Installing Compsci Software, Spring 2012

YouTube video of Prof. Astrachan installing Java, Eclipse, Pydev, EPD, and Ambient on a Windows 7 laptop on September 7, 2010. It's hard to see the font/words, you can download the original video which is large, but shows the whole screen in close to true size. Note, this process will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

When installing these programs, we suggest you simply follow the default installation options.

1. Download and Install Java (the latest version is 7, but 6.27 may be more stable, and anything 5 or higher is fine)
   • For this course, Java is only being installed to support running Eclipse.
   • Download Java for Windows or Linux (you do not need to complete this step if you are using a Mac, or have previously installed Java on your system).
   • Run the installer and accept all the default options (but you do not need the yahoo toolbar).

2. Download and Install Eclipse (we recommend downloading the Classic 3.7 version)
• This is the program we will use to write and run our software programs.
• Download Eclipse for your system --- make sure the bits (32 or 64) match those for your downloaded version of Java
• Eclipse is different than a typical program because it is not packaged with an installation wizard. Instead you must unarchive it yourself; we suggest you unarchive it and move the entire resulting folder into your C:\Program Files (Windows) or Applications (Mac) folder.
3. Download and Install Enthought's Python Distribution
   • This is the version of Python 2.7 we will use in the course
   • Download EPD (we will use the freely available Academic version, but have mirrored it here so you do not have to register). Note, you should install this even if you are using a Mac which includes a different version of Python.
   • Run the installer and accept all the default options.
4. Install Pydev plug-in for Eclipse (this step is done while running Eclipse)
   • This allows you to create and run Perl programs within Eclipse
   • Within Eclipse, access the Help menu, and select "Install New Software..."
   • Press the button "Add..." and, in the resulting dialog box, enter the following, and then select "OK":
     • for Name: EDP
     • for Location: http://pydev.org/updates
   • You may need to wait a number of seconds until the "Pending..." is replaced by "PyDev"
   • Select only the PyDev component (by checking the box next to it) and click "Next >" down at the bottom
   • The next steps to finish the installation are straightforward; if you receive a warning about unsigned content, proceed anyway
   • You do not need to restart Eclipse when prompted if you plan to proceed to the next steps immediately
5. Configure Eclipse to find Python
   • This connects Eclipse to the version of Python just installed
   • Within Eclipse, access the Preferences menu option
   • In the resulting dialog box, expand "PyDev" and then select "Interpreter - Python"
   • Press the button "New..." and, in the resulting dialog box, enter the following, and then select "OK":
     • for Name: EPD
     • for Executable:
       • C:\Python27\python.exe (on Windows)
       • /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/7.2/bin/python2.7 (on Mac)
   • Then press "OK" and wait for Eclipse to configure itself before the dialog closes
6. Install Ambient plug-in for Eclipse (this step is done while running Eclipse)
   • This plug-in was developed by students at Duke and allows you to download and submit projects for class
   • Within Eclipse, access the Help menu, and select "Install New Software..."
   • Press the button "Add..." and, in the resulting dialog box, enter the following, and then select "OK":
     • for Name: Ambient
     • for Location: http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/ambient/updates
   • You may need to wait a number of seconds until the "Pending..." is replaced by "Ambient"
   • Select Ambient (by checking the box next to it) and click "Next >" down at the bottom
   • The next steps to finish the installation are straightforward; if you receive a warning about unsigned content, proceed anyway
7. Restart Eclipse for changes to take effect