Information on Downloading Lovelace

The local version of Lovelace has some innate limitations:

1. Lovelace will occasionally refer you to other resources outside this tutorial. Attempting to follow such references will fail unless you have a working connection to the Internet.
2. You will probably use an older and less complete version of Lovelace. A local copy won't be updated unless you take the time to download and install it. The best way to always use the latest version is to use Lovelace directly through the World Wide Web (WWW).

Thus, I recommend using Lovelace through the WWW (instead of using the local version) unless your WWW connection is nonexistent, extremely slow, or very expensive. Even if you use the local version of Lovelace, I'd like to hear from you when you finish it - please find a way to email me (at wheeler@ida.org) when you complete the course.

If you do choose to download a local version of Lovelace, first read the installation instructions. Then select the compression format and source from the options below, and save the file using your web browser's ``Save File'' command after downloading. Local versions of Lovelace are available in:

• ``tar+gzip'' format, a format especially easy for Unix and Apple Macintosh platforms. This file is available via this http server or ftp.
• ``zip'' format, a format especially easy for IBM PC-compatible platforms running MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, or OS/2. This file is available via this http server or ftp.

If you download the `zip' format but don't have an `unzip' program, you can download an `unzip' program from the Info-ZIP archives, which has software to unzip files as well as create zip files (including both a free implementation and the shareware pkzip/pkunzip programs). The Info-ZIP archive index lists what files are available. An alternate (mirror) site for these zip format utilities is wuarchive.wustl.edu.

You can also get a local version of Lovelace by CD-ROM. One CD-ROM with Lovelace on it is the "Walnut Creek Ada CD-ROM" by Walnut Creek CD-ROM (of Walnut Creek, California). Its (United States) phone numbers are (800) 786-9907 or (510) 674-0783; you can also send email to them at "info@cdrom.com".

On Installing a Web Browser

Once you've installed Lovelace, which is essentially a set of data files, you'll need to install a program to use those data files. The kind of program you need is called a web browser.

On many systems you may already have a web browser, so you don't have to do anything more. Common web browsers include Netscape, Mosaic, Cello, Lynx, and DosLynx. If you don't have a web browser, you'll need to install one. Here are some some options:

• Netscape. One of the best web browsers is a program called Netscape. It's available on many different computer platforms. It's not free, but it's inexpensive and very good. More information about Netscape is available from Netscape Communications Corporation.

• Mosaic. One of the best free web browsers is Mosaic, which is also available on many different computer platforms. More information is available on the Microsoft Windows version of Mosaic, the X/Unix version of Mosaic, and the Apple Macintosh version of Mosaic.

• Cello. For users with low-power IBM-PC compatibles Cello is a good choice. Cello only requires 2M RAM, Microsoft Windows 3.1, and a 386 at 16Mhz or better. Cello is free, and it's easy to install (you don't even need to install Win32 or a TCP/IP stack for Windows 3.1). It's also relatively straightforward to use Cello in "local" mode (i.e. without a connection to the Internet). More information about Cello is available.
• DosLynx. For users with really low-power IBM-PC compatibles (i.e. MS-DOS only, a 286 or less, or less than 4Mb), you may want to look into DosLynx. More information about DosLynx is available.

• Lynx. For users with text-only systems (or Internet access through text-only interfaces), lynx may be a reasonable web browser. More information about lynx is available.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer. Users of Windows 95 may want to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer as their web browser. More information about Internet Explorer is available.
• Other Browsers. There are many other browsers; see YAHOO's list of web browsers.

You can also:

• Return to the Lovelace home page.
• See the installation instructions for the local version of Lovelace.
• See Lovelace version information.