INSTALL-xubuntu-12.10

# 2014-01-15
# Installing IPython Notebook on 
# Xubuntu 12.10 Desktop i386 virtual machine
# for Brandon Rhodes' (bcr) 
# astronomy / ipython notebook presentation.

# These installation instructions are known to work for Xubuntu 12.10 Desktop
# i386 in a virtual machine. I tried to install as much as possible within the
# virtual environment with pip install. I only installed packages at the system
# level with apt-get that could not be installed with pip install. The
# dependencies were gnarly and took me days to figure out. I don't know how
# well these instructions work for other Linux distributions.

# First update the system packages.
# <mouse icon> -> <Settings Manager>
# click on <Software Updater>
# If there are updates, click on <Install Now>.
# (might require restart later)

# The things below which are commands should be copied and pasted with thought,
# one by one.
# Some things did not work well when I tried them from a shell script.
#
# In my experience, it has been common for an installation to not complete
# successfully because of problems with package servers, so don't be surprised
# if things don't install completely the first time. I have had more trouble
# installing python packages than system packages. I often have to rerun
# xubuntu-12.10-setup.sh to compensate for balky servers.

# system wide stuff
start_time=`date`
sudo apt-get update
# sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install -y git
sudo apt-get install -y python-virtualenv
sudo apt-get install -y python-dev
sudo apt-get install -y libfreetype6-dev ;# for matplotlib
sudo apt-get install -y libpng12-dev ;# for matplotlib
sudo apt-get install -y libatlas-base-dev ;# for scipy
sudo apt-get install -y gfortran ;# for scipy
sudo apt-get install -y python-vtk ;# for mayavi
sudo apt-get install -y python-wxgtk2.8 ;# this eliminated need for pip install wxPython

# git clone https://github.com/brandon-rhodes/astronomy-notebooks/
git clone https://github.com/james-prior/astronomy-notebooks/
cd astronomy-notebooks
git checkout v1.1
# ./setup.sh
cp -p setup.sh xubuntu-12.10-setup.sh
sed -e '/vtk/d' <setup.sh >xubuntu-12.10-setup.sh
./xubuntu-12.10-setup.sh
source venv/bin/activate
# mathjax is not necessary, but cool
echo 'from IPython.external import mathjax; mathjax.install_mathjax();' \
| ipython
echo $start_time
date
# Takes about 47 minutes on VM with one core of 2 GHz Intel T2500. 
deactivate

# This is the end of the installation instructions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

# Use the newly installed ipython notebook.

cd astronomy-notebooks
source venv/bin/activate
# ipython notebook can be invoked several ways.
# Note absence of the --pylab inline option. 
# The pylab option was left out because the notebooks that use mayavi, 
# (3D Earth Satellites and 3D Solar System), spew warnings when ipython 
# notebook is started with the --pylab inline option. 
ipython notebook
BROWSER=firefox ipython notebook
ipython notebook --browser=firefox

# when all done
deactivate