NetLogo 4.0.4
for Windows

(without bundled Java)

November 24, 2008


Most Windows users should choose the NetLogo download with bundled Java, available from the main download page.

There are two reasons you might want to use the download on this page instead:

  1. You want a smaller download so it arrives faster and uses up less space on your hard drive.
  2. For specific technical reasons of your own, you want to run NetLogo using a different Java than the one we bundle.

If you think the download on this page might be appropriate for you, please read the following detailed technical information.

Even if you already have Java installed on your computer, it probably will not work with NetLogo.

For maximum performance, NetLogo uses a special option called the “server” VM. The default Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer from Sun does not install this option. It is only included in Sun’s Java Development Kit (JDK).

If you are not a Java developer, then you probably have the JRE, not the JDK.

Therefore, if you want to run NetLogo with your own Java VM, you have two options:

  1. Make sure that you have the full JDK for the Java you want to use, not just the JRE.
  2. Or, you can edit a configuration file in order to make NetLogo work with the JRE.

We don’t recommend option 2, because NetLogo runs noticeably slower without the “server” option.

If you choose option 2 anyway, here’s what to do. You have to tell NetLogo not to try to use the “server” VM option. First, install NetLogo using the download on this page. Then, open NetLogo 4.0.4.lax, located in the directory where you installed NetLogo (by default c:/Program Files/NetLogo 4.0.4), in a text editor such as Notepad. You need to remove the -server option from the additional java options. So change this section:

#   LAX.NL.JAVA.OPTION.ADDITIONAL
#   -----------------------------
#   don't load native libs from user dirs, only ours, also run server not client VM

lax.nl.java.option.additional=-Djava.ext.dirs= -server -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true

To look like this:

#   LAX.NL.JAVA.OPTION.ADDITIONAL
#   -----------------------------
#   don't load native libs from user dirs, only ours, also run server not client VM

lax.nl.java.option.additional=-Djava.ext.dirs= -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true

Again, remember that with this approach, performance is impaired.


Windows
Download (37M)


Notes:

  • Certain anti-virus software may cause a long pause (as much as a minute or longer) near the end of the download process.

Problems downloading? Write ccl-tech@ccl.northwestern.edu.