mailing-list for TeXmacs Users

[Paul Zarucki <address@hidden>]

Hi all,

I am using virtual machines to try out different Linux platforms for Texmacs and associated mathematical software. You can easily use this method on Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux, Solaris, etc. and it is very convenient and flexible.

In some ways it is like using a live CD or USB except that you don't have to restart your computer. The virtual computer displays a Linux desktop inside a window on your real desktop. You can also make it full screen if you wish. The virtual computer runs simultaneously with your normal operating system - the two computers can share files and you can use programs on both systems at the same time. The virtual computer can access the network, file servers, internet, USB devices and, with a bit more setting up, printers too. You can even run several virtual computers at once, I have used 8 simultaneously without any problems, and they can all see each other on the network!

Two possible disadvantages are that the virtual computer runs a bit more slowly than the real one (although, for many purposes, the difference is not a problem) and you have to install the virtual machine emulator software (e.g. VirtualBox) on your computer.

The first step is to download and install the virtual machine emulator software. I use VirtualBox, which is freely available for Windows, Mac OS/X, Linux and Solaris but you could use an alternative like VMware, Parallels or QEMU if you prefer.

The second step is to create a virtual machine. VirtualBox has a wizard which makes this easy. If you want to run Linux from a live CD, such as liveTexmacs or Quantian, then the virtual computer doesn't need a hard disc and can run entirely from the live CD (or an ISO image file attached to the virtual computer's CD-ROM drive). It won't use any space on your hard disc.

Instead of using a live CD, you can add a virtual hard disc to the virtual computer and install the Linux system of your choice. A 4GB virtual hard disc may be sufficient for most purposes. This arrangement has the advantage that you are not restricted by the selection of software on a live CD and can install whatever software you like.

The virtual hard disc is simply a file on your real hard disc. The virtual machine can easily be moved to another host computer by copying this file plus one very small file holding configuration data. This will, of course, include any files that you saved to the virtual hard disc. You could even keep the virtual hard disc's file on a USB drive and carry it with you. If the drive is large enough, it could also hold a copy of VirtualBox, so that you have everything you need to install both VirtualBox and the virtual machine onto any computer.

I am also still experimenting with installing Debian Linux onto a bootable USB drive. I had a few problems but am making progress. Personally, though, I think I prefer the virtual machine approach.

Hope this helps someone!

Software sources:
http://www.debian.org/
http://www.virtualbox.org/
http://quantian.fhcrc.org/
http://math.cgu.edu.tw:8080/Calculus/Members/cchuang/LiveTeXmacs-1.0.6.7
http://diffusion.cgu.edu.tw/ftp/modules/TeXmacs-CAS-python2.6-1.0.7.iso



address@hidden wrote: Hi

We developed a simple TeXmacs one-click-installer for Windows Vista in the context of a project (www.imath.eu).

http://www.ags.uni-sb.de/~marc/files/texmacs-1.0.6.11-vista-installer.exe

Note: Do not change the default installation folder.

Best,
Marc

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