Help needed with an account

General discussion for players of Oolite.

Moderators: winston, another_commander

another_commander
Quite Grand Sub-Admiral
Quite Grand Sub-Admiral
Posts: 6672
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:54 am

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by another_commander »

hiran wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 3:40 pm
We know the old domain was used to distribute malware.
I do have to ask: where do we know that from? Is there any kind of proof? I very highly doubt it. IMO, that statement is urban legend.
User avatar
MrFlibble
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 323
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:13 pm

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by MrFlibble »

hiran wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 3:54 pm
MrFlibble wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 3:28 pm
Were the prospective commander to persist, and manage to launch it from a terminal they'd of course get the vital, searchable clue which can be copy/pasted into a web search:

Code: Select all

$ GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite
./oolite.app/oolite: error while loading shared libraries: libgnustep-base.so.1.28: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Erk. It looks like Oolite died with an error. When making an error report, please copy + paste the log above into the report.
Rather than the opaque "exit code 127", perhaps a more helpful human readable code in the popup like:-
error while loading shared libraries: libgnustep-base.so.1.28: cannot open shared object file.
Please see http://$wiki/$article for a proper clue.
I didn't dive into the source to check, perhaps 127 covers a range of ills, but since the terminal output is informative, I'd hope the popup could be specific too. If a wiki page describes this issue, then the console message should also mention it.

Could the console messages be mirrored in the popup?
First, code 127 can mean a plethora of reasons. Basically it means the executable you tried to launch could not be launched. Not having the correct version of libgnustep is one of them. Not having another shared lib would also yield 127, and having an arm64 binary on an x86 platform would likely yield the same.
So it is required to look at stdout/stderr.

Then look at the process structure:
There is the oolite executable, run by a wrapper to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which again is run by a wrapper to display error on failure. When wiretapping stdout/stderr we need to grab the content while not blocking it from other users to be able to forward it into the UI. The UI is capable of more.
I apologise for the clear sky thinking on my part. You know that I am an advocate of wrapper scripts, and how I like to use them to simplify cross platform issues. Of course I can grok how it might be tricky to tee stdout/err via the app.

Maybe the catch-all error 127 in the GUI should point to a catch-all wiki page of hints.

I'll get back in my box :D
User avatar
hiran
Theorethicist
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:39 pm
Location: a parallel world I created for myself. Some call it a singularity...

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by hiran »

MrFlibble wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:08 pm
I apologise for the clear sky thinking on my part. You know that I am an advocate of wrapper scripts, and how I like to use them to simplify cross platform issues. Of course I can grok how it might be tricky to tee stdout/err via the app.

Maybe the catch-all error 127 in the GUI should point to a catch-all wiki page of hints.

I'll get back in my box :D
It's ok. Good to question - I only happen to know because I was upset getting no feedback at all when running Oolite. At that time the error could have even been that the first startup went interactive asking for confirmation of the license - on stdout/stdin although there was no terminal when the icon was clicked. I think it is all in the thread I referenced.

I like the wiki page idea. It allows us to put up a good procedure with links to background information. 😃

But we should stop abusing spara's help request thread...
Sunshine - Moonlight - Good Times - Oolite
User avatar
Cody
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Posts: 16081
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:31 pm
Location: The Lizard's Claw
Contact:

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by Cody »

another_commander wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:01 pm
hiran wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 3:40 pm
We know the old domain was used to distribute malware.
I do have to ask: where do we know that from? Is there any kind of proof? I very highly doubt it. IMO, that statement is urban legend.
I tend to agree... urban legend!
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
User avatar
Cody
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Posts: 16081
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:31 pm
Location: The Lizard's Claw
Contact:

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by Cody »

@spara: if you want your alt deleted, just say the word and someone will oblige.
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
User avatar
hiran
Theorethicist
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:39 pm
Location: a parallel world I created for myself. Some call it a singularity...

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by hiran »

Cody wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 5:15 pm
another_commander wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 4:01 pm
hiran wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 3:40 pm
We know the old domain was used to distribute malware.
I do have to ask: where do we know that from? Is there any kind of proof? I very highly doubt it. IMO, that statement is urban legend.
I tend to agree... urban legend!
I won't disclose my source so I also agree. It is a legend.
Sunshine - Moonlight - Good Times - Oolite
User avatar
Cholmondely
Archivist
Archivist
Posts: 5352
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:00 am
Location: The Delightful Domains of His Most Britannic Majesty (industrial? agricultural? mainly anything?)
Contact:

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by Cholmondely »

The urban legend is mine!

I visited our old website after it was bought to see what was being done with it. After a month or so, my browser blocked me from visiting, warning me that it was virus-ridden. This lasted for a couple of months (3 or 4 visits) and then stopped.
Comments wanted:
Missing OXPs? What do you think is missing?
Lore: The economics of ship building How many built for Aronar?
Lore: The Space Traders Flight Training Manual: Cowell & MgRath Do you agree with Redspear?
User avatar
Wildeblood
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2450
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 6:07 am
Location: Western Australia
Contact:

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by Wildeblood »

Speaking of suspect-looking websites, when are we getting the dark blue borders and Oolite logo back? An unbranded phpBB installation always looks suspect.
In your heart, you know it's flat.
User avatar
spara
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2691
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:19 am
Location: Finland

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by spara »

Cody wrote: Wed Jul 03, 2024 5:18 pm
@spara: if you want your alt deleted, just say the word and someone will oblige.
Yup, mspara has served it's purpose and can freely be deleted.
User avatar
Cody
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Sharp Shooter Spam Assassin
Posts: 16081
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:31 pm
Location: The Lizard's Claw
Contact:

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by Cody »

Done!
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
User avatar
spara
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2691
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:19 am
Location: Finland

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by spara »

Here's what I have found out about my installation issue concerning expansion manager so far. If anyone has any idea what's going on, I would be very happy.

1. Installation is Debian testing that has been originally installed circa 2020. It's been naturally kept up to date, but a lot of thing have happened debian-wise during that time.
2. Everything else I use seems to be working just fine.
3. Oolite 1.90 manager works when I change the address to point to the correct url.
4. Oolite 1.91 (at least the first and last version from github) won't download the oxp list, but gives an exception in the log:

Code: Select all

19:42:49.285 [exception]: ***** Exception checking controls [pollDemoControls]: NSInvalidArgumentException : NSTask - no launch path set
5. I installed a fresh debian 12 to a virtual machine and Oolite 1.91 works just fine.
6. I tried to google the exception and found some answers, but they really don't mean much to me. My best guess is, that Oolite tries to call something that is found from the path of the fresh debian installation and not found from the path of the old debian installation. Can't find anything from other logs.

The only clue I have is that that particular part works in 1.90 and not in 1.91. So any idea what I should be looking at that has changed Linux-wise/Expansion manager-wise between those versions?
User avatar
hiran
Theorethicist
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:39 pm
Location: a parallel world I created for myself. Some call it a singularity...

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by hiran »

spara wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2024 4:54 pm
So any idea what I should be looking at that has changed Linux-wise/Expansion manager-wise between those versions?
Versions up to and including 1.90 were built by some powerful wizard that is no longer amongst us.

Versions 1.91 are built on Github directly upon each modification - you could say the same recipy interpreted in a different kitchen. Linux 1.91 versions are built on Ubuntu 22. That is based on Debian 12.
https://askubuntu.com/a/445496

The first thing I'd look at would be the executable and the shared libs that get loaded. Just cannot recall the command to be used for that...
Sunshine - Moonlight - Good Times - Oolite
User avatar
MrFlibble
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 323
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:13 pm

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by MrFlibble »

hiran wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2024 5:56 pm
spara wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2024 4:54 pm
So any idea what I should be looking at that has changed Linux-wise/Expansion manager-wise between those versions?
Versions up to and including 1.90 were built by some powerful wizard that is no longer amongst us.

Versions 1.91 are built on Github directly upon each modification - you could say the same recipy interpreted in a different kitchen. Linux 1.91 versions are built on Ubuntu 22. That is based on Debian 12.
https://askubuntu.com/a/445496

The first thing I'd look at would be the executable and the shared libs that get loaded. Just cannot recall the command to be used for that...
Something like

Code: Select all

strace GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite 2>&1 | tee /tmp/crazylog
..might do the trick though you may need to use the strace in that wrapper script, or the one it subsequently calls.
User avatar
hiran
Theorethicist
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:39 pm
Location: a parallel world I created for myself. Some call it a singularity...

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by hiran »

MrFlibble wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2024 7:26 pm
Something like

Code: Select all

strace GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite 2>&1 | tee /tmp/crazylog
..might do the trick though you may need to use the strace in that wrapper script, or the one it subsequently calls.
Good answer. That helps debug a lot of problems.
I was more thinking in a static analysis with the help of readelf or ldd.

Should we collect all of that on a troubleshooting wiki page?
Sunshine - Moonlight - Good Times - Oolite
User avatar
spara
---- E L I T E ----
---- E L I T E ----
Posts: 2691
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:19 am
Location: Finland

Re: Help needed with an account

Post by spara »

Thanks for all this, but still no real progress. I tried strace and ltrace and could not really identify anything useful from them. Command ldd just yields "not a dynamic executable". Command lsof then again was quite informative, but I could not identify anything useful from it. Hmm. This is sort of an interesting puzzle, but I'm not exactly sure how useful this is :D If the only thing not working is the manager, then there is a workaround, but then again, I'm quite annoyed of computer things not working :mrgreen:
Post Reply