Ruby: require vs require_relative - best practice to workaround running in both Ruby <1.9.2 and >=1.9.2 -

what best practice if want require relative file in ruby and want work in both 1.8.x , >=1.9.2?

i see few options:

• just $load_path << '.' , forget everything
• do $load_path << file.dirname(__file__)
• require './path/to/file'
• check if ruby_version < 1.9.2, define require_relative require, use require_relative everywhere it's needed afterwards
• check if require_relative exists, if does, try proceed in previous case
• use weird constructions such

  require file.join(file.dirname(__file__), 'path/to/file')

  - alas don't seem work in ruby 1.9 throughly, because, example:

  $ cat caller.rb require file.join(file.dirname(__file__), 'path/to/file') $ cat path/to/file.rb puts 'some testing' $ ruby caller testing $ pwd /tmp $ ruby /tmp/caller testing $ ruby tmp/caller tmp/caller.rb:1:in 'require': no such file load -- tmp/path/to/file (loaderror)     tmp/caller.rb:1:in '<main>'

• even weirder construction:

  require file.join(file.expand_path(file.dirname(__file__)), 'path/to/file')

  seems work, it's weird , not quite looking.
• use backports gem - it's kind of heavy, requires rubygems infrastructure , includes tons of other workarounds, while want require work relative files.

there's closely related question @ stackoverflow gives more examples, doesn't give clear answer - best practice.

is there decent, accepted-by-everyone universal solution make application run on both ruby <1.9.2 , >=1.9.2?

update

clarification: don't want answers "you can x" - in fact, i've mentioned of choices in question. want rationale, i.e. why best practice, pros , cons , why should chosen among others.

a workaround added 'aws' gem thought i'd share inspired post.

https://github.com/appoxy/aws/blob/master/lib/awsbase/require_relative.rb

unless kernel.respond_to?(:require_relative)   module kernel     def require_relative(path)       require file.join(file.dirname(caller[0]), path.to_str)     end   end end 

this allows use require_relative in ruby 1.9.2 in ruby 1.8 , 1.9.1.