What is a distribution?

The base set of Poplog files has remained relatively stable for decades and the layout is described here. This is effectively "stock" Poplog. However there have been several attempts to package up Poplog for easy installation and these each come with their own special features.

Distributions typically differ on:

• How you get started
• The installation mechanism
• What commands the installation makes available
• An extension mechanism for making third party packages available
• And the set of packages that are available

Known Distributions (in alphabetical order)

(Please note that these notes were written by the maintainer of GetPoplog from memory - corrections welcomed!)

FreePoplog

• Start page:
  • New home: https://poplogarchive.getpoplog.org/freepoplog.html
  • Original page was: https://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/freepoplog.html
• Installed by downloading and running a script
  • https://poplogarchive.getpoplog.org/V16/getpoplog
  • Originally: https://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/poplog/V16/getpoplog
• Makes available all the Poplog commands (pop11, clisp, ved, xved, ..) and the utilities in $popcom.
  • A poplog start script with subcommand similar to GetPoplog's is now available
  • Only one build is available (with xved and motif)
• Additional libraries from poplog_packages are bundled.
• Layered on top of hebisch/poplog

GetPoplog

• Start page: https://getpoplog.github.io/
• Uses standard Linux installers rpm/apt
• Makes available a single poplog command that has a subcommand like structure
  • 4 alternative builds of Poplog are available that include/omit xved and use/avoid motif (an old graphics library).
• Makes available an optional set of libraries via lib getpoplog

hebisch/poplog

• Start page: https://github.com/hebisch/poplog
• Follow instructions in https://github.com/hebisch/poplog/blob/master/INSTALL
  • This is intended to maintain the core files of Poplog rather than be a one-click install
• Makes a core Poplog system available to build upon.

OpenPoplog

• Start page: https://openpoplog.sourceforge.net/
• Does not appear to be actively maintained