Asp Forum - Create A Distributable Ruby Program With Minimal Install

Rishel,Wes

3/31/2008 5:36:00 AM

Although I have started to use Ruby instead of Python, I very much miss
one feature that I have not been able to find in Ruby.

There is a Python utility that takes a python script, and creates a
single installable file that contains the Python interpreter, the input
script and a stripped down version of the Python library with just
enough stuff to support the script.

With it, I can share my treasures with people who might not be willing
to do a full-blown install of Python. As far as they know, my script
comes as just another EXE file for installing a program.

Is there such a utility for Ruby?

I have tried searching with Google and I haven't been able to figure out
a search string that wouldn't give me 100s of citations to full-blown
installs of the Ruby library.
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

5 Answers

eumario

3/31/2008 6:44:00 AM

Hey Wesley,

There's currently two available out there, in which allows you to
create a Self-Contained Application, each with different methods of
doing it. The first one, is rubyscript2exe (http://
www.erikveen.dds.nl/rubyscript2exe/). This lets you gather all of
your libraries and the Ruby Interpreter executable itself, puts them
all into an tar archive, then attaches it to what Erik describes as an
Environment Embedding Executable. When it's run, it'll extract the
files in the tar archive to a temporary directory, and run the ruby
script, as if it was a normal executable. This solution works on
Windows, and Linux, but takes a bit more trickery to make it work for
MacOS X.

There's also Exerb (http://exerb.sourceforge.jp/ind...), which
does a similar method, however, it's only for Windows, and it only
extracts the Extensions to a temporary file, so that they can be
linked to, your script and such still remains within the executable
file itself. Exerb uses Microsoft's Resource format, to store the
files within the executable, which, like I said before, only the
extensions are extracted, the rest stays in the executable.

Hope this helps out,

Mario Steele

On Mar 31, 12:35 am, Wesley Rishel <wes.ris...@gartner.com> wrote:
> Although I have started to use Ruby instead of Python, I very much miss
> one feature that I have not been able to find in Ruby.
>
> There is a Python utility that takes a python script, and creates a
> single installable file that contains the Python interpreter, the input
> script and a stripped down version of the Python library with just
> enough stuff to support the script.
>
> With it, I can share my treasures with people who might not be willing
> to do a full-blown install of Python. As far as they know, my script
> comes as just another EXE file for installing a program.
>
> Is there such a utility for Ruby?
>
> I have tried searching with Google and I haven't been able to figure out
> a search string that wouldn't give me 100s of citations to full-blown
> installs of the Ruby library.
> --
> Posted viahttp://www.ruby-....

Marc Heiler

3/31/2008 12:27:00 PM

This question keeps on appearing over time :)
Most often one is pointed to rubyscript2exe but does anyone know if Erik
still maintains it?
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Erik Veenstra

3/31/2008 1:14:00 PM

> ... does anyone know if Erik still maintains it?

Yes, he still maintains it. Actually, there will probably be a new
release in a couple of days (read: weeks).

gegroet,
Erik V. - http://www.erikve...

Michael Brooks

4/1/2008 12:02:00 AM

Erik Veenstra wrote:
>> ... does anyone know if Erik still maintains it?
>
> Yes, he still maintains it. Actually, there will probably be a new
> release in a couple of days (read: weeks).
>
> gegroet,
> Erik V. - http://www.erikve...
>

Hello Erik:

Please pat yourself on the back for me. I haven't used rubyscript2exe
yet but I'm grateful that you've provided the option.

Michael

James Britt

4/1/2008 12:16:00 AM

eumario@gmail.com wrote:
> Hey Wesley,
>
> There's currently two available out there, in which allows you to
> create a Self-Contained Application, each with different methods of
> doing it.

You can also use JRuby, then bundle up your app in a jar and use Java
Web Start to deploy it. Installation is a matter of clicking a link on
a Web page.

Fellow Happy Camper Logan Barnett gave a demo of this at last weekend's
MountainWest RubyConf.

--
James Britt

"Tear it up and start again."
- Anonymous

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