# Help,Why I cannot install ruby under linux

**URL:** <https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615>\
**Category:** ruby-talk\
**Created:** [11 July 2002 02:23 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615 "2002-07-11T02:23:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Maggie\_Xiao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Maggie\_Xiao](https://rubytalk.org/u/Maggie_Xiao)\
**Post date:** [11 July 2002 02:23 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615/1 "2002-07-11T02:23:00Z")

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Hi,

I try to install ruby, but when I typed ./configure there is an error  
massage:c compiler cannot create executables,then I typed “make” in the  
command line, there is another error message:“no target specified and no  
makefile found.” What is wrong with the installation? I did find [Makefile.in](http://Makefile.in)  
in this directory.Thanks.

Maggie

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**Author:** ![Nobuyoshi\_Nakada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/edb3f5/32.png) [@Nobuyoshi\_Nakada](https://rubytalk.org/u/Nobuyoshi_Nakada)\
**Post date:** [11 July 2002 02:55 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615/2 "2002-07-11T02:55:23Z")

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Hi,

> **···**
>
> At Thu, 11 Jul 2002 11:23:00 +0900, Maggie Xiao wrote:
> 
> > I try to install ruby, but when I typed ./configure there is an error  
> > massage:c compiler cannot create executables,
> 
> What message?
> 
> –  
> Nobu Nakada

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![David\_Alan\_Black1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@David\_Alan\_Black1](https://rubytalk.org/u/David_Alan_Black1)\
**Post date:** [11 July 2002 03:04 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615/3 "2002-07-11T03:04:19Z")

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Hello –

> **···**
>
> On Thu, 11 Jul 2002, Maggie Xiao wrote:
> 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > I try to install ruby, but when I typed ./configure there is an error  
> > massage:c compiler cannot create executables,then I typed “make” in the  
> > command line, there is another error message:“no target specified and no  
> > makefile found.” What is wrong with the installation? I did find Makefile.in  
> > in this directory.Thanks.
> 
> It sounds like your C compiler cannot create executables 🙂 What  
> platform are you on? What happens if you type “cc” at the command  
> line?
> 
> (Also, Makefile.in is just the template for Makefile. If ./configure  
> doesn’t work, then Makefile itself won’t exist.)
> 
> David
> 
> –  
> David Alan Black  
> home: [dblack@candle.superlink.net](mailto:dblack@candle.superlink.net)  
> work: blackdav@shu.edu  
> Web: [http://pirate.shu.edu/~blackdav](http://pirate.shu.edu/~blackdav)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kasal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kasal](https://rubytalk.org/u/Kasal)\
**Post date:** [12 July 2002 09:12 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/help-why-i-cannot-install-ruby-under-linux/615/4 "2002-07-12T09:12:14Z")

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Hello,

> > I try to install ruby, but when I typed ./configure there is an error  
> > massage:c compiler cannot create executables, […]

> It sounds like your C compiler cannot create executables 🙂  
> What platform are you on?

It sounds like Maggie is using linux. 😉  
But seriously, it help to name the vendor of the distribution, as well as the  
version of the distribution.

> What happens if you type “cc” at the command line?

Thus it should help to search for gcc package/packages in your install/admin  
program. (Eg. yast in SuSE.)

Sometimes there is a list of useful packages called like “Development  
Workstation” so you don’t have to check individual packages.

HTH,  
Stepan

> **···**
>
> On Thu, 11 Jul 2002 03:05:36 GMT, David Alan Black wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, 11 Jul 2002, Maggie Xiao wrote: