Apt-get install package for libmapscript-ruby1.8 not behaving as anticipated - ruby-on-rails

Question

TL;DR: How can I get the right package for libmapscript-ruby1.8 on my system?
Context:
We have found an open source Rails 2.3 app that solves an internal tool problem.
https://github.com/timwaters/mapwarper
Additional instructions
https://github.com/l34marr/mapwarper/blob/master/README#L125
I've some experience with Rails but am just learning about the Ubuntu eco-system and apt-get.
Problem:
The perceived problem is that one of the external libraries (mapscript) is not functioning.
Further detail:
The perceived source of the problem is that apt-get install libmapscript-ruby1.8 does not seem to load a ruby1.8 version of mapscript. Instead it loads to /usr/lib/ruby/vendor_ruby/1.9.1/x86_64-linux/mapscript.so via dependencies of libmapscript-ruby1.8
So when the Rails app links to the installed mapscript.so, it breaks, since the syntax is presumably different between mapscript.so build for 1.8.7 and 1.9.1.
Example error (note 1.9.1 version of mapscript.so is copied into 1.8.7 folder here)
TypeError (wrong argument type swig_runtime_data (expected Struct)):
/home/ubuntu/.rvm/rubies/ruby-1.8.7-p374/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/x86_64-linux/mapscript.so
Contact with the application creator has been largely fruitless so far, since they have not encountered this specific issue.
There is a rubygem but it seems to also be for 1.9.1
https://github.com/sourcepole/ruby_mapscript
Is there some apt-get magic that I am missing? I've just read that something called backports exists but don't know if that is a solution.

Answer 1

I know it is an old threat, but in case someone else got this problem, I solved the problem like this:
(I used this github page: https://github.com/normanb/mapserver/tree/master/mapserver/mapscript)
Install old libgif
1.) apt install unzip libgdal-dev swig libproj-dev proj-data proj-bin
2.) wget "http://launchpadlibrarian.net/90361644/libgif4_4.1.6-9ubuntu1_amd64.deb"
3.) sudo dpkg -i libgif4_4.1.6-9ubuntu1_amd64.deb
4.) wget "http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/g/giflib/libgif-dev_4.1.6-9ubuntu1_amd64.deb"
5.) sudo dpkg -i libgif-dev_4.1.6-9ubuntu1_amd64.deb
Install old GD
6.) wget "www.boutell.com/gd/http/gd-2.0.33.tar.gz"
7.) unzip
8.) go to folder
9.) ./configure
10.) make
11.) make install
Install webserver
12.) Download zip from https://github.com/normanb/mapserver/
13.) unzip mapserver-master.zip
14.) Goto folder mapserver-master/mapserver/
15.) ./configure --with-wmsclient --with-proj --with-gdal --with-postgis (choose the options you need for your mapscript)
16.) make
For ruby mapscript: (for others chech out https://github.com/normanb/mapserver/tree/master/mapserver/mapscript)
16.) ruby extconf.rb
17.) make
18.) make install
Please note that there is a bug in set filter and you need to comment the filter like so "\"id = 123\"" (https://github.com/mapserver/mapserver/issues/3983)

Answer 2

Ultimately, it appears that the packages are (for my intent and purposes) broken.
Paired with a Debian guru, who basically installed Mapserver on the system in order to compile and generate the correct mapscript.so
He recommended I get in touch with the various package maintainers and outline the problems that I encountered.