add documentation for installing LCM

README.md

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ feedback and involvement on new features.
 
 # Quick Links
 
+* [Installing LCM](https://lcm-proj.github.io/lcm/content/install-instructions.html)
 * [LCM downloads](https://github.com/lcm-proj/lcm/releases)
 * [Website and documentation](https://lcm-proj.github.io/lcm)
 

docs/content/install-instructions.md

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+# Installing LCM
+
+A limited set of package managers on certain systems provide prebuilt packages for LCM. This page
+enumerates those.
+
+## System packages
+
+LCM is also available on some system package managers, although there is not widespread coverage.
+
+### Ubuntu (via apt)
+
+To install the main LCM package run:
+
+```shell
+sudo apt install liblcm-dev
+```
+
+To install Java-based components, run:
+
+```shell
+sudo apt install liblcm-java
+```
+
+Some versions of Ubuntu also have an LCM Python package available via apt. Please check your version
+of Ubuntu before running any of the below commands:
+
+```shell
+# On 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) only
+sudo apt install python-liblcm
+# On 24.04 (Noble Numbat) only
+sudo apt install python3-lcm
+```
+
+### macOS (via homebrew)
+
+To install the LCM package run:
+
+```shell
+brew install lcm
+```
+
+### Arch Linux (AUR)
+
+LCM is available in the [lcm](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/lcm) package.
+
+For more information on how to install a package using AUR, see [the AUR
+docs](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_User_Repository).
+
+Note: in order to get Java-based components (like `lcm-logplayer-gui`) you'll need to install
+`java-environment` before running `makepkg`.
+
+### NixOS
+
+LCM is available in the `lcm` package. Please see the [NixOS package
+index](https://search.nixos.org/packages) for more information.
+
+
+## Python packages (via pip)
+
+LCM can be installed via the Python package manager (`pip`) on many systems. To do so, run:
+
+```shell
+pip3 install lcm
+```
+
+This package contains:
+
+- The LCM Python module
+- LCM executables (for example, `lcm-logplayer`)
+    - Note: Java-based executables (like `lcm-logplayer-gui`) are not included for musl-based linux
+      distributions
+- Development files (headers and libraries)
+
+Note: this package has a hard runtime dependency on GLib 2.0. If you have not already, please
+install this dependency before using the Python package.

docs/index.rst

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ in a variety of programming languages.
 Quick links
 ===========
 
+* :ref:`Installing LCM`
 * `Downloads <https://github.com/lcm-proj/lcm/releases>`_
 * :ref:`Build Instructions`
 * :ref:`Tutorial and examples`
@@ -115,6 +116,7 @@ sending a message to the `mailing list <http://groups.google.com/group/lcm-users
    :caption: Contents
    :glob:
 
+   content/install-instructions.md
    content/build-instructions.md
    content/java-notes.md
    content/lcm-type-ref.md