From: "Tom Cloyd" <tomcloyd / comcast.net>
>
[...]
> extconf.rb:1:in `require': no such file to load -- mkmf (LoadError)
>        from extconf.rb:1
>
[...]
>
> The solution? Install the ruby1.8-dev library or package or whatever the 
> heck it is. It's in the Adept package manager.

This appears to be partly a manifestation of the eternal clash
between ruby vs. the Debian packaging philosophy.

It is the Debian package maintainers who carve up the Ruby
standard library into fragmented packages.

This is described as beneficial for persons attempting to 
install software on systems with extremely minimal storage
resources.

On the other hand, year after year it results in confusion for
individuals who had done "apt-get install ruby" with the
expectation that this would result in a complete ruby 
installation.

So there are trade-offs...

However in this case it does also sound like there may simply
be a missing dependency for rubygems on the ruby*-dev package.

If so, we should alert the Debian ruby package maintainers.


Regards,

Bill