Comment 37 for bug 145267

New version in https://edge.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-ruby/+archive

This version uses alternatives in the background to handle the links in /usr/local/bin using the separate admin dirs suggested earlier (although I use /var/lib/gems/alternatives rather than /usr/local/lib/gems/alternatives to keep things in the right place).

The user should never know that alternatives is operating the gem system. It should just work.

- Last gem wins. The last gem installed will always be the one available.
- Links are always cleaned up whatever order you install/uninstall things.
- It's ready for the other ruby interpreters that are around the corner - Jruby and Rubinus.
- If you use the gem '-V' verbose option then you can see what alternatives is doing.

I've also implemented a rubygems package that follows the mechanisms used for the ruby package, ie it installs rubygems1.8. That means that other packages (eg passenger) can just depend upon the default version of gems as they can ruby.

I think this is now the release candidate. Feedback please.