Installing on CentOS 5

What's the best (easiest) way to install the Squeak VM on CentOs 5? This is what I found out so far:
* There are prebuilt versions for "Intel x86 GNU/Linux" & "Intel x86 FreeBSD" at http://www.squeakvm.org/unix/
* .rpm files are mentioned, but do not seem to exist for current versions.

Thanks.
Sean

On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 09:00:34AM -0700, Sean P. DeNigris wrote:
> What's the best (easiest) way to install the Squeak VM on CentOs 5? This is
> what I found out so far:
> * There are prebuilt versions for "Intel x86 GNU/Linux" & "Intel x86
> FreeBSD" at http://www.squeakvm.org/unix/
> * .rpm files are mentioned, but do not seem to exist for current versions.

CentOs is based on Red Hat, so I would expect that either
Squeak-4.4.7.2357-linux_i386.tar.gz or Squeak-4.4.7.2357-linux_i386.sh
would work fine. The shell script version is probably more convenient
for installation.

For Cog, follow the links from squeakvm.org to Binary Releases, which
will take you to Eliot's binary distributions. Don't worry about the
"experimental" warning, the Cog VMs are widely used and are significantly
faster than the standard interpreter VM. It's perfectly OK to install
both, although both will try to install themselves as /usr/bin/squeak,
so you'll want to rename one of the shell scripts (I use /usr/bin/squeak
and /usr/bin/cog).

Igor is also building VMs for the Pharo project, and installation
instructions for those may be different.

HTH,
Dave
 
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David T. Lewis wrote

I would expect that either
Squeak-4.4.7.2357-linux_i386.tar.gz or Squeak-4.4.7.2357-linux_i386.sh
would work fine.

Thanks, Dave. Squeak-4.4.7.2357-linux_i386.sh seems to work. I just had to load some dependencies with:
yum install freetype zlib alsa-lib.

One thing though. It seems that it's linked against 32 bit versions of the shared libs. I guess that means the VM itself is 32 bit? And the server is 64 bit. Can the VM be built 64 bit, and if so would that be important to do?

Thanks.
Sean

On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 01:06:35PM -0700, Sean P. DeNigris wrote:
Yes, the VM can be built 64 bit, and the only disadvantage of doing so is
that certain plugins do not work when compiled that way, although for many
server applications this will not be an issue. The officially distributed
VMs are currently compiled for 32 bit because this works well across a wide
range of 32 and 64 bit platforms, and because all of the plugins work when
compiled that way. The only real disadvantage, as you have discovered, is
that you need to install various 32 bit libraries on your 64 bit system.

If you compile your own VM (which I would encourage you to do), you will
find that is easier to build it in 64 bit mode, but certain plugins such
as FFI and MPEG will not work. If you do not need those plugins, then
there is no issue at all.

The higher performance Cog VM is currently 32 bit only, and this is not
likely to change in the near term. You must install 32 bit Linux runtime
libraries in order to use Cog or the officially distributed standard VM.

Dave

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David T. Lewis wrote

Yes, the VM can be built 64 bit.... You must install 32 bit Linux runtime
libraries in order to use Cog or the officially distributed standard VM.

Dave, thanks for the very detailed answers. I was frustrated yesterday, feeling like I was the only person on Earth, lying to myself that I'd rather use something more mainstream (i.e. more tutorials, blogs, easier to set up). I felt like you were in my corner and it made a huge difference. I believe it's so important for our community to support and encourage each other. I make a point to answer newbie questions on the lists and it's awesome that you're doing the same!

Gratefully,
Sean