Do I have to install Go for using Wowchemy 5+?

[Toparvion]

Hi everyone!
As a non-Go developer, I was happy about using Wowchemy (Academic previously) by just installing the Hugo binary with Chocolatey on all of my machines. It was quick and simple.

But recently I've tried to migrate to Wowchemy 5.0 (WIP) following the Update Wowchemy instructions (including switching to Go modules from Git submodules) and updating my Hugo version to v0.74.3/extended. Both commands starting with hugo mod produced no output but I didn't pay attention to it as there is no expectations about it in the Update section of the guide.
When I then tried to start the local server with hugo server, I saw the following:

Error: we found a go.mod file in your project, but you need to install Go to use it. See https://golang.org/dl/.: 
module "github.com/wowchemy/wowchemy-hugo-modules/wowchemy" not found; 
either add it as a Hugo Module or store it in "C:\\lang\\toparvion.pro\\themes".: 
module does not exist

I can't store the module in themes folder because (1) the folder was removed and (2) I don't see where the new module resides (perhaps because it wasn't downloaded). And I also would not like to install Go on all of my machines. So now I'm stuck with it.

I understand that the dependency on Go is not Wowchemy's but Hugo's requirement. However, IFAIU, it is an optional feature that shouldn't affect the simplicity for the end user.

Can you please explain the situation and/or suggest a workaround for it?

[rodrigoalcarazdelaosa]

I’m afraid you’ll need to install go locally if you want to use the latest version of Wowchemy. See here

[gcushen]

Hugo Modules are the "core building blocks in Hugo" - this is a strategic decision taken by the Hugo team, and not directly related to Wowchemy: https://gohugo.io/hugo-modules/#:~:text=Hugo%20Modules%20are%20the%20core,assets%2C%20i18n%2C%20and%20archetypes.

Hugo team give you the option to vendor your site with a specific version of Wowchemy, removing the need to install Go and Git on all your machines in order to use Hugo Modules: https://gohugo.io/hugo-modules/use-modules/

Feel free to reach out to the Hugo team with your feedback on using Hugo Modules.

[Toparvion]

@rodrigoalcarazdelaosa , @gcushen , thank you for your replies and detailed explanations!
It seems that the only option for me here is to install Go anyhow.

While it is mostly Hugo's concern, I think it's worth noting in Wowchemy's install/update guides that the end user must also have Go installed, because now even the official Install Hugo page contains a misleading statement:

There is lots of talk about “Hugo being written in Go”, but you don’t need to install Go to enjoy Hugo. Just grab a precompiled binary!

[Toparvion]

UPD: I've just found the link to Go installation requirement of Hugo's Module manual in the Wowchemy's Edit your site on your PC page.

When upgrading to Wowchemy 5.0 I missed it because the following sentence

Install a compatible version of Hugo Extended and its dependencies.

didn't triggered my attention as I already had Hugo installed and updated.

Hope I'll stay the only one who has problems with this 🙂