Programming with GAP: Setup

Windows

From the GAP Downloads page, download the .exe installer and double click on the file to run it. When you are asked for the installation path, note that it should not contain spaces. For example, you may install GAP 4.X.Y in C:\gap-4.X.Y (default), D:\gap-4.X.Y or C:\Math\GAP\gap-4.X.Y, but you must not install it in a directory such as C:\Program Files\gap-4.X.Y or C:\Users\alice\My Documents\gap-4.X.Y.

OS X

On OS X, you need to install GAP from source as explained at the GAP Downloads page. Download one of the archives provided there, unpack it and run ./configure && make in the unpacked directory. Then change to the pkg subdirectory and call ../bin/BuildPackages.sh to run the script which will build most of the packages that require compilation (provided sufficiently many libraries, headers and tools are available).

Alternatively, you may also install GAP using Homebrew. After installing Homebrew, follow the instructions for the GAP Homebrew tap.

Linux

On Linux, you need to install GAP from source as explained at the GAP Downloads page. Download one of the archives provided there, unpack it and run ./configure && make in the unpacked directory. Then change to the pkg subdirectory and call ../bin/BuildPackages.sh to run the script which will build most of the packages that require compilation (provided sufficiently many libraries, headers and tools are available).