Is there any disadvantage to using both MacPorts and RubyGems at the same time?

Question

I'm new to Ruby on Rails, and I'm in the process of setting it up on my OS X system. Most guides seem to recommend using MacPorts to install Ruby and RubyGems, then using RubyGems from there on to install gems. I've noticed that MacPorts also offers many gems (though they're missing some and others seem a few releases behind), and I'm worried that it will somehow conflict with the stuff I'm installing using RubyGems.

Does anyone have any experience working with this kind of setup? Any advice? I want to get this right the first time so I don't end up having things break later on.

Thanks,

Grant

Answer 1

I recommend using Macports to install Ruby, and then download and installing the latest version of Rubygems by following the instructions on http://rubyonrails.org/down. When you want to install a new gem, use Rubygems, not MacPorts.

Answer 2

I use MacPorts to install Ruby and RubyGems, but then I install gems using the gem command (not port). I've found that Ruby gems in MacPorts aren't well-maintained, and the latest MacPorts version is often significantly behind the "real" version (for lack of a better term).