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Date:Thu, 10 Jun 2004 14:15:05 +0000 (UTC) 
Subject:Re: Poplog Installation problems 
From:A . Sloman 
Volume-ID: 

Hi Kamalini

Messages to pop-forum are relayed to the comp.lang.pop news group.
Replies posted on the news group may not reach you (unless you
join the pop-forum list) though they can be read here

	http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=comp.lang.pop

Anyhow:

> I've downloaded a copy of bham-linux-poplog.tar.gz and a copy of
> pcwin-15.5.tar.gz last week. My PC is a new one, Pentium 4 with RedHat Linux 9,
> kernel 2.4 and the windows is Windows 2000.
>
> Poplog is running OK on windows, but the Linux version is not yet set up-
> I've used all default settings and done as follows:
>
>   - untarred the file in usr/local/poplog/src
>   - checked for motif, it exists OK
>   - checked for diskspace, plenty available
>   - run shortcut installation INSTALL_EVERYTHING_WITH_MOTIF

At that point if everything ran to completion (not clear from your
message) then you have completed the installation, and need not do
anything more except try out the things suggested in the newly created
startup/ directory.

>   - checked the file in startup/bham+default+bash
 
>   - run the command ./usr/local/poplog/local/setup/bin/poplog.sh

I guess the instructions were not clear enough for someone unused
to linux.

That last file is not to be run as a command file, but rather 'sourced',
using the syntax

	. /usr/local/poplog/local/setup/bin/poplog.sh

with a space after the ".".

That means read the file as if you had typed its contents to the shell
(bash).

That adds a collection of environment variables to your current
shell.

Having those environment variables set makes it possible to give
commands like these:

	pop11

	xved

	xved file.p

and others, without prefixing them with 'poplog', as in

	poplog pop11

	poplog xved

etc.

But it may be simpler always to type 'poplog' first, since otherwise
you have to give the 'source' command every time you log in or start
a new shell (e.g. a new xterm window).

>   - found in install-from-cd.txt that INSTALL-FINAL.TXT is needed.

That's not needed as the 'INSTALL_EVERYTHING_...' scripts  should
do all that.

It seems that the documentation in INSTALL-FROM-CD.txt does not
explain clearly enough that if you run one of the 'short-cut' scripts
(as you did) then NONE of the other installation steps is needed.


>   - Do not have INSTALL WITH MOTIF, but have LINK_WITH_MOTIF instead, ran that

I hope that did not screw anything up. It would already have been run
by the 'INSTALL EVERYTHING' script.

> Whenever I run poplog pop11, or ved as exactly in checkout.txt, it calls up
> eliza etc(I did not go further). But when I run pop11, none of the routines,
> even the second one in the primer (defining variables, routines like palindrome
> etc) works.

It's impossible to comment on that without knowing exactly what you did.

Did you type the text of the procedure definitions in at the pop11
prompt, and then commands to run the procedures?

Or did you creat a file containing the definitions given in the primer,
then compile the definitions then try to run the procedures?

Were you using the poplog editor, Ved (or Xved) or some other?

If you run Ved or XVed there is a lot of tutorial information including
information on how to use the editor, how to compile and run pop11 in
the editor, etc.

Much of the tutorial stuff is fairly long-winded, aimed at complete
programming novices.

You may be able to find short-cuts that suit you. One way is to
start X or Xved (e.g. type 'poplog xved'), then do

	ENTER menu

(i.e. press extreme right ENTER key, which should make editor cursor
jumpto the XVed command line, then type 'menu', then press the RETURN
key).

That should bring up, somewhere near the bottom right of your screen a
panel with a lot of buttons some of which take you to other menu panels,
some of which read tutorial files into Ved, some of which perform
actions (e.g. scroll the current file up or down in XVed).

By playing around you may get a feel for what you want to do. If you are
comfortable moving around the editor, and have read a little about the
syntax of pop11 in the primer, then try
	ENTER teach faces

which introduces some of the syntax of pop11, some graphical commands
and ends up with happy and sad faces on the screen.

What you do after that will depend on what you are trying to achieve.

An experienced programmer should probably play for a while, then
read the primer then get into goal-directed play.

If you are familiar with common lisp, many of the concepts and
techniques in pop11 will be familiar though the syntax is different.

If you are not familiar with lisp many of the programming capabilities
of pop11 may seem very strange, and their power unobvious.

Aaron
==
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~axs/