## This page contains links to the current runtime distributions of Karma v1.7.25.

Runtime distributions do not include source code. New features in the API which appear in a pre-release may change again in a later pre-release or full release, without warning. The main reason pre-release runtime distributions are made available is so people can try various applications supplied with Karma. Runtime distributions typically come out once or twice a month, whereas full public releases (i.e. with source code) only come out once or twice a year.

### Easy Installation and Upgrading: recommended

The easiest method for installing and upgrading Karma is to run the `install-karma` script. This script figures out what kind of machine you are running on, and will install/update the appropriate runtime distribution of Karma. Below are the instructions for how to install/upgrade Karma using this script. It assumes you have privilege to install in `/usr/local`.

To install Karma, you will first need to run the following command:

    rsync -a rsync.ras.ucalgary.ca::karma/common/ /usr/local/karma

After you have done this, the following command is used to complete installation or to perform an upgrade:

    /usr/local/karma/csh_script/install-karma [destdir]

where `destdir` is an optional directory in which to install/upgrade (the default is `/usr/local/karma`).
The `install-karma` script is very efficient in the way it uses network resources, and will only download changes that you do not already have (it uses the excellent rsync programme to achieve this). Because of this, you can run the script periodically to obtain automatic upgrades without having to worry about wasting network resources. The simplest way to set up automatic upgrades is to create a crontab entry such as:

    7 1 * * * /usr/local/karma/csh_script/install-karma

If you are unsure how to create a crontab entry, run the following commands:

    cd
    echo "7 1 * * * /usr/local/karma/csh_script/install-karma" > .crontab
    crontab .crontab

Automatic Karma upgrades are now enabled. At 1:07 am each night (local time), Karma will be updated.

If you have gpg (GNU Privacy Guard aka. GnuPG) installed, the `install-karma` script can be used to verify signatures on the files being downloaded. If a file is not properly signed, it will not be installed. This will protect you from a compromised download server. Before using this feature, make sure you have `gpgv` installed in your path. The public keys are kept in the `share/signing-keys` directory. The current signing key is:

    pub   1024D/1B912A8C 2000-07-22
          Key fingerprint = 61D5 6EA3 29E8 BDBC C8AF  B8DA 826B A3AA 1B91 2A8C

To use this feature, pass the `-secure` option to the `install-karma` script. Note that the signature verification can take a while on slower machines.

#### Manual Downloading and Installing: not recommended

Do not send questions regarding installation unless you have first tried the recommended "Easy Installation and Upgrading" described above. If you experience a problem with easy installation, include any error output in your email.

Note that manual downloading requires the use of ftp, which is blocked by some firewalls. Use the rsync-based, easy installation method instead. I mean it.

There is a binary distribution for each different machine/Operating System. There is also a common "share" distribution file "karma.share-v1.7.25.tar.gz" which contains documentation, include files, font files and so on. The combination of a binary distribution and share distribution makes up a runtime distribution, and contains everything you need to run Karma applications and build your own applications using the Karma library.

NOTE: the share distribution contains data required by the applications as well as include files (for programming with Karma). Since these change from one runtime release to the next, you must always get the share distribution as well as the binary distribution, otherwise your applications will not work properly.

To install a runtime distribution, change directory to `/usr/local` and unpack the binary and share distributions. This will create a directory called `karma` which contains everything you need.
If you use the C shell, type: `source /usr/local/karma/.login`
If you use Bash, type: `. /usr/local/karma/.karmarc`
and your paths will be set up.

Here are the files available for download (v1.7.25):

karma.share-v1.7.25.tar.gz | common share distribution for all platforms
amd64_Linux_libc6.3-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for AMD64-compatible x86-64 running Linux/ELF (libc 6.3). This is for x86 processors with the AMD 64 bit extensions (also supported by Intel, who call it IA32e or EM64T).
i386_Linux-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for Intel-compatible x386 running Linux/ELF (libc 5). This is probably not the one you want
i386_Linux_libc6.2-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for Intel-compatible x386 running Linux/ELF (libc 6.2)
i386_Linux_libc6.3-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for Intel-compatible x386 running Linux/ELF (libc 6.3)
powerpc_Darwin-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for PowerPC running Darwin (MacOS X). If you have missing library problems, install the dynamic library package into the system root directory. If you use the `install-karma` script, this is done automatically (you need to be root to be able to install the dynamic library)
sparc_Linux_libc6.2-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for Sun sparc running Linux (libc 6.2)
sparc_Solaris-v1.7.25.tar.gz | binary distribution for Sun sparc running Solaris 2.6

Some hardware/OS versions are no longer supported/actively maintained. If you want these to be supported, provide me with the hardware. Binaries for older versions are available in these files:

alpha_OSF1-v1.7.13.tar.gz | binary distribution for Dec alpha running OSF1
i386_Linux_libc6.1-v1.7.8.tar.gz | binary distribution for Intel-compatible x386 running Linux/ELF (libc 6.1)
mips2_IRIX6-v1.7.18.tar.gz | binary distribution for SGI mips2 (r4000) running IRIX6 with old-32 format
mips3_IRIX6-v1.7.18.tar.gz | binary distribution for SGI mips3 (r4000) running IRIX6 with new-32 format
mips4_IRIX6-v1.7.18.tar.gz | binary distribution for SGI mips4 (r8000) running IRIX6 (64 bit)
powerpc_Linux_libc6.3-v1.7.13.tar.gz | binary distribution for PowerPC running Linux (libc 6.3)
rs6000_AIX-v1.6.21.tar.gz | binary distribution for IBM Power architecture running AIX
sparc_Solaris2.5-v1.6.29.tar.gz | binary distribution for Sun sparc running Solaris 2.5
sparc_SunOS-v1.7.15.tar.gz | binary distribution for Sun sparc running SunOS 4.1.x

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