[GAP Forum] Browse package

[Alexander Konovalov]

Dear Nilo and Rudolf,
Dear GAP Forum,

The Experimental GAP Installer for Windows (http:// 
ukrgap.exponenta.ru/wininst/wininst.htm)
contains not run-able version of the Browse package.

The concept of the Windows GAP Installer is to provide an automated  
procedure of installing
the GAP system and packages, and it does only the following setup:
* unpacks archive in the selected folder
* adjusts *.bat files accordingly to the installation folder
* creates shortcuts in the Desktop, Start Menu and Quick Launch panel  
(optionally)
* stores some information in the Windows registry (so you will be  
able to see GAP in the
   list of installed programs)
* puts uninstaller to the GAP root directory
* creates gap.ini file in the Windows directory (to store GAP  
version, GAP root directory
   and GAP packages directory)

GAP packages installer for Windows did not perform additional setup  
of packages - it just
puts selected packages in the GAP packages directory, which it is  
able to find automatically.
Thus, if all packages will be selected during the installation, the  
result must be identical
to the installation of the merged archive of all currently  
redistributed GAP packages in zoo
or win.zip format.

The idea is to give the Windows user all packages, even if they can  
not be run on Windows.
So, one could browse their documentation and code in order to learn  
them and maybe decide to
switch to UNIX environment to be able to really use them. I think  
that this is also the case
of the Browse package.

Best wishes,
Alexander


On 12 Sep 2006, at 09:06, Rudolf Zlabinger wrote:

> Even there where a precompiled version, I think you had a means of  
> c runtime libraries to have included in your Windows/XP platform to  
> run the package. I don't know (but may be), whether the installer  
> of Alexander Konovalov includes a WINDOWS runnable version of  
> BROWSE, or will include it in near future.
>
> For this reason, among others,  I use a separate SUSE/LINUX in  
> parallel to WINDOWS/XP for such c based packages as for example  
> GRAPE. There you can use Frank Luebecks rsync (see download site)  
> without need to recompile (for most packages). I hope, rsync  
> includes BROWSE already, or does it soon. Otherwise, under LINUX,  
> after installing the c compiler, there is no problem to compile.
>
> I hope you get better feedback from other people.
>
> mit freundlichen Grüßen/best regards, Rudolf Zlabinger
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nilo de Roock"  
> <ndroock1 at gmail.com>
> To: <Forum at gap-system.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 11:12 PM
> Subject: [GAP Forum] Browse package
>
>
>> I have downloaded Browse 0.9 and installed it in the usual way. Since
>> LoadPackage returned with 'fail' I then looked at the docs where  
>> it says I
>> have to compile stuff. I work with Windows XP and that's very  
>> unusual on
>> that platform. Isn't there a pre-compiled version of Browse for  
>> Windows?
>> Thanks on beforehand.
>>
>> -- 
>> met vriendelijke groet / kind regards,
>> nilo de roock
>> http://xmsql.sourceforge.net