Ruby Gems and Debian packages of Ruby Gems

[Glen Pfeiffer <glen@thepfeiffers.net>]

I searched the archives and the web but I have not found helpful
answers to these questions.

1. What are the drawbacks of using the Debian packaged ruby
   applications like 'rails' instead of the available gem?

2. What are the benefits of using the Debian packaged ruby
   applications like 'rails' instead of the available gem?

3. Are there drawbacks to mixing and matching?

4. Will Ruby applications installed as a Debian package, for
   example rails, be able to find gems installed as a 'gem', like
   pdf-toolkit?

I have installed rails as a gem, but only because I didn't know
any better. Then I saw the Debian package 'rails', and now I am
unsure what to do.

I am grateful to Debian for their commitment to the policy, but
in this case the *result* is causing me some confusion. But let's
not focus on the cause of the confusion, rather if you have any
information that may enlighten me, please share. And no offense,
but I am not interested in your opinion, only facts.

Thanks!

-- 
Glen