Contents

• How to install GATE
• How to build GATE

Installation

GATE will run anywhere that supports recent versions of Java, including Solaris, Linux and Windoze platforms. It hasn't been tested on Macintosh.

Prerequisites:

• A conforming Java 2 environment, version 1.3 or better, available free from Sun Microsystems or from your UNIX supplier. (We have tested on various Sun 1.3 JDKs on Solaris, Linux and NT.)
• Binaries from a GATE distribution: gate.jar, guk.jar (unicode editing support) and a suitable script to start java, e.g. gate.sh or gate.bat.
• An open mind and a sense of humour.

After unpacking the distribution (using tar/gunzip, or winzip, or whatever) you can run the GATE development environment from the build directory using gate.sh (on UNIX or in a Cygwin environment) or gate.bat (from a DOS shell). In each case the setting of JAVA_HOME will be used if set; otherwise it is assumed that java is in PATH.

To user GATE as a library, put gate.jar on your classpath, and (for Unicode support) guk.jar in the JDK extensions directory. (See your Java system documentation if this doesn't mean anything to you.)

See the user guide for more details of using GATE.

Building

Note that if you have a conforming Java environment you don't need to build GATE unless you're doing development on the system itself.

Prerequisites:

• A conforming Java environment as above.
• The UNIX shell tools, make etc. On Windoze use the excellent Cygwin distribution, available free from:
  • Cygnus solutions
  • Cygnus' developers' site
  • The UK mirrors facility (HTTP)
  • The UK mirrors facility (FTP)
  If you're running on UNIX you've got this stuff already (though you may need to install GNU make, available here): pat yourself on the back and sigh contentedly in the knowledge that your 1970s operating system is still the best available.
• An appreciation of natural beauty.

To build gate, cd to gate/build and:

1. Start a shell (if you're on Windoze you can use the cygnus.bat script from the Cygwin distribution to do this). Make sure GNU make is in your PATH.
2. Run the script "configure". Ignore any insulting messages.
3. Check that Makefile has the right paths for programs like "java" and "javac". If configure made a mistake edit the paths.
4. Construct the dependency list and build the class files and a jar file containing the whole thing:
   make depend
   make
   make jar
5. [optional] To test the system, and build the javadoc code documentation:
   make test
   make docs
   (Note that this needs an open network connection.)
6. [optional] To build the developer javadoc documentation (including private members):
   make internaldocs
   (Note that you may need to change the name of the server for the Java platform documentation in the Makefile, as we keep a copy on an internal server in Sheffield.)

(Those of you who used GATE 1 and who miss the baroque mystery and labyrinthine elegance of the previous build structure may find it useful to note that drinking milk is a good cure for an acid stomach.)

You can also use a development environment like Borland JBuilder (click on the gate2.jpx file) or Emacs JDE (use the prj.el file), but note that it's still advisable to use the Makefile to generate documentation, the jar file and so on.