
                       The Isabelle System Distribution
                                       
Version information

   This is Isabelle99: October 1999. The current line of development
   introduces many new features, while attempting to keep
   incompatibilities over Isabelle98-X at a minimum. See the NEWS file in
   the distribution for more details.
   
System requirements

   Isabelle requires a real Unix box with sufficient resources. Fun
   starts at about 32-64 MB of free main memory (somewhat depending on
   your ML system), with several tens of MB disk space and a decent CPU.
   Speaking by today's hardware standards, any moderate Linux box should
   make a nice platform for Isabelle.
   
   Furthermore, Isabelle needs the following software, which is not part
   of the distribution:
     * A full Standard ML Compiler (e.g. SML of New Jersey).
     * The GNU bash shell (version 1.x or 2.x).
     * Perl 5.x - the Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister (Perl 4.x is
       not sufficient).
       
   The following ML system and platform combinations are known to work
   very well:
     * SML/NJ 110.x on any Unix platform (e.g. Linux, Suns).
     * SML/NJ 0.93 on Suns and SGIs. There seem to be several problems
       with Linux and HP-UX, though.
     * Poly/ML versions 2.x and 3.1 on Suns.
       
   [1]SML/NJ needs lots of store and disk space, but it is free. The
   current official release is 110 (there is an [2]RPM archive available
   for Linux/x86). We still support the old 0.93 release, but do not
   recommend to use it.
   
   [3]MLWorks is a commercial ML programming environment. Isabelle on
   MLWorks 2.0 works well. It is about 20% faster than on SML/NJ while
   using slightly less memory and disk space. A few minor features (e.g.
   ML top-level pretty printing) are not supported, though.
   
   Poly/ML used to be a commercial product by Abstract Hardware Limited
   (now Abstract, Inc.). It is no longer available. We're awaiting news
   about future availability of Poly/ML.
   
Installation

   Binary rpm packages are available for Isabelle/HOL and ZF on the
   Linux/x86 platform. Alternatively, the system may be built from
   scratch as described in file INSTALL of the Isabelle sources. Further
   background information may be found in the Isabelle System Manual,
   distributed with the sources (directory doc).
   
Unser interfaces

   The distribution includes only a very primitive interface based on
   ordinary terminal sessions.
   
   [4]Isamode by David Aspinall is a more elaborate interface for
   Isabelle. It runs under recent versions of XEmacs and is useful to
   both novices and experts.
   
   [5]Proof General is a generic Emacs interface for proof assistants,
   including Isabelle (both for the classic and Isar version). Proof
   General is suitable for use by pacifists and Emacs militants alike.
   Its most prominent feature is script management, providing a metaphor
   of live proof script editing.
   
Other sources of information

  Mailing list
  
   The electronic mailing list isabelle-users@cl.cam.ac.uk provides a
   forum for Isabelle users to discuss problems and exchange information.
   To join, send a message to isabelle-users-request@cl.cam.ac.uk.
   
  Personal mail
  
   [6]Lawrence C Paulson
   Computer Laboratory
   University of Cambridge
   Pembroke Street
   Cambridge CB2 3QG
   England
   E-mail: lcp@cl.cam.ac.uk
   Phone: +44-223-334600
   Fax: +44-223-334748
   
   or
   
   [7]Tobias Nipkow
   Institut fuer Informatik
   T. U. Muenchen
   D-80290 Muenchen
   Germany
   E-mail: nipkow@www.in.tum.de
   Phone: +49-89-289-22690
   Fax: +49-89-289-28183
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Please report any problems you encounter. While we shall try to be
   helpful, we can accept no responsibility for the deficiencies of
   Isabelle and their consequences.
     _________________________________________________________________

References

   1. http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/what/smlnj/software.html
   2. ftp://ftp.cl.cam.ac.uk/MIRRORED/smlnj/release/110/smlnj-110.0-3.i386.rpm
   3. http://www.harlequin.com/products/ads/ml/
   4. http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/da/Isamode/
   5. http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/proofgen/
   6. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/lcp/
   7. http://www.in.tum.de/~nipkow/
