3 - Installation instructions and notes for the Midnight Commander
4 - Where to get more information on the Midnight Commander
6 - Information on porting the program
7 - Obtaining the missing pieces of the Midnight Commander
10 Installation instructions for the Midnight Commander
11 ----------------------------------------------------
13 The `configure' shell script attempts to guess correct values for
14 various system-dependent variables used during compilation, and creates
15 the makefiles. It also creates a file `config.status' that you can run in
16 the future to recreate the current configuration.
18 NeXTStep users, make sure you read the "Compiling under NeXTStep" section.
20 To compile this package:
22 1. Configure the package for your system.
24 Normally, you just `cd' to the directory containing the package's
25 source code and type `./configure'. If you're using `csh' on an old
26 version of SystemV, you might need to type `sh configure' instead to
27 prevent `csh' from trying to execute `configure' itself. Under AIX, you
28 may need to use ksh instead of sh.
30 Running `configure' takes a while. While it is running, it
31 prints some messages that tell what it is doing. If you don't want to
32 see any messages, run `configure' with the `--quiet' option.
34 To compile the package in a different directory than the one containing
35 the source code, you must use a version of `make' supporting the `VPATH'
36 variable, such as GNU `make'. `cd' to the directory where you want the
37 object files and executables to go and run the `configure' script with the
38 path to it. If for some reason `configure' is not in the source code
39 directory that you are configuring, then it will report that it can't find
40 the source code. In that case, run `configure' with the option
41 `--srcdir=DIR', where DIR is the directory that contains the source code.
43 By default, `make install' will install the package's files in
44 `/usr/local/bin', `/usr/local/man', etc. You can specify an installation
45 prefix other than `/usr/local' by giving `configure' the option
46 `--prefix=PATH'. Alternately, you can do so by consistently giving a
47 value for the `prefix' variable when you run `make', e.g.,
50 make prefix=/usr/gnu install
52 You can specify separate installation prefixes for architecture
53 specific files and architecture-independent files. If you give
54 `configure' the option `--exec-prefix=PATH' or set the `make' variable
55 `exec_prefix' to PATH, the package will use PATH as the prefix for
56 installing programs and libraries. Data files and documentation will
57 still use the regular prefix. Normally, all files are installed using the
60 If run on GNU/Linux, Midnight Commander detects if you have the gpm
61 library installed. If you installed the gpm mouse library in a
62 non-standard place, you will need to use the --with-gpm-mouse flag with
63 the directory base where you installed the gpm package.
65 `configure' also recognizes the following options:
68 Print a summary of the options to `configure', and exit.
72 Do not print messages saying which checks are being made.
75 Print the results of the checks.
78 Print the version of Autoconf used to generate the `configure'
82 Enables the built-in memory allocation debugger. This option is only
83 intended for the developers.
86 Configures the program to be compiled without the built-in file
87 editor. The built-in editor is compiled in by default.
89 `--with-ext2undel[=PATH]'
90 On systems that use the Extended 2 file system and have the
91 libext2fs.a library available, this compiles into the Midnight
92 Commander the support code for recovering deleted files (the
93 undel virtual file system).
94 Use =PATH if libext2fs.a is installed in a non-standard place.
95 The configure will append `lib' and `include' to find the ext2fs
96 libraries and include files respectively.
98 `--with-gpm-mouse[=PATH]'
99 Use this flag if your gpm mouse package cannot be detected by the
100 configure. Use =PATH if it is installed in a non-standard place.
101 The configure will append `lib' and `include' to find the libgpm.a
102 and gpm.h files respectively.
104 `--without-gpm-mouse'
105 Use this flag to disable gpm mouse support (e.g. if you want to
106 use mouse only on X terminals).
109 Compiles support for HSC firewall into the ftp virtual file system.
112 Needed when compiling under AIX if you want the fast viewer.
114 `--with-subshell[=optional]', `--without-subshell'
115 The subshell support is by default turned on, you can disable
116 this by using the --without-subshell option. If you pass the
117 =optional parameter, then the subshell support is turned off by
118 default. To turn it on, specify the `-U' option to the program.
121 Enables the network support with the Term package.
123 `--with-tm-x-support'
124 This option enables minimal X Window support in the text edition. It
125 enables MC to query the status of the modifiers CONTROL and SHIFT
126 when invoked in a terminal emulator under X11. That's necessary
127 to recognize some optional but handy key combinations like Ctrl-Home
128 and Shift-Cursor key.
131 This option disables the Virtual File System switch code in the
132 Midnight Commander and uses the standard file system calls for
133 file access. If you specify this option you will not get the
134 transparent tar File system manipulation as well nor the
135 networked Midnight Commander file system.
138 This option enables support for large files (2 gigabytes and more)
139 on the systems where file operation use 32-bit offsets by default,
140 but support for 64-bit file operations is available.
142 You may also tell configure which display library you want to use with the
143 Midnight Commander. The configure script will use S-Lang as default, but
144 you can override this by using any of the following flags (please note
145 that S-Lang is included as part of the distribution and is tested much
146 better than everything else),
148 `--with-slang' (default)
149 This is used to configure the program to use the S-Lang screen
150 library. This is included as part of the Midnight Commander,
151 you don't need it installed on your system. If S-Lang is installed
152 on your system it will be used if possible. You can force usage of
153 the included S-Lang with the `--with-included-slang' option.
155 This option will usually try to use the terminfo database if it
156 is available, otherwise it will use the termcap database. At
157 compile time, you may force the use the terminal database with
158 the `--with-termcap' and `--with-terminfo' options (both options
159 automaticaly turn `--with-included-slang' on).
161 `--with-ncurses[=directory]'
162 Use this flag (either with or without the =directory part), if
163 you want to compile with ncurses instead of the default S-Lang.
165 Use the =directory part if your ncurses is not installed in any of the
166 places configure will check (/usr/include, /usr/include/ncurses,
167 /usr/local/include and /usr/local/include/ncurses).
168 The argument to this flag is the base directory where the ncurses
169 files are located. The configure will append lib and include to
170 find the libncurses.a and ncurses.h file respectively. For
171 example, if you have installed ncurses under /gnu/lib and
172 /gnu/include, you specify: --with-ncurses=/gnu
174 Support for traditional UNIX curses (not ncurses) is obsolete and will be
177 Run `configure --help' to see the full list of options.
179 On systems that require unusual options for compilation or linking
180 that the package's `configure' script does not know about, you can give
181 `configure' initial values for variables by setting them in the
182 environment. In Bourne-compatible shells, you can do that on the
183 command line like this:
185 CC='gcc -traditional' LIBS=-lposix ./configure
187 On systems that have the `env' program, you can do it like this:
189 env CC='gcc -traditional' LIBS=-lposix ./configure
191 Here are the `make' variables that you might want to override with
192 environment variables when running `configure'.
194 For these variables, any value given in the environment overrides the
195 value that `configure' would choose:
198 C compiler program. The default is `cc'.
201 The default flags used to build the program.
204 Program to use to install files. The default is `install' if you
205 have it, `cp' otherwise.
207 For these variables, any value given in the environment is added to
208 the value that `configure' desides to use:
211 Libraries to link with, in the form `-lfoo -lbar...'.
213 If you need to do unusual things to compile the package, we encourage
214 you to figure out how `configure' could check whether to do them, and mail
215 diffs or instructions to the address given in the README so we can include
216 them in the next release.
218 2. Type `make' to compile the package.
220 3. If the package comes with self-tests and you want to run them,
221 type `make check'. If you're not sure whether there are any, try it;
222 if `make' responds with something like
223 make: *** No way to make target `check'. Stop.
224 then the package does not come with self-tests.
226 4. Type `make install' to install programs, data files, and the
227 documentation. On GNU/Linux the console screen saver is installed as
230 5. You can remove the program binaries and object files from the source
231 directory by typing `make clean'. If you want to clean the source tree
232 completely, so that it contains only those files that should be packaged
233 in the archive, issue `make distclean'. If you've run configure in a
234 different directory than the source tree, distclean won't remove your *.o
235 and linked programs in that directory.
237 6. The Midnight Commander allows you to stay in the last current
238 directory after exiting MC. This is done with a shell function, the man
239 page has more information about this. If you want to let the install
240 program make the change to your /etc/profile or your ~/.profile or
241 ~/.bashrc, then type: `make mcfninstall'.
243 The file `configure.in' is used to create `configure' by a program
244 called `autoconf'. You only need it if you want to regenerate
245 `configure' using a newer version of `autoconf'.
247 Compiling under NeXTStep
248 ------------------------
250 These instructions were provided by Gregor Hoffleit
251 <flight@mathi.uni-heidelberg.DE>, he recommends configuring the
254 export CC="cc -posix"
255 configure --without-subshell --with-termcap
258 Where to get more information on the Midnight Commander
259 -------------------------------------------------------
261 There are two mailing lists for the program:
263 mc: Discussion on the Midnight Commander file manager.
264 mc-devel: For discussion between the developers of the program.
266 to subscribe to the mailing lists, visit their respective pages:
268 http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/mc/
269 http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/mc-devel/
272 Notes about the Midnight Commander installation
273 ------------------------------------------------
275 The Midnight Commander has been run in the following configurations:
282 mips-dec-{open,net}bsd1.0
292 mc88110-aviion-dgux5.4
297 Midnight Commander is written in a portable manner and uses GNU Autoconf
298 for configuration, so it is expected to compile without changes on many
299 other operating systems.
301 You will need GNU C (or an ANSI C Compiler) and glib library to compile
302 the source. The Midnight Commander now comes with the S-Lang screen
303 manager, a fast screen manager, so don't need to worry about screen
306 If you insist on using ncurses, it's recommended to use ncurses 4.1 and
307 above, since the older versions don't support resizing of the xterm
310 GNU Midnight Commander comes with the mouse support on xterms and in the
311 Linux console. In order to take advantage of the mouse support on the
312 Linux console you will need the gpm mouse server (see the section
313 "Obtaining the missing pieces of the Midnight Commander" in this file).
315 Once you get the Mouse Server, compile it and install it, then you
316 will have to specify the `--with-gpm-mouse' flag to the configure
317 program if you installed it in a non-standard directory. If you
318 installed the gpm package under /usr or /usr/local, you don't need to
319 specify this flag; configure will find gpm for you. The support for
320 mice on xterms is always compiled in.
322 We are working on further enhancements to the program, but we're not sure
323 which ones must go first. If you would like to point us in the Right
324 Direction we will be glad to hear from you (you could check the file TODO
325 included with this distribution for the current projects).
327 If you happen to find an undocumented feature that doesn't do what you
328 expected, please write to mc@gnome.org telling as much as you can about
329 the problem you're experiencing. Please don't send personal messages to
336 Random notes on porting to other architectures.
338 The Midnight Commander uses now by default the S-Lang library for handling
339 the display. You may want to download the latest version of S-Lang or use
340 a slightly modified S-Lang version 0.99.38 included with the Midnight
341 Commander. The later is very stable and has been used for years without
342 problems. You shouldn't expect any problems porting S-Lang to your
345 Another possibility is to download and install ncurses on your OS. The
346 Midnight Commander can use ncurses as well as the display engine. However,
347 you may encounter minor differences, for instance, you will be unable to
348 force the color mode by giving the "-c" switch to the Midnight Commander.
350 As the last resort, you may try to use the curses library supplied with
351 your OS. Beware that some systems, e.g. SystemV Release 4, include the
352 curses library with bugs critical to the Midnight Commander. You may try
353 to recompile all your source code with the symbol BUGGY_CURSES defined,
356 make clean; make CFLAGS="-g -O -DBUGGY_CURSES"
359 Obtaining the missing pieces of the Midnight Commander
360 ------------------------------------------------------
362 The Midnight Commander will build without requiring you to get any other
363 software packages, however, you may be interested in enhancing the
364 Midnight Commander environment with some of these:
368 There are many incomplete terminal databases out there, however, a
369 complete terminfo is bundled with ncurses. (It is simple to generate
370 the termcap database using the infocmp utility in ncurses).
372 Some terminfo data are included with the mc distribution (lib/*.ti).
373 Particularly linux, xterm and vt100. Use e.g. ''tic linux.ti'' to
376 If you want to run mc on xterm/color_xterm/ansi_xterm (not rxvt), then
377 you might read lib/README.xterm for further information.
381 Midnight Commander requires GLib. You can get GLib from
383 ftp://ftp.gtk.org/pub/gtk/
385 o In the past the Midnight Commander required the ncurses library to
386 build, now it's optional. You can get ncurses from
388 ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/ncurses/
389 ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/
391 o The general purpose mouse (gpm) daemon is available at:
393 ftp://ftp.systemy.it/pub/develop/
395 And the GNU Compiler Collection may be obtained from the following sites:
397 ftp://gcc.gnu.org/pub/gcc/releases/
398 ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gcc/
399 http://gcc.gnu.org/mirrors.html
401 Unsupported, deprecated and possibly broken options to configure:
402 -----------------------------------------------------------------
403 `--with-vcurses[=directory]'
404 Use this flag to force the Midnight Commander to use a SystemV
405 type curses, the optional directory specifies where the compiler
406 should look for the include files.
408 `--with-sunos-curses'
409 You use this flag on SunOS machines if you want to force using
413 If you don't want to use ncurses and are using an Ultrix box, you
414 can use this switch. Be aware that ncurses is a better option
415 than the curses included in Ultrix.