> On 2 Oct 2021, at 6:33 pm, Ryan Schmidt = wrote: >=20 > On Sep 21, 2021, at 23:49, Ian Wadham wrote: >=20 >> I wish to download from the Web a package called CocoaPods, however = it needs a developers=E2=80=99 package of Ruby to build it. >>=20 >> I am using MacOS Catalina 10.15.7. Apple provides Ruby in this = MacOSversion, but will not allow it to be used for building non-Apple = apps. They say they are phasing out the use of Ruby in MacOS and Apple = Mac apps. >>=20 >> Googling around about this problem, all the solutions I have found = recommend getting a "ruby-dev" package from Homebrew, but MacPorts, = which I use a lot, recommends against mixing MacPorts and Homebrew. >=20 > Some other package managers observe a distinction between "runtime" = and "development" packages, with the latter having a "-dev" suffix. = MacPorts does not observe such a distinction. All packages in MacPorts = contain both the runtime and development parts, to the extent that each = software package has those parts. I have since found out that all Ruby packages have facilities for = developing programs or running existing programs, including MacPorts=E2=80= =99 =E2=80=9Cruby=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cruby$NN=E2=80=9D packages. The = command =E2=80=9Cgem=E2=80=9D is used to build and install Ruby = programs. I have used the =E2=80=9Cruby27=E2=80=9D port to build and = install CocoaPods successfully, I am pleased to say, which was my = primary objective. > MacPorts does have port names with a "-devel" suffix, but they embody = a completely unrelated concept. Ports with names not ending with = "-devel" are typically for stable versions of software while ports with = the "-devel" name suffix are for newer unstable versions. >=20 >> Failing that, would it be safe to install Homebrew and its ruby-dev, = just for building CocoaPods? >=20 > Please choose one package manager and uninstall the other. We do not = want to spend time diagnosing problems that were caused by installing = software with multiple conflicting package managers. It turns out that MacPorts Ruby packages do not work =E2=80=9Cout of the = box=E2=80=9D because the =E2=80=9Cruby_select=E2=80=9D port file is not = doing its job (see =E2=80=9Cruby_select is broken=E2=80=9D thread). I = used a =E2=80=9Cport select=E2=80=9D command to complete the = installation correctly. Homebrew=E2=80=99s Ruby was recommended on Stack Overflow and elsewhere, = but it provides only the latest Ruby. Besides I have other packages I = use on MacPorts and won=E2=80=99t be going anywhere else in a hurry. = There are also several Ruby installers such as rbenv or RVM, which might = have been my next port of call if I had not not gotten a MacPorts=E2=80=99= Ruby installed. Thanks, Ryan. Ian Wadham.