Pajek installation

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Pajek is powerful, free social network analysis software. It runs natively on Windows, and via a Windows emulator on Mac or Linux. Pajek is basic software for this course. It's extremely powerful and it's integrated with our text book, Exploratory Social Network Analysis with Pajek (abbreviated: ESNAP), 3rd edition, and it runs on nearly any computer (though if you prefer you can use the lab computers, where it's been preinstalled).

Users should consult the Pajek home page for downloads and extensive documentation. See below for instructions.

Installing Pajek

On a PC

To download and install Pajek, follow instructions on the download page. I suggest the 64 bit version called simply "Pajek". PajekXXL and Pajek3X are used for very large networks (millions of nodes). If your computer doesn't run 64 bit, download 32 bit version instead.

On a Mac

Note the Pajek is a Windows application. Special instructions for running Pajek on the Mac via an application called Wine are available on the Pajek wiki. You can also run Pajek on Linux via Wine. I suggest you use the 32 bit version (I've not gotten the 64 bit version to run on my own Mac under Wine).

Alternatively, on any Intel Mac you can simply run Windows, and then there's no special hurdle: you'll be able to run any Windows software you like, including Pajek.

There are at least four ways to do this with a Windows emulator if you have a copy of Windows or are willing to buy one:

  • Bootcamp, which is included with the Mac. This option requires a special partition for Windows.
  • Invest in Parallels, an emulator that allows quick switching back and forth between Mac and Windows.
  • Use the free VMware
  • Or the open source https://www.virtualbox.org/

Alternatively sign up for Microsoft Azure to obtain a Windows virtual machine, free for one year. You register with a personal Microsoft Account, and then verify you are with the University of Alberta. IST help desk can assist you if you have troubles.

Once you have your emulator running, follow instructions for "On a PC" above and you should be all set!

Note: If you use a Windows emulator another problem arises: how to share files between the Mac and Windows (which runs in a virtual machine with its own file system)? The best way is probably to share files via a cloud service, such as a Google Drive folder or Dropbox. Set up a folder specifically for this course and you can read and write files both from the Mac and from the Windows emulator. Note that file formats are slightly different though so it may be best to work entirely in Windows in many cases.

Data files required for ESNAP (and manual)

Download these sample data sets for use with the textbook. Store them in your Pajek Data directory for future reference. You'll also find a Pajek manual for reference (but ESNAP is a better guide).

Other software for Pajek

These two (Windows) programs are very useful for generating Pajek files out of data presented in a different format:

txt2pajek: Converting text file data sets into Pajek format

excel2Pajek: Converting excel sheets into Pajek format

Help

More help is available!