How to Install GNU Social on Windows 10

This tutorial will guide you through the installation process of GNU Social on Windows 10 operating system.

Prerequisites

To install GNU Social on Windows 10, you need to have the following software installed on your computer:

• XAMPP
• Git
• Composer

Step 1: Download GNU Social

First, download the latest version of GNU social from their official website at https://gnu.io/social/ or you can download the source code from GitHub repository at https://github.com/dansup/gnusocial.

Step 2: Install XAMPP

Download and install XAMPP on your computer from https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html. XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that includes Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Step 3: Install Git

Download and install Git on your computer from https://git-scm.com/downloads. Git is a distributed version control system that allows you to keep track of changes to your code, collaborate with others, and rollback changes if necessary.

Step 4: Install Composer

Download and install Composer on your computer from https://getcomposer.org/download/. Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that allows you to easily install and manage PHP packages and libraries.

Step 5: Clone GNU Social Source Code

Open Git Bash and navigate to the directory where you want to install GNU Social. Enter the following command to clone the GNU Social source code from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/dansup/gnusocial.git

Step 6: Install GNU Social Dependencies

Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell and navigate to the directory where you have cloned the GNU Social source code. Enter the following command to install GNU social dependencies:

composer install

This will install all the required libraries and packages for GNU Social.

Step 7: Configure Apache

Open XAMPP Control Panel and start the Apache web server. Navigate to the directory where you have installed XAMPP and open the "httpd.conf" file with a text editor. Add the following lines of code at the end of the file:

# GNU Social
Alias /social "C:/path/to/gnusocial/www/"
<Directory "C:/path/to/gnusocial/www/">
     AllowOverride All
     Require all granted
</Directory>

Replace "C:/path/to/gnusocial/www/" with the actual path to the directory where you have cloned the GNU Social source code.

Step 8: Create a Database

Open XAMPP Control Panel and start the MariaDB database server. Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/. Login with your MariaDB username and password. Click on the "Databases" tab and create a new database for GNU Social.

Step 9: Install GNU Social

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/social/. Follow the on-screen instructions to install GNU Social. The installer will prompt you to enter the database details, site details, and admin account details.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed GNU Social on your Windows 10 computer. You can now use GNU Social to create and join social networks.

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