Babel

• Project: https://github.com/c4s4/babel.
• Download: https://github.com/c4s4/babel/releases.

Babel is a set of tools to manage versions of your favorite programming languages and tools.

To download, build from sources and install GO 1.4.2:

$ go-build 1.4.2

To use this GO version, run version script that will list all installed versions and let you select one:

$ version go
Please choose a version:
0: Default
1: 1.0.3
2: 1.1.2
3: 1.2.2 *
4: 1.3.3
5: 1.4.2
5
Selecting go version '1.4.2'
$ go version
go version go1.4.2 linux/amd64

This tool is able to build and manage following programming languages and tools:

• Go
• Java
• Perl
• PostgreSQL
• Python
• Lua
• Ruby
• Rust
• VScodium

How it works

Build scripts builds and install VMs or compiler in directory /opt/<lang>/<version>. Thus GO 1.4.2 would be installed in directory /opt/go/1.4.2. You may choose any other installation directory than /opt. This should be defined in APP_DIR environment variable. To install languages in your home directory, you may define APP_DIR=~/app for instance. As /opt is the default directory, I will use it in the rest of this documentation.

Script version selects a given version by making a symbolic link between /opt/<lang>/<version> and /opt/<lang>/current.

Thus, if you put directory /opt/<lang>/current/bin in your PATH, you would run selected version.

This system is straightforward and works fine.

Installation

To install Babel:

• Drop scripts in bin directory somewhere in your PATH.
• Create directories for languages you want to manage (/opt/go, /opt/java, /opt/lua, /opt/perl, /opt/python and/or /opt/ruby).
• Copy profile files in etc directory to /etc/profile.d/. These scripts are sourced at startup and define environment variables. For instance, it will add /opt/<lang>/current/bin in your PATH.

Build your VMs with scripts <lang>-build version (except for Java that you install already built in appropriate directory /opt/java/<version>).

Languages

Go

Go has no VM, thus:

• go-build script will install a given compiler.
• version go script will switch between installed versions.

You must set following environment variables:

• PATH: must include /opt/go/current/bin.
• GOROOT: must be /opt/go/current.
• GOPATH: must be set as you wish (~/go for instance).

Note:

Even if tests fail (which is the case for release 1.1 for instance), the compiler is installed.

Java

• There is no build script: drop Java tarball content in /opt/java/<version> directory.
• version java script will switch between installed versions.

You must set following environment variables:

• PATH: must include /opt/java/current/bin.
• JAVA_HOME: must be /opt/java/current.

Perl

• perl-build script will build Perl from sources (which is very long).
• version perl script will switch between installed versions.

PostgreSQL

• psql-build script will build PostgreSQL from sources.
• version psql script will switch between installed versions.

Python

• python-build script will build the VM for given version.
• version python script will switch between installed versions.
• python-venv script to create a virtualenv with an installed VM.

To build Python VM, you must install following development libraries:

• tetex-nox and latex2html to generate documentation for 2.6 and earlier versions.
• libreadline-dev to enable completion and line edition in interpreter.
• libssl-dev to enable HTTPS.
• libzip-dev, libtar-dev, libbz2-dev, zlib1g-dev to enable ZIP and TAR support.
• libmysqld-dev, libmysqlclient-dev and python-dev to install MySQL driver.
• libsqlite3-dev to enable sqlite3 support.

Lua

• lua-build script will build the VM for the given version.
• version lua script will switch between installed versions.

Ruby

• ruby-build script will build the VM for the given version.
• version ruby script will switch between installed versions.

Rust

• rust-build script will build Rust from sources (which is very long).
• version rust script will switch between installed versions.

VScodium

• vscodium-build script will download and install VScodium, then remove old versions to keep last two releases. If no version is passed on command line, latest released version will be installed.
• version vscodium script will switch between installed versions.

Enjoy!