![Meino\_Christian\_Cra1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Meino\_Christian\_Cra1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Meino_Christian_Cra1)\
**Post date:** [12 May 2006 18:39 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/fw-ominous-quietude/27387/2 "2006-05-12T18:39:02Z")

</div>

Hi,

Yiu have started the ruyb interpreter itsself.  
Try to find and execute irb.exe (guessed,...I am working on a UNIX  
system, where there are no "\*.exe"...they are name -- for example --  
simply "ruby" instead of "ruby.exe" -- therefore I think, that "irb"  
on UNIX must be "irb.exe" under windows.).

irb is the "interactive ruby shell".

ruby.exe ("ruby" on UNIX) is the interpreter which process textfiles  
with commands.

Hope I could help a little.  
Dont hesitate to ask because who who do not ask will get no answers  
🙂

Keep hacking!  
mcc

> **···**
>
> From: "Fred Allen" \<fallen@leveltwo.com\>  
> Subject: FW: Ominous quietude  
> Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 03:30:17 +0900
> 
> > Dear Sirs and Mesdames:
> > 
> > Yesterday I executed the Windows Quick Install of Ruby's release 18.  
> > 4.17rc2. I'm running Windows XP.
> > 
> > When I initiate Ruby's interactive application (c:\ruby\bin\ruby.exe) it  
> > seems strangely inert. No prompt appears on the opened window (exact  
> > reproduction below). I believe the commands I tendered comport with the  
> > languages' rules of composition, but they remain, alas, unrequited. If  
> > any among you have a suggestion, I shall remain,
> > 
> > Gratefully yours,
> > 
> > Fred Allen
> > 
> > a = "Hello, world!"  
> > puts a  
> > a.class  
> > puts 225/15

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bill\_Kelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Bill\_Kelly](https://rubytalk.org/u/Bill_Kelly)\
**Post date:** [12 May 2006 18:40 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/fw-ominous-quietude/27387/3 "2006-05-12T18:40:02Z")

</div>

> When I initiate Ruby's interactive application (c:\ruby\bin\ruby.exe) it  
> seems strangely inert. No prompt appears on the opened window (exact  
> reproduction below).

Hi,

For interactive ruby, try "irb" instead of ruby.exe.

ruby.exe invoked with no parameters reads a script from stdin  
(standard input) and will execute it when end-of-file is  
reached. (On windows, you can use control-Z to type and  
end-of-file character.)

But for an interactive ruby session, try irb.

Hope this helps,

Bill

> **···**
>
> From: "Fred Allen" \<fallen@leveltwo.com\>