What version of Alice 3 is right for me?
The Alice website will automatically select the proper installer based on your operating system. In most cases the online installer is the preferred method of installation (denoted by the green download icon):
However, there are multiple installation options. Here is a breakdown of each one:
Online installer
The default and recommended Alice 3 installer. When run, it requires a live internet connection in order to install Alice.
Advantages:
- Small file size
- Only pulls what is needed to install or upgrade from an older version of Alice 3.
Disadvantages:
- Requires an internet connection during install
Offline installer
Includes the full Alice package. It is an alternate way to install Alice 3 for those who wish to have a fully self-contained installer.
Advantages:
- Once downloaded, does not require an internet connection to install
Disadvantages
Universal zip
If you have issue with the installers, try downloading and running the universal zip. It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. Once uncompressed, it does not need to be installed. It is self contained and can be run by double-clicking the appropriate executable file (Alice.bat for Windows, Alice.app for Mac or alice.sh for Linux).
Advantages:
- Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux
- Once downloaded, does not require an internet connection to get started
Disadvantages
- Cannot be upgraded
- Does not add an icon to your desktop
- Large file size
Installing Alice for the first time
Alice 3 requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or J
First, download Alice by visiting the download page. We recommend you grab the Alice 3 online installer, denoted by the big green download icon.
You may want to read up on the other installation options if you want to be confused or like more choices.
After the download has finished, find the Alice installer on your computer and double-click it to begin the installation process. If you are on a Mac, you will first need to uncompress the Alice3Beta.tgz archive you downloaded. Simply double-click it and wait for the installer icon to appear next to the original file. Double-click the installer to begin installation. Follow the prompts, clicking "next" on each screen. If "next" is grayed out, most likely there is a checkbox you have you have not checked. For example, on the License Agreement screen, you will need to check the box labeled "I accept the terms in the license agreement" in order to continue with the install.
Updating Alice to the newest version
Alice 3 is beta software. That means we are continuing to add features, make improvements and fix bugs. If you are running an older version of Alice, we recommend you update to the latest release. You can tell if your copy of Alice is out of date by comparing the version number on the splash screen that appears when Alice starts up to the version on the Alice download page. If they don't match, your version is out of date.
To update Alice, download the latest release and run it. The installer will automatically detect whether you have a previous version on your system. If so, you will be presented with two options -- Install and uninstall. Click Install to perform the update.
Depending on how major an update it is, this may take some time. There is no need for you to uninstall an older version of Alice prior to installing a new one.
Alice 2 cannot be upgraded to Alice 3. They are completely separate products and run independently of one another.
What is the NetBeans plugin?
The NetBeans plugin allows you to import your Alice .a3p program into the NetBeans IDE (http://netbeans.org/). You can then continue to code and run your program within NetBeans.
At this time you cannot import your NetBeans code back into Alice. It is a one-way ticket.
How do I download and install the NetBeans plugin?
The Alice 3 NetBeans plugin has two prerequisites:
- Java Development Kit (JDK)
- NetBeans
If you do not have it already, you can download and install the latest JDK from Oracle's website. If you have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed, you will still need to download and install the JDK. The difference between the two is the JRE is needed to run Java applications and the JDK is needed to develop Java applications.
Next, download and install the latest version of NetBeans. Download the version of NetBeans under the column Java SE.
After NetBeans is installed, download the Alice 3 NetBeans plugin, listed under More downloads.
To install the plugin, follow these steps:
- Run NetBeans. (Note: as of version 7.0, the first time you run NetBeans it will ask you if you want to install JUnit. Alice does not use it. You are welcome to install it if you wish, as this is an Alice guide, you will probably want to click cancel.)
- Under the Tools menu, select Plugins. Your menu may look slightly different depending on the version of NetBeans you have installed and what operating system you are running. The Plugins window will open.
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How do I uninstall Alice?
To uninstall Alice, first make sure Alice is not running on your computer. Then, find and run the installer you used to install or update Alice. If you do not have it saved on your computer, you can download it again from the download page. You do not need to use the same installer version -- a newer version is backwards compatible for uninstallation. If you installed via either the online or offline installer, uninstallation can also be done via either. They are interchangeable. The online installer is a lot smaller download, so that's the fastest route.
Once the installer is running, it will automatically detect if you have Alice 3 on your system. If so, the Uninstall option will be available for you to click on, and that's exactly what you should do.
If you are using the Universal zip, no uninstaller is needed. Just delete the Alice3Beta directory.
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