.. technical_requirements: Technical requirements ====================== Getting started... ------------------ A high-quality desktop computer or laptop is sufficient for most purposes using the |ixmp|. - | *For new users:* | *Please set up a* **GitHub account** (`github.com/join`_) *and get familiar with forking and cloning repositories, as well as pulling, committing and pushing changes.* | *We recommend* **GitKraken** (`gitkraken.com`_) *for users who prefer a graphical user interface application to work with Github (as opposed to the command line).* - | A **Python installation is required** for the installation scripts. For novice users, we recommend to install Anaconda and Spyder (`anaconda.org`_), version 3.6 or higher. | *No advanced knowledge of Python is required for getting started with the ix modeling platform.* - For using `GAMS`_ to solve numerical optimisation problems, you need to install the latest version of GAMS (in particular 24.8 or higher). If you do only have a license for an older version, install both the older and the latest version of GAMS. Scientific programming interface -------------------------------- The scientific programming interface can be used either through Python or R: - | **Python**: for novice users, we recommend to install Anaconda and Spyder (`anaconda.org`_). There are no known issues with the programming interface regarding Python 2.7 vs. 3.6 or higher. | The following package is required: ``jpype1`` - | **R**: visit the Comprehensive R Archive Network (`cran.r-project.org`_) | and install the R editor of your choice. | The following package is required: ``rJava``. Installation and dependencies ----------------------------- Please follow the instructions in the `README`_. .. _`github.com/join` : https://github.com/join .. _`gitkraken.com` : https://www.gitkraken.com/ .. _`anaconda.org` : https://anaconda.org/ .. _`GAMS` : http://www.gams.com .. _`cran.r-project.org` : https://cran.r-project.org/ .. _`README` : https://github.com/iiasa/ixmp/blob/master/README.md