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# Supported Operating Systems and Installation

Where can I get DrScheme and/or documentation?

DrScheme is available for download at

`http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/drscheme/`

Some documentation is provided with DrScheme, accessible through Help Desk. Other documentation is provided online in HTML format and is also available for download in Adobe PDF format at

`http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/doc/`

How much does DrScheme cost?

DrScheme is absolutely free for anyone to use. However, there are restrictions on the way that DrScheme can modified and redistributed. Please read the GNU Library General Public License in the distribution for details.

What operating systems are supported for DrScheme?

Windows 95/98/NT/2000, MacOS, and Unix with the X Window System.

How much memory is needed to run DrScheme?

To run DrScheme comfortably, your machine should have at least 20 MB of RAM and at least 32 MB of total memory.

I don't have that much memory. Are there any other PLT options?

DrScheme Jr is a text-only version of DrScheme. It requires less memory and provides the same language(s) as DrScheme (without the graphics library), but it implements only the interactions half of DrScheme's interface.

MrEd is PLT's raw graphical Scheme implementation (used to execute DrScheme). MrEd provides a minimal read-eval-print loop, but MrEd does not provide DrScheme's teaching languages, and error messages in MrEd do not provide a source code location.

MzScheme is PLT's Scheme implementation. The language is the same as MrEd without graphics. MzScheme provides little programming support, so its memory requirements are minimal (a few MB usually suffices).

The standard DrScheme distribution includes all of the above programs. Smaller distributions can be downloaded from

`http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/drschemejr/`

and

`http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/mzscheme/`

Does DrScheme run under DOS or Windows 3.1?

No.

Does DrScheme Jr (PLT's text-only Scheme) run under DOS or Windows 3.1?

No.

I don't have a network connection. Can I obtain DrScheme on floppy disks?

Send three SASFDs (self-addressed stamped floppy disks) to

``

      DrScheme
      Programming Languages Team
      Rice University - MS 132
      Houston, TX 77005-1892
      USA

Please indicate the desired operating system.

How do I install DrScheme?

Obtain a DrScheme distribution from the above address. For Windows, the distribution is an installer program; running this program installs DrScheme. For MacOS, the distributiton is a StuffIt archive; unpacking the archive mostly installs DrScheme, then run `Setup PLT` to complete the installation. For Unix/X, the distribution is a tarred and gzipped file; unpacking the archive and running `./install` installs DrScheme. In all cases, the final download page provides detailed, platform-specific installation instructions.

When I run `plt.exe` to install under Windows, it says ``corrupt installation detected.'' What went wrong?

The real problem may be that the installer is unable to write the DrScheme files to your hard drive, or the installer may be unable to modify the `Start` menu. In this case, check to make sure there is disk space available, and contact your system maintainer to make sure that you have the appropriate access privileges.

How large is the distribution archive?

An average archive is around 3.0 MB.

How much disk space does DrScheme consume?

Around 17 MB in its normal configuration, not including the optional documentation. Some disk space (about 5MB) can be saved by deleting all files with the suffix `.zo`. DrScheme does not need the `.zo` files, but it starts up more slowly without them (so keep them unless you really need the disk space).

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