Chapter 1. Installing Pantry
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## Chapter 1. Installing Pantry

This section will tell you how to install Pantry on a Unix-like operating system, such as Linux, Mac OS X, or one of the BSDs.[1]I'll assume you're comfortable using command-line tools--if you weren't, you probably wouldn't be attempting to use a command-line nutrient analysis program.

First, you'll need Python 2.4 or later in order to use Pantry. Any recent Linux distribution, as well as the latest versions of all the major BSDs, either have Python 2.4 already installed or make it available through their package manager or ports system. However, Mac OS X 10.4 ("Tiger", the latest release of Mac OS as of this writing) includes Python 2.3, which is too old to run Pantry. You'll have to look into installing a newer Python (either 2.4 or the newer 2.5 will work), either from the Python website or by using a tool such as Fink.

If you want to see what version of Python you have installed, run `python -c 'import sys; print sys.version'` at a command prompt.

## 1.1. Installation instructions

You may be used to compiling programs by hand using ./configure; make; make install. Since Pantry is written in Python, an interpreted language, no compilation is required. Instead, to follow Pantry, follow the directions below.

1. Unpack the Pantry distribution file using tar -xzf pantry-23.tar.gz. Change to the newly made directory with cd pantry-23/.

2. Become root, and issue python setup.py install. That's it!

3. Optional: install manual page. The Pantry installer only installs the Panty source code and a very short script used to start Pantry. The installer does not install the man page. In the Pantry distribution, you will find a file `docs/pantry.1`. Copy this to a location where your other locally installed section 1 manpages are--on my system, that is `usr/local/share/man/man1/`.

   You will also find the manpage in Appendix A, Reference pages.

The installer does not install documentation or many other handy files that are in the Pantry distribution tarball. So you will want to keep handy the directory where you unpacked the Pantry tarball. We'll use some of those files later on.

Speaking of documentation, you will find this manual in many formats (including PDF, plain text, and the XML source code) in the `docs/` directory.

[1] Theoretically, Pantry also runs on Windows. I say "theoretically" for two reasons. First, though I have a copy of Windows XP, I almost never use it and have made little effort to test Pantry on Windows. I know basic Pantry commands work in Windows, but that is all I know. For me to be confident there are no Pantry Windows bugs, more testing would be necessary.

Second, I doubt anyone would be interested in running Pantry in Windows. Windows software is hostile to the command line (for instance, the Windows command-line shell is absolutely awful) and Windows users are hostile to the command line, as they think it is primitive.

If you successfully use Pantry under Windows, I'd like to hear from you. If you have bugs to report, I'd like to hear those too. I'd expect that if you love the command line but use Windows anyway, you're probably using Cygwin. Pantry should work fine under Cygwin; again, please report any bugs you may encounter.

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