Introduction: How to Install Netlogo for Linux on a Chromebook
My name is Eric Vigil and I am a science teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas school in Rio Rancho, NM. I also run the robotics club and recently began working with students to create a project for the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge.
One of the tools needed for this challenge is a programming environment that can model real world simulations with a simple programming language that is very adaptable. We are using NetLogo from North Western University. While they do have a web based version, the full linux version is much more capable.
Step 1: First Make Sure You Have a Chromebook Capable of Installing Linux.
In order to see if you chromebook can install Linux, you need to see if you can run Terminal by clicking on the Launcher bottom left and typing “terminal” into search bar.
If it comes up then chances are good that you will be able to install Linux.
Step 2: Run the Terminal... and It Will Load the Linux Installer.
Click Next and follow directions to continue the install.
You will need a username (all lower case) and then set the disk size to 5 gb.
It will take a few minutes to complete the installation process.
Step 3: When Installed a Terminal Should Pop Up... If It Doesn't Try to Load Terminal As You Did in the First Step With the Launcher.
Step 4: Now You Need to Set Up Java So That NetLogo Can Run Properly.
To setup Java you need to run two commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install default-jre
It will eventually prompt you asking if you want to proceed. Type capital "Y" to continue.
Step 5: While Java Is Installing You Can Download the NetLogo 32 Bit Package.
Step 6: You Will Also Need to Download a Small Script to Start Netlogo Once You Unpack It.
This file has just the following 2 commands:
#!/bin/sh
cd "`dirname "$0"`" java -Xmx1024m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 \
-Dnetlogo.models.dir=app/models \
-Dnetlogo.docs.dir=app/docs \
-Dnetlogo.extensions.dir=app/extensions \
-classpath app/netlogo-6.0.4.jar org.nlogo.app.App "$@"
Download the file so that you can move it to the Netlogo directory once you unpack it.
Step 7: Once You Downloaded the NetLogo Package, You Will Need to Unpack It.
Before you unpack the file, you need to share the folder with Linux:
To do this, goto Files app and then select the download directory and right clickand select "Share with linux"
To unpack the file you need to type this command in the terminal:
tar -zxvf /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads/NetLogo-6.0.4-32.tgz
Then change directory to where it was unpacked:
cd NetLogo\ 6.0.4/
Step 8: Now That You Unpacked Netlogo, Move the Script and Make It Executable to Run It.
The following command moves the script to the appropriate folder. (You can also do this from files app by dragging it to the Netlogo folder under the Linux files.)
mv /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads/runnetlogo.sh
Once it is in the correct folder, type the following command to make it an executable:
chmod 777 runnetlogo.sh
Step 9: Run Netlogo
To run netlogo, type the following command: (You need to be in the Netlogo directory.)
./runnetlogo.sh