Common

  First things first: Supybot *requires* at least Python 2.3.  There
ain't no getting around it.  We do not require any version greater than
2.3, but we will be compatible with any version of Python >= 2.3.  If
you're a Python developer, you probably know how superior 2.3 is to
previous incarnations.  If you're not, just think about the difference
between a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream and a banana split.  Or
something like that.  Either way, *We're* Python developers and we like
banana splits.  So, be sure to install python2.3 or greater before
continuing.  You can get it from http://www.python.org/.

  Recommended Software

    PySQLite -- Version 1.0.x

    Twisted -- Version 1.2.0 or greater

  For more information and help on how to use Supybot, checkout
the documents under docs/ (especially GETTING_STARTED and
CONFIGURATION).  Our forums (http://supybot.com/forums/) may also be of
use.

  So what do you do?  That depends on which operating system you're
running.  We've split this document up to address the different
methods, so find the section for your operating system and continue
from there.

UNIX/Linux/*BSD

  If you're installing Python using your distributor's packages, you may
need a python-dev package installed, too.  If you don't have a
'/usr/lib/python2.3/distutils' directory or
'/usr/lib/python2.3/config/Makefile' (assuming '/usr/lib/python2.3' is
where your Python libs are installed), then you will need a python-dev
package.

  After you extract Supybot and cd into the supybot directory just
created, you'll want to run (as root) 'python setup.py install'.  This
will install Supybot globally.  If you need to install locally for
whatever reason, see the notes at the end of this section.  You'll then
have several new programs installed where Python scripts are normally
installed on your system ('/usr/bin' or '/usr/local/bin' are common on
UNIX systems).  The two that might be of particular interest to you, the
new user, are 'supybot' and 'supybot-wizard'.  The former, 'supybot', is
the script to run an actual bot; the latter, 'supybot-wizard', is an
in-depth wizard that provides a nice user interface for creating a
registry file for your bot.

  Local Install

    You can install Supybot in a local directory by using the '--prefix'
  option when running 'setup.py'.  E.g., 'python setup.py install
  --prefix=$HOME' to install into your home directory.  You'll now have
  a $HOME/bin directory containing Supybot programs ('supybot',
  'supybot-wizard', etc.) and a $HOME/lib directory containing the
  Supybot libraries.  It is also recommended that you setup a proper
  PYTHONPATH environment variable in your shell's init file.

      bash -- 'export PYTHONPATH=$HOME/lib/python2.3/site-packages'

      (t)csh -- 'setenv PYTHONPATH $HOME/lib/python2.3/site-packages'

Windows

  **Note**: If you are using an IPV6 connection, you will not be able
to run Supybot under Windows (unless Python has fixed things).  Current
versions of Python for Windows are *not* built with IPV6 support. This
isn't expected to be fixed until Python 2.4, at the earliest.

  Now that you have Python installed, open up a command prompt.  The
easiest way to do this is to open the run dialog (Programs -> run) and
type "cmd" (for Windows 2000/XP/2003) or "command" (for Windows 9x).  In
order to reduce the amount of typing you need to do, I suggest adding
Python's directory to your path.  If you installed Python using the
default settings, you would then do the following in the command prompt
(otherwise change the path to match your settings)::

    set PATH=C:\Python23\;%PATH%

  You should now be able to type 'python' to start the Python
interpreter.  Exit by pressing CTRL-Z and then Return.  Now that that's
setup, you'll want to cd into the directory that was created when you
unzipped Supybot; I'll assume you unzipped it to 'C:\Supybot' for these
instructions.  From 'C:\Supybot', run 'python setup.py install'.  This
will install Supybot under 'C:\Python23\'.  You will now have several new
programs installed in 'C:\Python23\Scripts\'.  The two that might be of
particular interest to you, the new user, are 'supybot' and 'supybot-wizard'.
The former, 'supybot', is the script to run an actual bot; the latter,
'supybot-wizard', is an in-depth wizard that provides a nice user interface for
creating a registry file for your bot.