INSTALL.md

Installing Go

Installing Go is a very simple process, but if you want the entire set of tools, it can be more complicated.

We wil cover just the basic installation in this quick start guide.

What Operating System?

Go can run natively on most operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Mac

The quickest way to install on the mac is to use HomeBrew.

If you don't have HomeBrew you can install it easily with this line:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Once it is insatlled, simply run these commands:

brew update
brew install go

Windows and Linux

You can download installers for all operating systems (Including Mac), including Windows, here:

http://golang.org/dl/

Setting up your Environment

Go requires you to set the GOPATH for the compiler to work properly.

GOPATH on Mac or Linux

mkdir $HOME/go
export GOPATH=$HOME/go

In depth details on `GOPATH can be found https://code.google.com/p/go-wiki/wiki/GOPATH.

GOPATH on Windows

From a command prompt:

mkdir "%USERPROFILE%\go"

Go to the Control Panel > System > Advanced Tab > Environment Variables.

Add a new User Variable (not a system variable)

Variable name: GOPATH Variable value: %USERPROFILE%\go

NOTE: You may need to reboot for this variable to take effect.

Your first Go program

Ok, now it's time to create our first go program. To do so, create a file called hello.go with your preferred text editor, and add the following content:

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Printf("hello, world\n")
}

To run it, use the following command:

$ go run hello.go
hello, world

If you see the "hello, world" message then your Go installation is working.

NOTE: This was taken directly from golang.org/doc/install

Summary

Congratulations, you can now write more Go code!