From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2002-12-05T22:09:24+09:00
Subject: install.rb

Could someone tell me how the Ruby 'install.rb' scripts work?

I'm finding that trying to install ruby modules is a very frustrating
experience.  Why can't it be nice and easy like Perl?  In Perl is always a
simple:

perl Makefile.PL
make
make install

Nice, easy, quick and never fails.

In Ruby I really can't get the 'install.rb' script to work.  The library
doesn't come with an INSTALL file, like everyone else, and the README file
contains no install observation.  After a while I find that there is a
file in /doc/ directory written in HTML (so I have to go start Netscape
just to read information that could just as well be transmitted in plain
text).  When I get there, I find that the information is simply wrong.
It's telling me to use flags which the install.rb script claims not to
understand.

I love Ruby, but this *one* thing about it really pisses me off.  I have
never seen anything to difficult to install.

If I were to remake the way Ruby modules are installed, this is what I
would change (from first to last):
1) Add an INSTALL file with install information.
2) Make the 'install.rb' scripts behave in a consistent manner.
3) Make them simpler to use.

Could someone please tell me how you use those 'install.rb' scrits?

I want to install FXRuby.  I have the Fox library in $HOME/lib and the
includes in $HOME/include/fox.

I would think that:

ruby install.rb config --prefix=$HOME

would work, but it doesn't.  It's not making a Makefile.

Any help would be most welcome.

Daniel.