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diff --git a/how_to_get_the_programming_languages_running_on_your_computer.mdwn b/how_to_get_the_programming_languages_running_on_your_computer.mdwn
index b4a49626..04c762e1 100644
--- a/how_to_get_the_programming_languages_running_on_your_computer.mdwn
+++ b/how_to_get_the_programming_languages_running_on_your_computer.mdwn
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
We'll assume you're using either Mac OS X, or Windows, or Linux.
If you're using **Mac OS X**, take note of what version of the Mac OS you're
-running:
+running. (Under the Apple Menu, select "About this Mac".)
* Leopard (10.5)
* Snow Leopard (10.6)
@@ -12,29 +12,41 @@ running:
* Mavericks (10.9)
* Yosemite (10.10)
+If you're running **iOS**, you probably can't use this software on that machine. (A bit more below.)
+
Furthermore, you'll be in one of two subgroups:
* You'll have Apple's Xcode and the independent MacPorts system
installed. (Probably you don't. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't have these.)
+ If you don't have these, but want to try this route, you can read about
+ the MacPorts system at .
+ This automates the building of Unix-type software on your Mac; it
+ makes it a lot easier to check for dependencies, use more-recent
+ versions of things, and so on. (Though as it happens, MacPorts only has an older version of
+ our chosen implementation of Scheme.)
+
+ There are also other package management systems available for the Mac, notably Homebrew and Fink. I only know a little bit about them.
+
Xcode is available at
- . Some versions of this have been available for free, though you do have to register with Apple as an "Apple Developer", which involves accepting a legal agreement with Apple. I have an older version of this installed. If you download a recent version, email me and let me know how the process works so I can tell others. There are instructions about how to get Xcode in the MacPorts installation guide (see below).
+ . Some
+ versions of this have been available for free, though you do have to
+ register with Apple as an "Apple Developer", which involves accepting a
+ legal agreement with Apple. I have an older version of this installed.
+ If you download a recent version, email me and let me know how the
+ process works so I can tell others. There are instructions about how to
+ get Xcode in the MacPorts installation guide.
- The MacPorts system is available at
- .
- This automates the building of Unix-type software on your Mac; it
- makes it a lot easier to check for dependencies, use more-recent
- versions of things, and so on.
-
-* Or you won't have those installed. (Most Mac users will be in this group.)
+* Or you won't have those installed. (**Most Mac users will be in this group.**)
Then you'll need pre-packaged (and usually pretty GUI) installers for
everything. These are great when they're available and kept up-to-date;
- however those conditions aren't always met.
+ however sometimes those conditions aren't met.
+
If you're using **Windows**, you'll be in one of two subgroups:
@@ -47,7 +59,7 @@ If you're using **Windows**, you'll be in one of two subgroups:
treatment. However, many of you won't have this installed.
* You won't have Cygwin installed. You might in theory have
- a different group of compilers installed (Microsoft Visual C++) but
+ a different group of compilers installed (MinGW, or Microsoft Visual C++) but
we'll assume that the overwhelming majority of users in this group
don't have access to a compiler and need pre-packaged installers
for everything.
@@ -63,6 +75,24 @@ systems.
i686 or i386 or whatever) version of Linux, and that I'm running kernel
version 3.12.8.
+**For all of these groups**, a general item to take note of is what "processor architecture" your machine is running. Three of the possibilities are:
+
+* One of Intel's i386, i486, i586, i686 architectures. These are collectively known as "x86" or "IA-32" or sometimes just "32-bit".
+* Intel or AMD's x86\_64 architecture. This is sometimes also called "x64" or "amd64" or "IA-64" or sometimes just "64-bit".
+* ARM or some other architecture. These are generally lower-powered machines, like iPads. Some of the software we're proposing *might* in principle be capable of running on such machines, but installers don't seem to be available. We'll assume you have access to an x86 or x86\_64 machine.
+
+In the Linux example above, I could tell my machine is running x86 because the
+result of the `uname` command said "i386" at the end. Another machine I have
+says "x86\_64" at the end. On a Mac, you can also say `uname -m` in a Terminal
+session, and it will say something like "i386". I think that Mac OS Xs from Lion
+/ 10.7 forward have all been x86\_64-only. On Windows, I don't know how to
+collect this information. But generally, machines running Windows XP will
+probably be i386/32-bit (unless it's a version of Windows with "64-bit" or
+"x64" in its title); machines running Windows Vista or Windows 7 or Windows 8
+could be running either x86/32-bit or x64/64-bit.
+(Update: I found
+[this Microsoft page](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/32-bit-and-64-bit-windows)
+that may help.)
## PLEASE REPORT PROBLEMS (AND SOLUTIONS!) ##
@@ -77,29 +107,36 @@ easier and more straightforward for others.
## Getting Scheme ##
-**Scheme** is one of two major dialects of *Lisp*, which is a large family of
-programming languages. The other dialect is called "Common Lisp." Scheme is the
-more clean and minimalistic dialect, and is what's mostly used in academic
-circles.
-
+**Scheme** is one of two or three major dialects of *Lisp*, which is a large family
+of programming languages. The other dialects are called "Common Lisp" and "Clojure".
+Scheme is the more clean and minimalist dialect, and is what's mostly used in
+academic circles.
Scheme itself has umpteen different "implementations", which share most of
their fundamentals, but have slightly different extensions and interact with
-the operating system differently. One major implementation used to be called
-PLT Scheme, but then a few years ago changed their name to Racket.
-This is what we recommend you use. (If you're already using or comfortable with
-another Scheme implementation, though, there's no compelling reason to switch.)
+the operating system differently. One major implementation is called Racket,
+and that is what we recommend you use. (A few years back they were called PLT Scheme, but then
+they changed their name to Racket.)
+If you're already using or comfortable with
+another Scheme implementation, though, there's no compelling reason to switch.
+
+If for some reason you have problems with Racket, other implementations you could
+try are
+[Chicken](http://www.call-cc.org),
+[Gauche](http://practical-scheme.net/gauche),
+or [Chibi](https://code.google.com/p/chibi-scheme). The later in that list you go, the more likely it
+is that you'll have to compile the software yourself. (Thus Mac users will need Xcode.)
Racket stands to Scheme in something like the relation Firefox stands to HTML. It's one program among others for working with the language; and many of those programs (or web browsers) permit different extensions, have small variations, and so on.
Racket has several components. The two most visible components for us are a command-line interpreter named "racket" and a teaching-friendly editor/front-end named "DrRacket". You will probably be working primarily or wholly in the latter.
+
-
+The current version of Racket is 6.1.1 (released November 2014).
* In your web browser:
There is a (slow, bare-bones) version of Scheme available for online use at .
-
* **To install in Windows**
Go to . Download and install the "Windows x64" version. (Or the "Windows x86" verson if you have an older, 32-bit system.)
@@ -111,9 +148,10 @@ Racket has several components. The two most visible components for us are a comm
* **To install on Mac with MacPorts**
- You can install a command-line version of
- PLT Scheme (dating from early 2009) by opening a Terminal
- and typing:
+ Unfortunately, MacPorts doesn't have Racket itself available. It only has an older version from when they still called
+ themselves PLT Scheme. And even then, it only has the command-line program "mzscheme" (what's nowadays called "racket"); it
+ doesn't have the GUI program that corresponds to what's now called "DrRacket". You can install mzscheme by opening a Terminal
+ window and typing:
sudo port install mzscheme
@@ -155,16 +193,21 @@ Racket has several components. The two most visible components for us are a comm
programming languages. The other dialect is called "SML" and has several
implementations. But Caml has only one active implementation, OCaml or
Objective Caml, developed by the INRIA academic group in France.
-
-
-*Will add more information about this soon.*
-
-
+
+## Getting Haskell ##
+
+This last step is less crucial than the others, since we will be focusing
+primarily on Scheme and OCaml. However we, and the readings you come across,
+will sometimes mention Haskell, so it might be worth your installing this too,
+so that you have it available to play around with.
+
+Haskell is used a lot in the academic contexts we'll be working through. At one point, Scheme
+dominated these discussions but now Haskell seems to do that.
+
+Haskell's surface syntax differs from Caml, and there are various important things one can do in
+each of Haskell and Caml that one can't (or can't as easily) do in the
+other. But these languages also have *a lot* in common, and if you're
+familiar with one of them, it's generally not hard to move between it and the
+other.
+
+* In your web browser:
+
+ There is a (slow, bare-bones) version of Haskell available for online use at .
+
+sudo apk-get install haskell-platform
+
+
+
+
+
+Getting started:
+
+