Installing irb in Ubuntu

ruby-talk
1

Hi.

I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by myself.

I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because I've
installed
ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I also
have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.

I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make sense
to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not of ubuntu
packages?

If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
command,
is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?

Sincerely,
Minkoo Seo

2

If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
command,
is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?

I used ubuntu recently and I recall that ruby was split into many more pieces than I expected libruby1.8, ruby1.8 (interpreter) IIRC so yeah it's a different beast from the WinXP one-click-installer

Kev

···

--
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in it's worst state an intolerable one" - Thomas Paine

3

Minkoo Seo wrote:

Hi.

I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by myself.

I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because I've
installed
ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I also
have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.

I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make sense
to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not of ubuntu
packages?

I have been blogging more times about ubuntu and Ruby/Rails installation
woes - Ubuntu is absolutely my favorite distro, unfortunately it does
not play very well with Ruby/Rails (and programming stuff in general).

There is not even a preinstalled make - which is IMHO kind of a shame
for a linux distribution. It is one of the few distros i have met, where
you can not install rails easily (e.g. gentoo: emerge rails). Here,
you can not even dream about 'sudo apt-get install rails'. Also, there
are other packages (e.g. libopenssl-ruby) which you have to install
along the way, sudo apt-get install ruby won't do it for you.

Conclusion: Ubuntu is a very fine distro for desktop usage, but be
prepared for heavy installation session to fine-tune it for programming
(esp. bleeding edge stuff).

Peter

···

---
http://www.rubyrailways.com

4

Probably irb _depends_ on irb1.8 already, so you (probably) can just
install irb, and it will drag irb1.8 with it. It probably works like in
Debian:

    - irb _depends_ on the "default" Ruby version, and provides the "irb"
      command (just a symbolic link to the default one)
    - irb1.8 provides the real irb program, but as "irb1.8". When the "irb"
      package is installed, /usr/bin/irb already points to irb1.8, so you can
      use "irb" in the command line

···

On Tue, Jun 20, 2006 at 03:48:32PM +0900, Minkoo Seo wrote:

[...]
If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
command,
is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?

--
Esteban Manchado Velázquez <zoso@foton.es> - http://www.foton.es
EuropeSwPatentFree - http://EuropeSwPatentFree.hispalinux.es

5

Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix follows.

If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll see Ubuntu
Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages ruby, irb, ri, rdoc,
etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8, irb1.8, ri1.8, rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby
1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two different versions is some dependency
problem, but I think that was a very wrong decision.

Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed: 1.8.2 and 1.8.4
and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you want Ruby 1.8.4. What do
you do?
1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc, etc). You may
want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find out the version
information for an already-installed package. You may want to use
dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages installed on your
computer.

2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now you'll
have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc

3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:

   # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb /usr/bin/irb1.8 10
   
   This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to take a look
at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each option and how to
reconfigure it later.

  You can just create symlinks instead of using update-alternatives, but
update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management, automanagement when
you install a package that provides the the "alternative", etc).

Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4, too.

Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in Ubuntu.
That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's up-to-date (1.1.2) and it's
in the 'universe' repository. You may need to edit your /etc/apt/sources.list
file.

···

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:

Hi.

I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by myself.

I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because I've
installed
ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I also
have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.

I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make sense
to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not of ubuntu
packages?

If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
command,
is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?

Sincerely,
Minkoo Seo

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

6

IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4

$ sudo apt-get install irb ruby

will install the 1.8.4 versions

···

On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:

> Hi.
>
> I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
> have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by myself.
>
> I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because I've
> installed
> ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I also
> have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
>
> I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make sense
> to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not of ubuntu
> packages?
>
> If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
> command,
> is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?
>
> Sincerely,
> Minkoo Seo

Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix follows.

If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll see Ubuntu
Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages ruby, irb, ri, rdoc,
etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8, irb1.8, ri1.8, rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby
1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two different versions is some dependency
problem, but I think that was a very wrong decision.

Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed: 1.8.2 and 1.8.4
and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you want Ruby 1.8.4. What do
you do?
1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc, etc). You may
want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find out the version
information for an already-installed package. You may want to use
dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages installed on your
computer.

2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now you'll
have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc

3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:

   # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb /usr/bin/irb1.8 10

   This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to take a look
at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each option and how to
reconfigure it later.

  You can just create symlinks instead of using update-alternatives, but
update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management, automanagement when
you install a package that provides the the "alternative", etc).

Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4, too.

Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in Ubuntu.
That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's up-to-date (1.1.2) and it's
in the 'universe' repository. You may need to edit your /etc/apt/sources.list
file.

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--

7

No, that will install ruby 1.8.2:

pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb | grep Version
Version: 1.8.2-1
pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby | grep Version
Version: 1.8.2-1

You need the *1.8 packages:

pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby1.8 | grep Version
Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb1.8 | grep Version
Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1

···

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:00, Jon Lim wrote:

IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4

$ sudo apt-get install irb ruby

will install the 1.8.4 versions

On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:
> > Hi.
> >
> > I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
> > have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by
> > myself.
> >
> > I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because
> > I've installed
> > ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I
> > also have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
> >
> > I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make
> > sense to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not
> > of ubuntu packages?
> >
> > If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
> > command,
> > is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Minkoo Seo
>
> Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix follows.
>
> If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll see
> Ubuntu Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages ruby, irb,
> ri, rdoc, etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8, irb1.8, ri1.8,
> rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby 1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two different
> versions is some dependency problem, but I think that was a very wrong
> decision.
>
> Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed: 1.8.2 and
> 1.8.4 and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you want Ruby
> 1.8.4. What do you do?
> 1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc, etc).
> You may want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find out the
> version information for an already-installed package. You may want to use
> dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages installed on your
> computer.
>
> 2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now you'll
> have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc
>
> 3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:
>
> # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb /usr/bin/irb1.8 10
>
> This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to take a
> look at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each option and
> how to reconfigure it later.
>
> You can just create symlinks instead of using update-alternatives, but
> update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management, automanagement
> when you install a package that provides the the "alternative", etc).
>
> Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4, too.
>
> Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in Ubuntu.
> That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's up-to-date (1.1.2) and
> it's in the 'universe' repository. You may need to edit your
> /etc/apt/sources.list file.
>
> --
> Pau Garcia i Quiles
> http://www.elpauer.org
> (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

8

The data in the meta package is wrong.
Therefore, you cannot believe the Version output from apt-cache show.

ruby depends on ruby1.8
irb depends on irb1.8
sic the 1.8.4 versions will be installed and you will not have to symlink irb.

You just have to turn a blind eye to the metapackage version number.

···

On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:00, Jon Lim wrote:

No, that will install ruby 1.8.2:

pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb | grep Version
Version: 1.8.2-1
pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby | grep Version
Version: 1.8.2-1

You need the *1.8 packages:

pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby1.8 | grep Version
Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb1.8 | grep Version
Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1

> IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
> Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4
>
> $ sudo apt-get install irb ruby
>
> will install the 1.8.4 versions
>
> On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:
> > > Hi.
> > >
> > > I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it doesn't
> > > have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do it by
> > > myself.
> > >
> > > I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8 because
> > > I've installed
> > > ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that I
> > > also have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
> > >
> > > I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make
> > > sense to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and not
> > > of ubuntu packages?
> > >
> > > If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for irb
> > > command,
> > > is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation procedure?
> > >
> > > Sincerely,
> > > Minkoo Seo
> >
> > Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix follows.
> >
> > If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll see
> > Ubuntu Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages ruby, irb,
> > ri, rdoc, etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8, irb1.8, ri1.8,
> > rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby 1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two different
> > versions is some dependency problem, but I think that was a very wrong
> > decision.
> >
> > Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed: 1.8.2 and
> > 1.8.4 and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you want Ruby
> > 1.8.4. What do you do?
> > 1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc, etc).
> > You may want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find out the
> > version information for an already-installed package. You may want to use
> > dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages installed on your
> > computer.
> >
> > 2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now you'll
> > have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc
> >
> > 3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:
> >
> > # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb /usr/bin/irb1.8 10
> >
> > This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to take a
> > look at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each option and
> > how to reconfigure it later.
> >
> > You can just create symlinks instead of using update-alternatives, but
> > update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management, automanagement
> > when you install a package that provides the the "alternative", etc).
> >
> > Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4, too.
> >
> > Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in Ubuntu.
> > That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's up-to-date (1.1.2) and
> > it's in the 'universe' repository. You may need to edit your
> > /etc/apt/sources.list file.
> >
> > --
> > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > http://www.elpauer.org
> > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--

9

Oh yes, you are right. I hadn't noticed the dependency.

···

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:13, Jon Lim wrote:

The data in the meta package is wrong.
Therefore, you cannot believe the Version output from apt-cache show.

ruby depends on ruby1.8
irb depends on irb1.8
sic the 1.8.4 versions will be installed and you will not have to symlink
irb.

You just have to turn a blind eye to the metapackage version number.

On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:00, Jon Lim wrote:
>
> No, that will install ruby 1.8.2:
>
> pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb | grep Version
> Version: 1.8.2-1
> pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby | grep Version
> Version: 1.8.2-1
>
> You need the *1.8 packages:
>
> pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby1.8 | grep Version
> Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
> pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb1.8 | grep Version
> Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
>
> > IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
> > Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4
> >
> > $ sudo apt-get install irb ruby
> >
> > will install the 1.8.4 versions
> >
> > On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:
> > > > Hi.
> > > >
> > > > I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it
> > > > doesn't have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can do
> > > > it by myself.
> > > >
> > > > I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8
> > > > because I've installed
> > > > ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out that
> > > > I also have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
> > > >
> > > > I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it make
> > > > sense to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem and
> > > > not of ubuntu packages?
> > > >
> > > > If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for
> > > > irb command,
> > > > is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation
> > > > procedure?
> > > >
> > > > Sincerely,
> > > > Minkoo Seo
> > >
> > > Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix follows.
> > >
> > > If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll
> > > see Ubuntu Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages
> > > ruby, irb, ri, rdoc, etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8, irb1.8,
> > > ri1.8, rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby 1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two
> > > different versions is some dependency problem, but I think that was a
> > > very wrong decision.
> > >
> > > Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed: 1.8.2
> > > and 1.8.4 and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you want
> > > Ruby 1.8.4. What do you do?
> > > 1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc,
> > > etc). You may want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find
> > > out the version information for an already-installed package. You may
> > > want to use dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages
> > > installed on your computer.
> > >
> > > 2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now
> > > you'll have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc
> > >
> > > 3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:
> > >
> > > # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb /usr/bin/irb1.8
> > > 10
> > >
> > > This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to
> > > take a look at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each
> > > option and how to reconfigure it later.
> > >
> > > You can just create symlinks instead of using update-alternatives,
> > > but update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management,
> > > automanagement when you install a package that provides the the
> > > "alternative", etc).
> > >
> > > Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4,
> > > too.
> > >
> > > Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in
> > > Ubuntu. That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's up-to-date
> > > (1.1.2) and it's in the 'universe' repository. You may need to edit
> > > your /etc/apt/sources.list file.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > > http://www.elpauer.org
> > > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)
>
> --
> Pau Garcia i Quiles
> http://www.elpauer.org
> (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

10

Thank you for the all the comments.

I'm curious why there are two packages for ruby: ruby and ruby1.8.
Is ruby a wrapper for ruby1.8?

I also got an offtopic question. Is there any way to get a list
of installed package using apt-get (or aptitude)? I'm afraid that I don't
have
much experience with apt-get.

Sincerely,
Minkoo Seo

···

On 6/21/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:

On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:13, Jon Lim wrote:

Oh yes, you are right. I hadn't noticed the dependency.

> The data in the meta package is wrong.
> Therefore, you cannot believe the Version output from apt-cache show.
>
> ruby depends on ruby1.8
> irb depends on irb1.8
> sic the 1.8.4 versions will be installed and you will not have to
symlink
> irb.
>
> You just have to turn a blind eye to the metapackage version number.
>
> On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:00, Jon Lim wrote:
> >
> > No, that will install ruby 1.8.2:
> >
> > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb | grep Version
> > Version: 1.8.2-1
> > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby | grep Version
> > Version: 1.8.2-1
> >
> > You need the *1.8 packages:
> >
> > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby1.8 | grep Version
> > Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
> > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb1.8 | grep Version
> > Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
> >
> > > IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
> > > Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4
> > >
> > > $ sudo apt-get install irb ruby
> > >
> > > will install the 1.8.4 versions
> > >
> > > On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:
> > > > > Hi.
> > > > >
> > > > > I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it
> > > > > doesn't have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can
do
> > > > > it by myself.
> > > > >
> > > > > I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8
> > > > > because I've installed
> > > > > ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out
that
> > > > > I also have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
> > > > >
> > > > > I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it
make
> > > > > sense to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem
and
> > > > > not of ubuntu packages?
> > > > >
> > > > > If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for
> > > > > irb command,
> > > > > is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation
> > > > > procedure?
> > > > >
> > > > > Sincerely,
> > > > > Minkoo Seo
> > > >
> > > > Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix
follows.
> > > >
> > > > If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll
> > > > see Ubuntu Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages
> > > > ruby, irb, ri, rdoc, etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8,
irb1.8,
> > > > ri1.8, rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby 1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two
> > > > different versions is some dependency problem, but I think that
was a
> > > > very wrong decision.
> > > >
> > > > Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed:
1.8.2
> > > > and 1.8.4 and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you
want
> > > > Ruby 1.8.4. What do you do?
> > > > 1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc,
> > > > etc). You may want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find
> > > > out the version information for an already-installed package. You
may
> > > > want to use dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages
> > > > installed on your computer.
> > > >
> > > > 2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now
> > > > you'll have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc
> > > >
> > > > 3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:
> > > >
> > > > # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb
/usr/bin/irb1.8
> > > > 10
> > > >
> > > > This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to
> > > > take a look at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each
> > > > option and how to reconfigure it later.
> > > >
> > > > You can just create symlinks instead of using
update-alternatives,
> > > > but update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management,
> > > > automanagement when you install a package that provides the the
> > > > "alternative", etc).
> > > >
> > > > Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4,
> > > > too.
> > > >
> > > > Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in
> > > > Ubuntu. That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's
up-to-date
> > > > (1.1.2) and it's in the 'universe' repository. You may need to
edit
> > > > your /etc/apt/sources.list file.
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > > > http://www.elpauer.org
> > > > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)
> >
> > --
> > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > http://www.elpauer.org
> > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

--
Pau Garcia i Quiles
http://www.elpauer.org
(Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)

11

Thank you for the all the comments.

I'm curious why there are two packages for ruby: ruby and ruby1.8.
Is ruby a wrapper for ruby1.8?

to the official version, yes. ruby1.9 should be there to.
the idea is, i think to prevent dependency changes in packages that
require ruby. they should not care if its 1.8.4 or 1.9.... they
might need to thru.

I also got an offtopic question. Is there any way to get a list
of installed package using apt-get (or aptitude)? I'm afraid that I don't

dpkg -l ?

···

On 6/22/06, Minkoo Seo <minkoo.seo@gmail.com> wrote:

Sincerely,
Minkoo Seo

On 6/21/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
>
> On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:13, Jon Lim wrote:
>
> Oh yes, you are right. I hadn't noticed the dependency.
>
> > The data in the meta package is wrong.
> > Therefore, you cannot believe the Version output from apt-cache show.
> >
> > ruby depends on ruby1.8
> > irb depends on irb1.8
> > sic the 1.8.4 versions will be installed and you will not have to
> symlink
> > irb.
> >
> > You just have to turn a blind eye to the metapackage version number.
> >
> > On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 13:00, Jon Lim wrote:
> > >
> > > No, that will install ruby 1.8.2:
> > >
> > > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb | grep Version
> > > Version: 1.8.2-1
> > > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby | grep Version
> > > Version: 1.8.2-1
> > >
> > > You need the *1.8 packages:
> > >
> > > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show ruby1.8 | grep Version
> > > Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
> > > pgquiles@enigma:~$ apt-cache show irb1.8 | grep Version
> > > Version: 1.8.4-1ubuntu1
> > >
> > > > IIRC that is was just poor naming on the meta packages.
> > > > Dapper does ship with ruby 1.8.4
> > > >
> > > > $ sudo apt-get install irb ruby
> > > >
> > > > will install the 1.8.4 versions
> > > >
> > > > On 20/06/06, Pau Garcia i Quiles <pgquiles@elpauer.org> wrote:
> > > > > On Tuesday 20 June 2006 08:48, Minkoo Seo wrote:
> > > > > > Hi.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I've installed Ubuntu Dapper in my desktop. To my disappoint it
> > > > > > doesn't have ruby preinstalled. That's still okay, because I can
> do
> > > > > > it by myself.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I've apt-get install ruby. Then, I've apt-get install irb1.8
> > > > > > because I've installed
> > > > > > ruby1.8. Surprisingly, irb command did not work. It turned out
> that
> > > > > > I also have to apt-get install irb to run irb command.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I can't figure out why things are working in this way. Does it
> make
> > > > > > sense to apt-get twice just for irb? Or is this my own problem
> and
> > > > > > not of ubuntu packages?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > If it's true that we have to apt-get install irb irb1.8 just for
> > > > > > irb command,
> > > > > > is there any way to fix such a non-intuitive installation
> > > > > > procedure?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Sincerely,
> > > > > > Minkoo Seo
> > > > >
> > > > > Actually, you got it completely wrong. Explanation and fix
> follows.
> > > > >
> > > > > If you run 'apt-cache show irb' and 'apt-cache show irb1.8' you'll
> > > > > see Ubuntu Dapper ships with two different Ruby versions: packages
> > > > > ruby, irb, ri, rdoc, etc are Ruby 1.8.2 and packages ruby1.8,
> irb1.8,
> > > > > ri1.8, rdoc1.8, etc are Ruby 1.8.4. I guess the reason to ship two
> > > > > different versions is some dependency problem, but I think that
> was a
> > > > > very wrong decision.
> > > > >
> > > > > Therefore, you now have two different irb versions installed:
> 1.8.2
> > > > > and 1.8.4 and I'm pretty sure you don't want that. I guess you
> want
> > > > > Ruby 1.8.4. What do you do?
> > > > > 1. First of all, remove the 1.8.2 versions (irb, ri, ruby, rdoc,
> > > > > etc). You may want to use dpkg --print-avail <packagename> to find
> > > > > out the version information for an already-installed package. You
> may
> > > > > want to use dpkg --get-selections to get a full list of packages
> > > > > installed on your computer.
> > > > >
> > > > > 2. Install the 1.8.4 versions (ruby1.8, irb1.8, rdoc1.8, etc). Now
> > > > > you'll have /usr/bin/ruby1.8, /usr/bin/irb1.8, etc
> > > > >
> > > > > 3. Use update-alternatives to install symlinks for easy access:
> > > > >
> > > > > # update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/irb irb
> /usr/bin/irb1.8
> > > > > 10
> > > > >
> > > > > This is a per-system (not per-user) setting. You might want to
> > > > > take a look at man update-alternatives to know the meaning of each
> > > > > option and how to reconfigure it later.
> > > > >
> > > > > You can just create symlinks instead of using
> update-alternatives,
> > > > > but update-alternatives has some advantages (easy management,
> > > > > automanagement when you install a package that provides the the
> > > > > "alternative", etc).
> > > > >
> > > > > Debian Testing and Debian Sid have both Ruby 1.8.2 and Ruby 1.8.4,
> > > > > too.
> > > > >
> > > > > Lastly, some people have said it's impossible to install rails in
> > > > > Ubuntu. That's not true. There is a 'rails' package, it's
> up-to-date
> > > > > (1.1.2) and it's in the 'universe' repository. You may need to
> edit
> > > > > your /etc/apt/sources.list file.
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > > > > http://www.elpauer.org
> > > > > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)
> > >
> > > --
> > > Pau Garcia i Quiles
> > > http://www.elpauer.org
> > > (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)
>
> --
> Pau Garcia i Quiles
> http://www.elpauer.org
> (Due to the amount of work, I usually need 10 days to answer)
>