Installation

• Installing the Binary Distribution:

  Download the rpm or tar file for your platform. If you're using an rpm friendly Linux, rpm -i the rpm file. Debian/GNU Linux users should consult our Debian/GNU Linux specific page for Debian/GNU Linux specific information. On other platforms extract the tar file into the desired directory and read the README if it's not /usr/local.

  If you don't have permission to write into the default locations and get stuck, send mail to help@aplusdev.org. (If two people send mail, it's a FAQ.)

• Building and Installing from the Source Distribution:

  Download the tar file containing the source. Configure to your tastes and make it. When you're happy, make install. You can cut and paste the installation steps from the included INSTALL file. That's how we test the build process.

• Installing the A+ Fonts

  For Windows please refer to A+ Fonts with Microsoft Windows. Under X11 you may want to install the fonts in the system's or your own font directory. You may want them in your the font path whenever you or anyone logs in or you may want to simply type a command to use the fonts and not deal with startup files. If you're installing with the rpm command under Linux the fonts should appear to you magically. On other X11 based systems the common theme is as follows:

  • create or update the fonts.dir file
  • create or update the fonts.alias file
  • tell the X11 server where to find the fonts

  Here's how that happens with the Linux rpm:

    cp -f %{aplusbase}/fonts/X11/pcf/* /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/
    (cd /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc
     mkfontdir
     if [ 0 = `grep -c kapl fonts.alias` ]
     then
       cat Kapl.alias >> fonts.alias
     fi)
              

  In that example the fonts where placed in a location which by default will be searched by the X11 server. Otherwise one would at some point have to issue something like:

    xset -fp /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/
    xset fp rehash
            

  If you have trouble installing the fonts send mail to help@aplusdev.org. We are happy to assist and it will lead to better documentation.

• Using A+ with XEmacs

  If you installed A+ into the default location you can copy /usr/local/aplus-fsf-4.18/lisp/.emacs to your home directory or append it to your existing .emacs file. It contains one line:

    (load "/usr/local/aplus-fsf-4.18/lisp/aplus")
            

  If you installed a+ into another location look through the a.el, aplus.el and .emacs files in the lisp directory where A+ was installed. You'll notice some hardcoded references to the default location (/usr/local/aplus-fsf-4.18). Change them to reflect your installation directory.