[Nix-dev] Ruby-gems

[Isaac Dupree]

Pjotr Prins wrote:
> However, how do we handle system
> wide packages.
> 
> One policy would be to say:
> 
> - system wide: Use a Nix package
> - user:        Under $HOME
> 
> That is the lazy option ;-).
> 
> My problem is that I want to provide Ruby to biologists, and can not
> support all GEMs they will think of.

Is there a way to make a single Nix expression that takes, 
er, whatever identifies a Ruby-gem (its name?), as an 
argument, and works for all Gems?  But Gems that depend on C 
libraries, for example, might not be able to work without 
explicitly mentioning their dependencies, which can't be 
listed in a portable way in the source Gem.

-Isaac