=head1 DESCRIPTION
-This tutorial provides a multipart introduction to the Catalyst web
+This tutorial provides a multi-part introduction to the Catalyst web
framework. It seeks to provide a rapid overview of many of its most
commonly used features. The focus is on the real-world best practices
required in the construction of nearly all Catalyst applications.
inadvertently made any typographic errors, or accidentally skipped
part of the tutorial.>
-B<NOTE: You can use any perl-supported OS and environment to run
+B<NOTE: You can use any Perl-supported OS and environment to run
Catalyst.> It should make little or no difference to Catalyst's
-operation, but this tutorial has been written using Ubuntu 8.10
+operation, B<but this tutorial has been written using Ubuntu 8.10>
because that represents a quick and easy for most people to try out
-Catalyst with virtually zero setup time and hassles. See the Catalyst
-installation section below for more information.
+Catalyst with virtually zero setup time and hassles. Also, the tutorial
+has been tested to work correctly with the versions of Catalyst and all
+the supporting modules in Ubuntu 8.10 (see "VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS
+USED IN THIS TUTORIAL" below for the specific versions for some of the
+key modules), so B<if you think you might be running into an issue
+related to versions> (for example, a module changed its behavior in a
+newer version or a bug was introduced), B<it might be worth giving
+Ubuntu 8.10 a try>. See the "CATALYST INSTALLATION" section below for
+more information.
If you're reading this manual online, you can download the example
program and all the necessary dependencies to your local machine by
Ubuntu
-Given the popularity of Ubuntu and its ease of use, Ubuntu can be
-a great way for newcomers to experiment with Catalyst. Because it
-is a "live CD," you can simply boot from the CD, run a few commands,
-and you should have a fully functional environment in which to do
-this tutorial in a matter of minutes.
+Given the popularity of Ubuntu and its ease of use, Ubuntu can be a
+great way for newcomers to experiment with Catalyst. Because it is a
+"live CD," you can simply boot from the CD, run a few commands, and you
+should have a fully functional environment in which to do this tutorial
+in a matter of minutes. B<The tutorial was fully tested to work under
+Ubuntu 8.10. Although it SHOULD work under any Catalyst installation
+method you might choose, it can be hard to guarantee this.>
=over 4
Matt Trout's C<cat-install>
-Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
-C<cat-install> can be a quick and painless way to get Catalyst up and
-running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
-cat-install>.
+Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
+C<cat-install> can be a fairly painless way to get Catalyst up and
+running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
+cat-install>. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection and
+your computer, it will probably take 30 to 60 minutes to install because
+it downloads, makes, compiles, and tests every module. But this is an
+excellent way to automate the installation of all the latest modules
+used by Catalyst from CPAN.
+
=item *
-Chris Laco's CatInABox
+Other Possibilities
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+OpenBSD Packages
+
+The 2008 Advent Day 4 entry has more information on using OpenBSD
+packages to quickly build a system:
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/4>.
+
+=item *
-Download the tarball from
-L<http://handelframework.com/downloads/CatInABox.tar.gz> and unpack it
-on your machine. Depending on your OS platform, either run C<start.bat>
-or C<start.sh>.
+NetBSD Package Collection on Solaris
+
+The 2008 Advent Day 15 entry has more information on using C<pkgsrc> and
+NetBSD packages on Solaris:
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/15|>.
=item *
+CatInABox
+
+You can get more information at
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/7>
+or L<Perl::Dist::CatInABox|Perl::Dist::CatInABox>.
+
+
+=item *
+
Pre-Built VMWare Images
Under the VMWare community program, work is ongoing to develop a number
=back
+=back
+
For additional information and recommendations on Catalyst installation,
please refer to
L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>.