Datasheet

One of the most popular packages maintained at LuaForge is LuaBinaries, a set of ready-made Lua pack-

ages (

http://luaforge.net/projects/luabinaries/). In the file download section of the LuaBinaries

site is a list of files that includes entries like these:

lua5_1_Win32_bin.tar.gz 82060 1,376 Intel x86 .gz

lua5_1_Linux26_bin.tar.gz 127132 80 Intel x86 .gz

The names of these files include abbreviated information about their contents. For more detailed infor-

mation about each of the packages, read the packaging file (

apackaging_lua5.1.html) located in the

same directory. It will help you select the appropriate package for your platform.

Installing a Prebuilt Binary Package

on a Unix-Type System

After you have selected the appropriate tarball from the LuaBinaries site, download it and place it in

the

/tmp directory. The following commands assume you have selected lua5_1_Linux24g3_bin.tar

.gz

— make the appropriate changes if necessary. Unpack it as follows:

cd /tmp

tar xzvf lua5_1_Linux24g3_bin.tar.gz

This creates the following directory structure:

lua5.1

bin

Linux24g3

In the Linux24g3 subdirectory are three files: the interpreter (lua5.1), the byte-code compiler

(

luac5.1), and a utility that helps with embedding Lua scripts into C programs (bin2c5.1). Make sure

the interpreter works with your system, as follows:

lua5.1/bin/Linux24g3/lua5.1 -v

This should result in the following output:

You should get the same response when invoking the compiler with the -v switch. If you don’t get this,

you’ve likely selected a binary package that is incompatible with your operating system.

If the interpreter and compiler work with your system, move them to a location in your search path. If

you have root privileges and want to make Lua available to all users of your system, the location

/usr/

local/bin

is traditional. If you lack sufficient privileges or are interested only in using Lua yourself, the

bin directory beneath your home directory is a good location. In this last case, you may need to create

the

bin subdirectory and set it as part of your PATH environment variable.

Chapter 1: Getting Situated

04_069172 ch01.qxp 1/2/07 7:53 PM Page 19