
  This document explains how to install Allegro in Windows operating systems.
  For GNU/Linux operating systems read "linux.txt".

  First you must install Allegro itself.  Current Allegro.pas version is
  compatible with version 5.2.x only so DON'T install version 5.1.x or older.
  Versions 5.3.x and newer may not work as well.

  Read "fpc.txt", "lazarus.txt" or "delphi.txt" to know how to use such
  compilers and IDEs.



Getting precompiled version
---------------------------

  You can download the "binary" version of Allegro from GitHub:

  Go to https://github.com/liballeg/allegro5/releases and select one of the
  "dynamic" packages.  Note i686 are 32bit version and x86_64 are 64 bit.

  Once downloaded, you need only the DLL files that are in the "bin"
  subdirectory;  the other files are for C and C++ developers only.  Also note
  that Allegro.pas links with the "monolith" version of the library by default.
  Read below to know what "monolith" means.

  Also note that you may need more DLL files, such as the ones needed to load
  PNG and OGG files, among others.



Installing precompiled version
------------------------------

  In most cases you can put the DLL files in to your "C:\windows\system32"
  directory but it's better to put these DLL files in the directory where
  the executable is.



Installing from sources
-----------------------

  I recommend you to install from sources at least once in your life as it is
  quite educative and you can learn a lot about how things actually works.

  First you'll need a C/C++ compiler.  I recommend the MinGW, but you may use
  Microsoft Visual Studio as well.

  Visit Allegro's project website at http://liballeg.org/download.html and
  download one of the source releases.  The package includes full installation
  instructions.  Follow them.  Anyway, file "linux.txt" includes interesting
  information if you're using MinGW or Cywin.

  For better results, compile and install both "release" and "debug" versions
  of the library.

  Also note that Allegro.pas links with the "monolith" version of the library
  by default.



What does "monolith version" mean
---------------------------------

  As said above, Allegro.pas links with the "monolith" version of the library
  by default.

  The "monolith version" means that the whole Allegro library, including
  add-ons, come in a single DLL file.  In the "no-monolith" each add-on is
  compiled in its own DLL file.

  Allegro.pas can be linked whith any of these versions.  By default it links
  with the monolith but if you define the "NO_MONOLITH" symbol (i.e. adding
  "-dNO_MONOLITH" to the compilation command) it will be linked with the other
  wersion.
