Installing OCaml

Download and install OCaml. Install the latest release available for your platform.

Windows users, install the MinGW port of OCaml. If you wish to produce standalone Windows executables (not really necessary for this course, but nice to have), you will need to install Cygwin, a Unix-like environment for Windows, along with a few Cygwin packages that are not installed by default, including the GNU C compiler gcc and the binutils package containing the GNU assembler and linker. See the file Readme.windows.txt in the OCaml installation directory for a list of packages to install. These can be installed using the Cygwin setup utility. You will also need the flexdll tool, available here. Put the files flexlink.exe and flexdll_mingw.o in the directory C:/cygwin/usr/local/bin. Now make sure the Cygwin directories C:/cygwin/bin, C:/cygwin/usr/bin and C:/cygwin/usr/local/bin are on your Windows path and you should be set to go.

Installing Emacs with Tuareg Mode

You can develop OCaml programs using any text editor. We suggest Emacs with Tuareg mode, a special mode for editing OCaml files. You can find the software and installation instructions on the Tuareg page. Emacs with Tuareg is installed on the Windows machines in the public CIT labs and CSUGLab.

Windows users can download and extract Emacs customized for CS 3110. This ZIP archive (40 MB) contains Emacs with Tuareg mode already installed, plus a few minor CS 3110 customizations. For example, it will warn you if a line in your source code is longer than 80 characters. Execute RunEmacs.bat from the Emacs directory that you extracted. To run OCaml from inside Emacs, first open an .ml file, then click on the OCaml menu and choose Interactive Mode then Run Caml Toplevel.

Installing the OCaml Plugin for Eclipse

Many of you are familiar with Eclipse from 2110. There are three OCaml plugins for Eclipse available in various states of development. (There is also a stand-alone OCaml IDE from Brown called Camelia, which we had a lot of trouble with and do not recommend.)

Of the three OCaml plugins for Eclipse, we had the best luck with OcaIDE. You will need to upgrade to Eclipse 3.5 (Galileo) if you have not done so already. We were able to install OcaIDE without problems on an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) following the online instructions.

Installation and configuration on Windows was a little more painful but ultimately successful. The plugin also requires bash, a Unix command interpreter, which comes with Cygwin, so you may also need to install Cygwin and put C:/cygwin/bin/ on your Windows path.

Installing a Newsreader

Click here for instructions for installing a news reader, setting up a news account, and subscribing to the course newsgroup. You may use any news reader you like. We have had good luck with Mozilla Thunderbird. Please be kind and follow these guidelines for newsgroup usage.

Computer Labs

CIT Labs

Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) runs several computer labs across campus for all members of the Cornell community. Check here for locations and hours.

CSUG Labs

CS majors are entitled to an account in the CSUG labs in Upson and Rhodes. Check here for more information.