Peter Vanderhaden wrote:
> I've just downloaded the DBI for MySQL.  I have Ruby installed on my
> Ubuntu system, but I don't know how to install the DBI package.  (I'm
> new to Linux)  Can someone give me a step-by-step list on how to do it,
> including how to unzip the tar.gz file?  I'd really appreciate the help.

Peter (welcome to Unix, by the way)

   I am not an expert on this, but I had to do it (on a Mac) and I can 
help.

Let me tell you that you picked up to start on Linux an installation 
that is not the easiest because of 3 layers of interdependency between 
components. But if you have a bit of pacience, it should work (all other 
installations that you will need to do will be a piece of cake after 
this).

First: there are 3 components to be able to work with the Ruby DBI, that 
you should install in this order (I assume you have a recent Ruby 
version installed):

1) install MySql (5.0 or later); this will generate something called the 
"MySql C Client Api" (I mention it as you will find references to it).

2) install the Ruby-MySql module, from 
http://www.tmtm.org/en/mysql/ruby.
This is a MySql Ruby Client Api (a wrapper around the MySql C client Api 
mentioned above). This install will provide the DRIVER (mysql.rb).

[Note: this installation failed this June on my Mac because of a missing 
C ulong define, that one has to write manually (!). I don't think the 
problem exists on Linux].

3) finally install the Ruby-Dbi module which will use the Driver 
installed in previous point. The best doc (all others on the web give 
you only part of the story) is 
http://www.kitebird.com/articles/ruby-mysql.html, written by Paul Du 
Bois (MySql guru). He even shows how to untar (the equivalent of what 
you called 'unzip') the distribution. The only thing not clearly 
described in his document is step 2 above.


Of course, if somebody knows a simpler way, please let us know; in the 
meantime, the above works.

Good luck
Raul

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