Ruby/Gtk    Installation & setup help

This page was assembled as a companion to chapter 18 of the book SAMS Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days by Mark Slagell. 

Since some users have found the installation process for Ruby/Gtk confusing, relevant files and information are collected here in hopes of easing that process.

If you already know what you're doing, and came here just to find the necessary files, you can use the links on the right-hand side of this page.  Otherwise, read on.

Note: This page has not been updated for some time, as evidenced by the version numbers of the Ruby interpreter and Gtk package used. Both have progressed some way since then. It may be a while before I am able to update the download packages, but I hope some of the information still is still useful to somebody in the meantime.

Windows

Determine which of the following few scenarios best applies to you.

  1. If you have installed Ruby using version 1.6.5 of the Pragmatic Programmers' "one-click" installer, then you have a Cygwin-based interpreter.  Instructions for you are here.
  2. If you have installed Ruby using version a more recent version of the Pragmatic Programmers' "one-click" installer, then you have a Microsoft Visual C++ -based interpreter.  Instructions for you are here.
  3. If you have installed a Ruby interpreter by some other means, open a command window and type the command "ruby -v" (without the quotation marks) to see which build you have.  Then choose the corresponding link here for instructions: mingw32, cygwin, or djgpp.
  4. If you want to experiment with Ruby/Gtk but have not yet installed a Ruby interpreter, you can get one of the unzip-and-go interpreter packages.  For Windows NT, 2000, or XP, use this MinGW package; for Windows 95, 98, or ME, use this Cygwin package.  These use the 1.6.6 interpreter.

Unix

If you use some flavor of Unix, you probably need only the binding code.  See the installation directions on pages 386-387 of the book, if you have it; otherwise the README file should have all the information you need.

Files kept here

Self-contained (unzip and go) Ruby interpreter packages for Windows, including Gtk support

Just the Gtk library for Windows

Just the Ruby/Gtk binding code

Just the interpreter

Utilities

Links