Re: Install question on Mac

On Apr 29, 2009, at 9:12 AM, Pito Salas wrote:

> Thanks for your help. I ended up installing it via ports like you
> originally suggested. Seemed the safer and easier way to go. And it
> worked flawlessly and so I am up and running.
>
> As a general rule, as a ruby developer, do you use ports instead of
> gems or what is your policy?

No, I actually use gems most of the time. It's the more flexible  
option (in my opinion), although it occasionally requires a little  
more work on my part (in terms of tracking down dependencies and  
things like that).

> Another question, it looks like the X Window package is launched on
> Mac to display UI. Is that the way FX always works or is it just a mac
> thing?

It's a Mac thing. I'm not sure exactly when it gets triggered, but I'm  
guessing that as soon as you call XOpenDisplay(), if the X server  
isn't running yet, it gets launched.

> I am assessing what gui package to make the effort to learn and at
> this point I have it down to WxRuby and FxRuby. Any words of advice?

I am a lousy evangelist, so I'm not going to try to convince you  
either way. WxRuby is a fine GUI toolkit for Ruby (as are Shoes and  
several others). I like FOX because it's lightweight, and very fast,  
and easy to extend. I've also spent a lot of time poring over FOX's  
source code, and I know how good it is. So for various reasons, FOX is  
what clicked with me. But my advice for you is that you write one or  
two non-trivial sample applications using each (WxRuby and FXRuby) and  
then go with your gut. Which one makes more sense to you as a  
developer, that sort of thing. I mean, that's what I would do if I  
were in your shoes.
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