Installing FlexPDE on Mac OS X

To install FlexPDE on Macintosh OS X, you must decompress and un-tar the distribution file and set a link to identify the FlexPDE installation.

The installation file will have a name like
fpde301macx.tar.gz.
(The "301" might be replaced by another number, such as "301a". This is the version number of the release. "macx" means this version is for Macintosh running OS X. Be sure that the file you select identifies the correct hardware and operating system for your computer.)

Select a folder in which to install FlexPDE3.  Either download the installation file from Internet, or copy it from the CDROM.  Locate the copied file with the Finder and double-click on the file.  Stuffit Expander will unpack the files into a new local folder with a name like "fpde301macx Folder".  This is the installation folder.  You can change the name or leave it as it is.

FlexPDE expects to be installed in or to have a link set in the directory /usr/local/flexpde3 to identify the installation directory.  
To set the link, open a terminal window and do the following:
(become superuser)
ln -s <install_directory> /usr/local/flexpde3

The installation folder will contain the application bundle FlexPDE3, which you can execute by double-clicking in the finder.  It will also create several folders of sample problems, under the folders "Samples" and "Backstrom_Books".

You may also want to add the flexpde installation directory to your path variable, or set a link to flexpde in a directory which is already in your path, so that flexpde can be initiated from a command line.

Note: Installation of FlexPDE usually requires administrator priveleges.