Update installation instructions.

Reorganized for clarity and provide fewer paths through the document.

docs/source/install/install.txt

@@ -1,400 +1,369 b''
 Overview
 ========
 
 This document describes the steps required to install IPython.  IPython is
 organized into a number of subpackages, each of which has its own dependencies.
 All of the subpackages come with IPython, so you don't need to download and
 install them separately.  However, to use a given subpackage, you will need to
 install all of its dependencies.
 
-
 Please let us know if you have problems installing IPython or any of its
 dependencies. Officially, IPython requires Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.1, or 3.2.
 
 .. warning::
 
     Since version 0.11, IPython has a hard syntax dependency on 2.6, and will no
     longer work on Python <= 2.5. You can find older versions of IPython which
     supported Python <= 2.5 `here <http://archive.ipython.org/release/>`_
 
-Some of the installation approaches use the :mod:`setuptools` package and its
+Some of the installation approaches use the :mod:`distribute` package and its
 :command:`easy_install` command line program.  In many scenarios, this provides
-the most simple method of installing IPython and its dependencies.  It is not
-required though.  More information about :mod:`setuptools` can be found on its
-website.
+the most simple method of installing IPython and its dependencies.  More
+information about :mod:`distribute` can be found on its website.
 
 .. note::
 
-    On Windows, IPython *does* depend on :mod:`setuptools`, and it is recommended
-    that you install the :mod:`distribute` package, which improves
-    :mod:`setuptools` and fixes various bugs. Installing on Python 3 requires
-    :mod:`distribute` on all platforms.
-    
-    We hope to remove this dependency in the future.
+   On Windows, IPython has a hard dependency on :mod:`distribute`.  We hope to
+   change this in the future, but for now on Windows, you *must* install
+   :mod:`distribute`.
 
 More general information about installing Python packages can be found in
-Python's documentation at http://www.python.org/doc/.
+`Python's documentation <http://docs.python.org>`_.
 
 Quickstart
 ==========
 
-If you have :mod:`setuptools` installed and you are on OS X or Linux (not
+If you have :mod:`distribute` installed and you are on OS X or Linux (not
 Windows), the following will download and install IPython *and* the main
 optional dependencies:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install ipython[zmq,test]
 
-This will get pyzmq, which is needed for
-IPython's parallel computing features as well as the nose package, which will
-enable you to run IPython's test suite.  
+This will get pyzmq, which is needed for IPython's parallel computing features
+as well as the nose package, which will enable you to run IPython's test suite.
 
 To run IPython's test suite, use the :command:`iptest` command:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ iptest
 
 Read on for more specific details and instructions for Windows.
 
 Installing IPython itself
 =========================
 
 Given a properly built Python, the basic interactive IPython shell will work
 with no external dependencies.  However, some Python distributions
 (particularly on Windows and OS X), don't come with a working :mod:`readline`
 module.  The IPython shell will work without :mod:`readline`, but will lack
 many features that users depend on, such as tab completion and command line
-editing.  If you install IPython with :mod:`setuptools`, (e.g. with `easy_install`),
+editing.  If you install IPython with :mod:`distribute`, (e.g. with `easy_install`),
 then the appropriate :mod:`readline` for your platform will be installed.
 See below for details of how to make sure you have a working :mod:`readline`.
 
 Installation using easy_install
 -------------------------------
 
-If you have :mod:`setuptools` installed, the easiest way of getting IPython is
+If you have :mod:`distribute` installed, the easiest way of getting IPython is
 to simple use :command:`easy_install`:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install ipython
 
 That's it.
 
 Installation from source
 ------------------------
 
 If you don't want to use :command:`easy_install`, or don't have it installed,
 just grab the latest stable build of IPython from `here
 <http://ipython.org/download.html>`_.  Then do the following:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ tar -xzf ipython.tar.gz
     $ cd ipython
     $ python setup.py install
 
 If you are installing to a location (like ``/usr/local``) that requires higher
 permissions, you may need to run the last command with :command:`sudo`.
 
 Windows
 -------
 
-.. note::
+As mentioned above, on Windows, IPython requires :mod:`distribute`, and it also
+requires the PyReadline library to properly support coloring and keyboard
+management (features that the default windows console doesn't have).  So on
+Windows, the installation procedure is:
 
-    On Windows, IPython requires :mod:`setuptools` or :mod:`distribute`.
-    
-    We hope to remove this dependency in the future.
+1. Install `distribute <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/distribute>`_.
 
-There are a few caveats for Windows users.  The main issue is that a basic
-``python setup.py install`` approach won't create ``.bat`` file or Start Menu
-shortcuts, which most users want.  To get an installation with these, you can
-use any of the following alternatives:
+2. Install `pyreadline <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyreadline>`_.  You can use
+   the command ``easy_install pyreadline`` from a terminal, or the binary
+   installer appropriate for your platform from the PyPI page.
 
-1. Install using :command:`easy_install`.
-
-2. Install using our binary ``.exe`` Windows installer, which can be found
-   `here <http://ipython.org/download.html>`_
-
-3. Install from source, but using :mod:`setuptools` (``python setupegg.py
-   install``).
+3. Install IPython itself, which you can download from `PyPI
+   <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/ipython>`_ or from `our site
+   <http://ipython.org/download.html>`_.  Note that on Windows 7, you *must*
+   right-click and 'Run as administrator' for the Start menu shortcuts to be
+   created.
 
 IPython by default runs in a terminal window, but the normal terminal
 application supplied by Microsoft Windows is very primitive.  You may want to
 download the excellent and free Console_ application instead, which is a far
 superior tool.  You can even configure Console to give you by default an
 IPython tab, which is very convenient to create new IPython sessions directly
 from the working terminal.
 
 .. _Console:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/console
 
-Note for Windows 64 bit users: you may have difficulties with the stock
-installer on 64 bit systems; in this case (since we currently do not have 64
-bit builds of the Windows installer) your best bet is to install from source
-with the setuptools method indicated in #3 above.  See `this bug report`_ for
-further details.
-
-.. _this bug report: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ipython/+bug/382214
-
    
 Installing the development version
 ----------------------------------
 
 It is also possible to install the development version of IPython from our
 `Git <http://git-scm.com/>`_ source code repository.  To do this you will
 need to have Git installed on your system.  Then just do:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ git clone https://github.com/ipython/ipython.git
     $ cd ipython
     $ python setup.py install
 
-Again, this last step on Windows won't create ``.bat`` files or Start Menu
-shortcuts, so you will have to use one of the other approaches listed above.
-
 Some users want to be able to follow the development branch as it changes.  If
-you have :mod:`setuptools` installed, this is easy. Simply replace the last
+you have :mod:`distribute` installed, this is easy. Simply replace the last
 step by:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ python setupegg.py develop
 
 This creates links in the right places and installs the command line script to
 the appropriate places.  Then, if you want to update your IPython at any time,
 just do:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ git pull
 
+    
 Basic optional dependencies
 ===========================
 
 There are a number of basic optional dependencies that most users will want to
 get.  These are:
 
 * readline (for command line editing, tab completion, etc.)
 * nose (to run the IPython test suite)
 * pexpect (to use things like irunner)
 
 If you are comfortable installing these things yourself, have at it, otherwise
 read on for more details.
 
 readline
 --------
 
-In principle, all Python distributions should come with a working
-:mod:`readline` module.  But, reality is not quite that simple.  There are two
-common situations where you won't have a working :mod:`readline` module:
-
-* If you are using the built-in Python on Mac OS X.
-
-* If you are running Windows, which doesn't have a :mod:`readline` module.
-
-When IPython is installed with :mod:`setuptools`, (e.g. with `easy_install`),
-readline is added as a dependency on OS X, and PyReadline on Windows, and will
-be installed on your system.  However, if you do not use setuptools, you may
-have to install one of these packages yourself.
+As indicated above, on Windows, PyReadline is a *mandatory* dependency.
+PyReadline is a separate, Windows only implementation of readline that uses
+native Windows calls through :mod:`ctypes`. The easiest way of installing
+PyReadline is you use the binary installer available `here
+<http://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyreadline>`_.
 
-On OS X, the built-in Python doesn't not have :mod:`readline` because of
-license issues.  Starting with OS X 10.5 (Leopard), Apple's built-in Python has
-a BSD-licensed not-quite-compatible readline replacement. As of IPython 0.9,
-many of the issues related to the differences between readline and libedit seem
-to have been resolved.  While you may find libedit sufficient, we have
-occasional reports of bugs with it and several developers who use OS X as their
-main environment consider libedit unacceptable for productive, regular use with
-IPython.
+On OSX, if you are using the built-in Python shipped by Apple, you will be
+missing a full readline implementation as Apple ships instead a library called
+``libedit`` that provides only some of readline's functionality.  While you may
+find libedit sufficient, we have occasional reports of bugs with it and several
+developers who use OS X as their main environment consider libedit unacceptable
+for productive, regular use with IPython.
 
 Therefore, we *strongly* recommend that on OS X you get the full
 :mod:`readline` module.  We will *not* consider completion/history problems to
 be bugs for IPython if you are using libedit.
 
-To get a working :mod:`readline` module, just do (with :mod:`setuptools`
+To get a working :mod:`readline` module, just do (with :mod:`distribute`
 installed):
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install readline
 
 .. note::
 
     Other Python distributions on OS X (such as fink, MacPorts and the official
     python.org binaries) already have readline installed so you likely don't
     have to do this step.
 
-If needed, the readline egg can be build and installed from source (see the
-wiki page at
-http://web.archive.org/web/20090614162410/ipython.scipy.org/moin/InstallationOSXLeopard).
+When IPython is installed with :mod:`distribute`, (e.g. using the
+``easy_install`` command), readline is added as a dependency on OS X, and
+PyReadline on Windows, and will be installed on your system.  However, if you
+do not use distribute, you may have to install one of these packages yourself.
 
-On Windows, you will need the PyReadline module. PyReadline is a separate,
-Windows only implementation of readline that uses native Windows calls through
-:mod:`ctypes`. The easiest way of installing PyReadline is you use the binary
-installer available `here <https://launchpad.net/pyreadline/+download>`_.
 
 nose
 ----
 
 To run the IPython test suite you will need the :mod:`nose` package.  Nose
 provides a great way of sniffing out and running all of the IPython tests.  The
 simplest way of getting nose, is to use :command:`easy_install`:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install nose
 
 Another way of getting this is to do:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install ipython[test]
 
 For more installation options, see the `nose website
 <http://somethingaboutorange.com/mrl/projects/nose/>`_.  
 
 Once you have nose installed, you can run IPython's test suite using the
 iptest command:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ iptest
 
 pexpect
 -------
 
 The pexpect_ package is used in IPython's :command:`irunner` script, as well as
 for managing subprocesses. IPython now includes a version of pexpect in
 :mod:`IPython.external`, but if you have installed pexpect, IPython will use
 that instead. On Unix platforms (including OS X), just do:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install pexpect
 
 Windows users are out of luck as pexpect does not run there.
 
 Dependencies for IPython.parallel (parallel computing)
 ======================================================
 
 :mod:`IPython.kernel` has been replaced by :mod:`IPython.parallel`, 
 which uses ZeroMQ for all communication.
 
-IPython.parallel provides a nice architecture for parallel computing.  The
-main focus of this architecture is on interactive parallel computing.  These
-features require just one package: PyZMQ.  See the next section for PyZMQ
-details.
+IPython.parallel provides a nice architecture for parallel computing, with a
+focus on fluid interactive workflows.  These features require just one package:
+PyZMQ.  See the next section for PyZMQ details.
 
 On a Unix style platform (including OS X), if you want to use
-:mod:`setuptools`, you can just do:
+:mod:`distribute`, you can just do:
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     $ easy_install ipython[zmq]    # will include pyzmq
 
 Security in IPython.parallel is provided by SSH tunnels.  By default, Linux
 and OSX clients will use the shell ssh command, but on Windows, we also
 support tunneling with paramiko_.
 
 Dependencies for IPython.zmq
 ============================
 
 pyzmq
 -----
 
 IPython 0.11 introduced some new functionality, including a two-process
 execution model using ZeroMQ_ for communication. The Python bindings to ZeroMQ
 are found in the PyZMQ_ project, which is easy_install-able once you have
 ZeroMQ installed.  If you are on Python 2.6 or 2.7 on OSX, or 2.7 on Windows,
 pyzmq has eggs that include ZeroMQ itself.
 
 IPython.zmq depends on pyzmq >= 2.1.4.
 
 Dependencies for the IPython QT console
 =======================================
 
 pyzmq
 -----
 
 Like the :mod:`IPython.parallel` package, the QT Console requires ZeroMQ and
 PyZMQ.
 
 Qt
 --
 
 Also with 0.11, a new GUI was added using the work in :mod:`IPython.zmq`, which
 can be launched with ``ipython qtconsole``. The GUI is built on Qt, and works
 with either PyQt, which can be installed from the `PyQt website
 <http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/>`_, or `PySide
 <http://www.pyside.org/>`_, from Nokia.
 
 pygments
 --------
 
 The syntax-highlighting in ``ipython qtconsole`` is done with the pygments_
 project, which is easy_install-able.
 
 .. _installnotebook:
 
 Dependencies for the IPython HTML notebook
 ==========================================
 
 The IPython notebook is a notebook-style web interface to IPython and can be
 started withe command ``ipython notebook``.
 
 pyzmq
 -----
 
-Like the :mod:`IPython.parallel` and :mod:`IPython.frontend.qt.console` packages, 
-the HTML notebook requires ZeroMQ and PyZMQ.
+Like the :mod:`IPython.parallel` and :mod:`IPython.frontend.qt.console`
+packages, the HTML notebook requires ZeroMQ and PyZMQ.
 
 Tornado
 -------
 
 The IPython notebook uses the Tornado_ project for its HTTP server.  Tornado 2.1
 is required, in order to support current versions of browsers, due to an update
 to the websocket protocol.
 
 
 MathJax
 -------
 
 The IPython notebook uses the MathJax_ Javascript library for rendering LaTeX
 in web browsers. Because MathJax is large, we don't include it with
 IPython. Normally IPython will load MathJax from a CDN, but if you have a slow
 network connection, or want to use LaTeX without an internet connection at all,
 we do include a utility to aid in downloading MathJax and installing it into
 the proper location::
 
     from IPython.external.mathjax import install_mathjax
     install_mathjax()
 
 This function does require write access to the IPython install directory, so if you
 have a system-wide Python install, it may need to be done from a ``sudo python`` session.
 
 Browser Compatibility
 ---------------------
 
 The notebook uses WebSockets and the flexible box model. These features are
 available in the following browsers:
 
 * Chrome
 * Safari
 * Firefox 6 and above
 * Firefox 4 and 5: These browsers have WebSocket support, but it is disabled by
   default. If you're unable to upgrade, you can enable it by entering ``about:config``
   in the URL bar and then setting ``network.websocket.enabled`` and
   ``network.websocket.override-security-block`` to ``true``.
 
 Internet Explorer 9 does not support WebSockets or the flexible box model, but
 these features should appear in Internet Explorer 10.
 
 
 .. _ZeroMQ: http://www.zeromq.org
 .. _PyZMQ: https://github.com/zeromq/pyzmq
 .. _paramiko: https://github.com/robey/paramiko
 .. _pygments: http://pygments.org
 .. _pexpect: http://www.noah.org/wiki/Pexpect
 .. _Tornado: http://www.tornadoweb.org
 .. _MathJax: http://www.mathjax.org