./Install /usr/local/erlang/
and supply answers to the prompts.
In most cases, there is a default answer in square brackets ([]). If the default is satisfactory, just press
The default boot script. For a plain development environment you should use start_clean, but if you are for instance developing for an embedded system, start_sasl is appropriate. For those systems where the X Window interface pxw is included, the version and location of the X libraries. Pxw does not require any X libraries in the system, but using existing libraries will normally result in a smaller binary file. However, if existing libraries are to be used, they must be compatible with the MIT X11R5 release (X11 R6 is).
The script will in some cases link object files in the distribution into executable binaries for the current system. Make the Development Environment available for users, either by putting the path /usr/local/erlang/
ln -s /usr/local/erlang/
On UNIX systems where there is a choice between different methods of name resolution, the user can control his choice by setting the environment variable ERL_RESOLV to a suitable value. If ERL_RESOLV is set to nodns, the configuration of the underlying UNIX system defines the name resolution scheme to use. If ERL_RESOLV is set to dns, or if ERL_RESOLV is not defined, only the resolver of the Domain Name System (DNS) is used. Which name resolution method to choose depends on how the computer(s) in your network have been configured for name resolution.
Erlang programs are executed when you instruct the Erlang Runtime System (ERTS) to execute your code. They do not run as binary programs, which can be executed directly by your computer. ERTS consists of an Erlang evaluator and some libraries. The Erlang evaluator is often referred to as an emulator and is very similar to the Java virtual machine. ERTS together with a number of ready-to-use components and a set of design principles forms the Open Telecom Platform, normally called OTP or Erlang/OTP.
The most central part of the Erlang/OTP development environment is the Erlang shell, erl. erl is available on Unix systems, Windows NT and Windows 95. It looks very similar to a Unix shell, Windows DOS box or a Windows NT Command box. The difference is that the Erlang shell understands how to:
compile and load Erlang programs
run Erlang programs, individual functions or evaluate Erlang expressions
monitor and control execution of the programs
command line editing
history list with previously entered commands
In addition to this text-based interface there are several window-based tools like debugger, process manager and table visualizer. You can access everything from this command interface but you can also activate the graphic toolbar where you get buttons to start the window based tools.