2.1 LilyDev

There is a disk image of a ‘remix’ of Ubuntu Linux available for download which includes all the necessary software and tools to compile both LilyPond and the documentation. Called the “Ubuntu LilyPond Developer Remix”, but known simply as “LilyDev” for short. Although it is not possible to compile LilyPond on Windows and extremely difficult on MacOS, LilyDev can be installed and run inside a ‘virtual machine’ on any of these operating systems without disturbing your main operating system. The LilyDev disk image can also be burnt to a DVD and installed like any other Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Most virtualization software can be used but we recommend VirtualBox as it is available for all major operating systems and is easy to install & configure.

If you are not familiar with Linux, it may be beneficial to read a couple of “introduction to Ubuntu” web pages.

Some contributors have recommended a free PDF:

http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/

For those interested, the LilyDev remix is currently based on a 32bit version of 10.04 LTS Ubuntu (Lucid Lynx).

Where to get LilyDev

Download the Ubuntu LilyPond Developer Remix CD image file (approximately 1 GB) from here:

http://www.philholmes.net/lilypond/LilyDev/ubuntu-LilyDev-remix-2.6.iso

Some advanced users might want this file too:

http://www.philholmes.net/lilypond/LilyDev/ubuntu-LilyDev-remix-2.6.iso.md5

(If you don’t recognize what this file is, then you don’t need it.)

Installing LilyDev in VirtualBox

This section discusses how to install and use LilyDev with VirtualBox.

1. Download Virtualbox from here:

   http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
   

   Note: In virtualization terminology, the operating system where Virtualbox is installed, is the known as the host. LilyDev will be installed ‘inside’ Virtualbox as a guest.

2. Start the VirtualBox software and click ‘New’ to create a new “virtual machine”.

   The ‘New Virtual Machine Wizard’ will walk you through setting up your guest virtual machine. Choose an appropriate name for your LilyDev installation and select the ‘Linux’ operating system. When selecting the ‘version’ use ‘Ubuntu’ if available (but not the ‘64 bit’ option). If you do not have that specific option choose ‘Linux 2.6’ (again do not choose any option that has 64 bit next to it).

3. Select the amount of RAM you will allow the LilyDev guest to use from your host operating system when it is running. If possible, use at least 700 MB of RAM; the more RAM you can spare from your host the better, although LilyDev will currently use no more than 4 GB (4096 MB) even if you are able to assign more.
4. For your ‘Virtual Hard Disk’, leave the ‘Create new hard disk’ option checked, use the default ‘VDI’ and “Dynamically allocated” options for the virtual hard drive. A complete compile of everything (code, docs, regression tests) can reach 10 GB so size your virtual disk and its location accordingly.
5. Verify the summary details and click ‘Create’, when you are satisfied. Your new guest will be displayed in the Virtualbox window. Click the ‘Start’ button and the ‘First Run Wizard’ will prompt you for the installation media. Click the browse icon and locate the LilyDev disk image and click through the wizard to start the installation process.
6. When the LilyDev disk image boots, it shows a prompt:

   ISOLINUX boot:
   

   Hit the Return key (or wait 30 seconds) and then when the installer screen loads, using the arrow keys select ‘Install - start the installer directly’ to begin the install process of LilyDev on your virtual hard disk. The Ubuntu software will walk you through the complete installation process.

7. At the “Prepare disk space” stage, do not be afraid to select “Erase and use the entire disk”, since this refers to your virtual disk, not your machine’s actual hard disk.
8. Click through the rest of the wizard, filling in any appropriate details when asked and wait for the install to complete.

   Note: This will take anywhere from 10 minutes to up to an hour depending on the speed of your computer and if Ubuntu detects you are connected to the internet and needs to download any additional security updates or patches, although these updates are not required to compile LilyPond and it is possible to skip the additional downloads to speed up the install process.

9. When prompted by the Ubuntu installer wizard, restart the virtual machine and then when prompted to ‘eject the CD’ by virtual box, just click inside the virtual machine window and hit the return key to reboot the virtual machine. It will not try to restart the installer but start the virtual machine proper. LilyDev is now installed and running!

Known issues and warnings

Not all hardware is supported in all virtualization tools. In particular, some contributors have reported problems with USB network adapters. If you have problems with network connection (for example Internet connection in the host system is lost when you launch virtual system), try installing and running LilyDev with your computer’s built-in network adapter used to connect to the network. Refer to the help documentation that comes with your virtualization software.

Configuring LilyDev in VirtualBox

VirtualBox has extra ‘guest additions’ which although are not necessary to use LilyDev or compile Lilypond, do provide some additional features to your Virtual Machine to make it easier to work with. Such as being able to dynamically resize the LilyDev window, allow seamless interaction with your mouse pointer on both the host and guest and let you copy/paste between your host and guest if needed.

1. Select the ‘Devices’ menu from the virtual machine window and choose ‘Install Guest Additions...’. This will automount a CD which will prompt you to autorun it. Click OK and follow the instructions. It is recommended to reboot the guest when the installation is complete.

   Other virtualization software will also have their own ‘guest’ additions, follow the normal procedures for your virtualization software with Ubuntu as the client.

2. Restart Ubuntu to complete the installation of the guest additions.

   Advanced note: If you do any kernel upgrades, you may need to reinstall the additional software. Just follow the step above again and reboot when the reinstallation is complete.

Other items that may be helpful:

• In the settings for the virtual machine, set the network to Bridged mode to allow you to access shared folders when using Windows hosts.
• Set up any additional features, such as ‘Shared Folders’ between your main operating system and Ubuntu. This is distinct from the networked share folders in Windows. Consult the external documentation for this.

  Some longtime contributors have reported that ‘shared folders’ are rarely useful and not worth the fuss, particularly since files can be shared over a network instead.

• Pasting into a terminal is done with Ctrl+Shift+v.
• The “Places” top-menu has shortcuts to a graphical “navigator” like Windows Explorer or the MacOS X Finder.
• Right-click allows you to edit a file with gedit. We recommend using gedit.
• One particular change from Windows and MacOS X is that most software should be installed with your “package manager”; this vastly simplifies the process of installing and configuring software. Go to Applications → Ubuntu Software Center.

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LilyPond — Contributor’s Guide