title: Gem update on Windows - is it broken?
body: <p>This is a follow-up to <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43778/sqlite3-ruby-gem-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension">this question</a>.</p>
  
  <p>When I issue the <strong><code>gem update</code></strong> command on Windows, whenever it gets to a
  gem whose latest version DOESN'T have Windows binaries, it'll attempt to
  build the native extension which will, of course, fail. For example:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Updating sqlite3-ruby
  Building native extensions.  This could take a while...
  ERROR:  While executing gem ... (Gem::Installer::ExtensionBuildError)
    ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.
  
  c:/ruby/bin/ruby.exe extconf.rb update
  checking for fdatasync() in rt.lib... no
  checking for sqlite3.h... no
  
  nmake
  'nmake' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
  operable program or batch file.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The old pre-1.x behavior of asking for the required platform at least
  made updating possible. Now I can't update at all unless I uninstall the
  troublesome gems (currently sqlite3-ruby and hpricot), run the update,
  then re-install the gems using the --version switch.</p>
  
  <p>Does anyone have a solution to this conundrum or are we stuck with it?</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><strong>Note:</strong></p>
  
  <pre><code>$ gem -v
  1.2.0
  
  $ ruby -v
  ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [i386-mswin32]
  </code></pre>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><strong>Note (26 September 2008):</strong> I just updated to gems 1.3.0 and this problem persists.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Note (18 November 2008):</strong> Just updated to gems 1.3.1 and the problem persists.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Note (28 April 2009):</strong> The latest version of Gems (<a href="http://blog.segment7.net/articles/2009/04/15/rubygems-1-3-2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1.3.2</a>) now skips any gems where building of native extensions fails during update; in other words, the problem is fixed. Hooray!</p>