diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md index 887cac9000..2a65a1d03f 100644 --- a/INSTALL.md +++ b/INSTALL.md @@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ you need to download the GAP source distribution, that is, a file named for GAP 4.X.Y. Alternatively, you can also use the `.tar.gz` or `.zip` archives. -If you use Windows, then download the `.exe` installer which contains binaries +If you use Windows, then download the Windows installer which contains binaries for GAP and some packages and provides the standard installation procedure. @@ -108,21 +108,16 @@ permissions to read the files.) Windows ------- -If you are using the `.exe` installer (which we strongly recommend), -simply download and run it. It will offer a standard installation -procedure, during which you will be able to select an installation path. - -Note that the path to the GAP directory must not contain spaces. -For example, you may install it in a directory named like `C:\gap-4.X.Y` -(default), `D:\gap` or `C:\Math\GAP\my-gap-4.X.Y`, but you must not install -it in a directory named like `C:\Users\alice\My Documents\gap-4.X.Y` or -`C:\Program files\gap-4.X.Y` etc. +If you are using the `.exe` installer, simply download and run it. +It will offer a standard installation procedure, during which you will +be able to select an installation path. You can either install for all +users, or just the current user. 4 Compilation ============= -For the Windows version the `.exe` installer will already have put +For the Windows version the installer will already have put binaries in place and nothing else needs to be done. Under Unix you will have to compile such a binary yourself, as described @@ -396,9 +391,8 @@ redistribute in the `gap-4.X.Y/pkg` directory, and for packages that consist only of GAP code no further installation is necessary. Some packages however contain external binaries that will require separate -compilation. (If you use Windows you may not be able to use external -binaries anyhow, except for those packages whose binaries for Windows are -included in their distribution, so you may skip the rest of this section.) +compilation. (If you use the Windows installer these binaries are already +compiled for you, so you may skip the rest of this section.) You can skip this compilation now and do it later -- GAP will work fine, but the capabilities of the affected packages won't be available. @@ -563,22 +557,21 @@ fix is known. (One can type `POW(a,b)` for `a^b`.) ## Problems specific to Windows -The best way to use GAP in Windows is to use the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" -( https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install ), also known as WSL. -This can be found in the "Microsoft Store" in Windows, and allows you to install -a full copy of Ubuntu. You can then follow the guidance for building and using -GAP in Linux inside WSL. - -We also support building GAP using 'Cygwin', which is a UNIX wrapper for -Windows. Cygwin is used for making Windows release. Almost all packages are -supported in the Windows releases. +Rather than use the Windows installer, another option is to use the +"Windows Subsystem for Linux" (), +also known as WSL. This can be found in the "Microsoft Store" in Windows, +where you will find installers for a selection of Linux distributions (Ubuntu +is the standard, and best supported). After installing a linux distribution you +can then follow the guidance for building and using GAP in Linux inside WSL. -By default the Windows release reads and writes files from the user's -"Documents" directory. +The main advantage of using WSL is that the Windows installer does not support +adding new packages which require compiling kernel modules. Also, GAP is +slightly faster in WSL. -The Windows release can be installed globally for all users, or just for the -current user. This is the best way to install GAP on a machine where you do -not have administrator access. +We also support building GAP using 'Cygwin', which is a Unix wrapper for +Windows. Cygwin is used for making Windows release. Almost all packages are +supported in the Windows releases. By default the Windows release reads and +writes files from the user's "Documents" directory. ### Something else went wrong