1. I mean being able to support foo 2.1 and 2.1.3 simultaneously.
Like every Linux distro shipped GCC296 and GCC29x for years?
It seems the Ruby community (and the Python community to a lesser extent) have a Not Invented Here syndrome.
2. Even if what RubyGems does is supported by dpkg et al., this does nothing to help the language or programs written in the language support this
Yes it does. Dpkg and RPM provide a standard mechanism to query if software is installed (foo), including optionally what verion is installed (foo >= 2.1).
3. I think the greater bigotry exists in assuming that Ruby is somehow special, and deserves to write unsigned binaries all over systems although all other software does not. Python, Java, and other languages all make the effort to integrate into their environments rather than forcing a whole new mechanism of querying, fetching, downloading, verifying, and signature checking upon users.
Like every Linux distro shipped GCC296 and GCC29x for years?
It seems the Ruby community (and the Python community to a lesser extent) have a Not Invented Here syndrome.
2. Even if what RubyGems does is supported by dpkg et al., this does nothing to help the language or programs written in the language support this
Yes it does. Dpkg and RPM provide a standard mechanism to query if software is installed (foo), including optionally what verion is installed (foo >= 2.1).
3. I think the greater bigotry exists in assuming that Ruby is somehow special, and deserves to write unsigned binaries all over systems although all other software does not. Python, Java, and other languages all make the effort to integrate into their environments rather than forcing a whole new mechanism of querying, fetching, downloading, verifying, and signature checking upon users.