Oolite Bulletins

Micha wrote:

SandJ wrote:

It is the Ubuntu Netbook Edition which does have a different appearance to the normal desktop.

Aha!
Presumably the Ubuntu Netbook Edition (which, iirc, uses a precursor of Unity) does not entirely adhere to the Linux Desktop Standard. I shall investigate.

It is more likely something now wrong with the config of my netbook. I have installed and uninstalled a variety of versions of Oolite by a variety of different means and something in that process has broken or left something.

In the couple of years I have had it I have successfully installed IDLE 2.6, Arora, BOINC, WINE, DigiGuide via WINE, VirtualBox, Celestia, KTouch, Marble, God-only-knows-how-many-games, OpenOffice,Empathy, Firefox, Chrome, KMail, Evolution, ThunderBird, KompoZer, DropBox, TeamViewer, FreePlane, xCHM, Beyond Compare, Gambas2, Pythons 2.6 and 3.1, Umbrello, KStars, Stellarium, and wodges of standard Canonical and Ubuntu apps, all gaining an icon in the menu.

The only thing giving me trouble is Oolite, which used to work, because the icon was there.

Incidentally, installing Oolite version 1.65 via the Ubuntu Software Centre using the standard software sources now no longer creates an icon for me.

Hence I don't think the fault is with the Netbook Edition of Ubuntu per se.

... much Googling and reading later ...

When you delete a menu option, the relevant [size=120]~/.local/share/applications/oolite.desktop[/size] file has an entry "[size=120]Hidden=true[/size]" added. It seems that having done so, then subsequent uninstall / reinstall of the application does not make the icon re-appear. But nor will the opion appear in the menu maintenance program to un-hide the icon.

I deleted [size=120]oolite.desktop[/size] and [size=120]oolite.org.desktop[/size] (I wonder what that was) and re-installed Oolite from the standard sources and got version 1.65 with an icon. I uninstalled it, the icon disappeared.

I added debs.oolite.org and installed Oolite again. I got version 1.76, with an icon.

Lesson learned: don't delete menu items in Ubuntu when the application is installed - the icon will not re-appear when the application is re-installed.

I'm sorry, Micha, for the time you spent up this garden path with me, chasing a wild goose.

SandJ wrote:

The only thing giving me trouble is Oolite, which used to work, because the icon was there.

...

I'm sorry, Micha, for the time you spent up this garden path with me, chasing a wild goose.

Ah.. I had somehow misinterpreted one one of your earlier posts and gotten the impression that it was not just Oolite which gave trouble but a couple of other programs as well, with 3dchess being one which -did- work. Nevermind

And thanks very much for posting the cause & fix!

Micha wrote:

I've made install packages for 32- and 64-bit Debian lenny and squeeze, and Ubuntu lucid and maverick, although they are not linked on the pages yet.
To test, go to http://debs.oolite.org/AptSources.html, and replace the 'test' with 'release' in the deb sources for your distro.

Feedback welcome.

PS. You can't use the Software Centre in Ubuntu because newer versions of it refuse to install unsigned packages. You have to use Synaptic, aptitude, or similar tools.

Are there any repo entries to get Ubuntu 11.10 running?

I have installed OOlite on my FSC V5535 laptop with Ubuntu 11.10, but because of the onboard SiS 672 graphic I havnt found a usable driver until now and only get a framerate of 12, which drops down to 4 when I try do dock !

I know how to dock without a docking computer, but at such a low framerate it is impossible !

Is there someone who can help me with a linux driver for SiS 672 graphic chips ?

MfG, MEX

MEX wrote:

I have installed OOlite on my FSC V5535 laptop with Ubuntu 11.10, but because of the onboard SiS 672 graphic I havnt found a usable driver until now and only get a framerate of 12, which drops down to 4 when I try do dock !

I know how to dock without a docking computer, but at such a low framerate it is impossible !

Is there someone who can help me with a linux driver for SiS 672 graphic chips ?

MfG, MEX

Hi and welcome. I am not very up to speed with Linux and someone with more experience on the OS will cerainly be able to give better advice, but I fear that it is not an issue with drivers, more like an issue with the gfx hardware itself. SiS are notorious (more, even more, much much more than Intel) for being totally unfit for purpose graphics adapters.

another_commander wrote:

... more like an issue with the gfx hardware itself. SiS are notorious (more, even more, much much more than Intel) for being totally unfit for purpose graphics adapters.

I asume a V5535 with a MIRAGE compatible graphics chip from SiS should be at least as powerfull as my good old AMIGA CDTV !

Or is it OOlite which needs much more powerfull graphic hardware than the good old ELITE on my A500 compatible CDTV ?

Is there a older version of OOlite available which performs better with a "VESA: 6330" linux driver on a debian compatible Linux ?

MfG, MEX

MEX wrote:

another_commander wrote:

... more like an issue with the gfx hardware itself. SiS are notorious (more, even more, much much more than Intel) for being totally unfit for purpose graphics adapters.

I asume a V5535 with a MIRAGE compatible graphics chip from SiS should be at least as powerfull as my good old AMIGA CDTV !

Or is it OOlite which needs much more powerfull graphic hardware than the good old ELITE on my A500 compatible CDTV ?

Is there a older version of OOlite available which performs better with a "VESA: 6330" linux driver on a debian compatible Linux ?

MfG, MEX

There are single ships in Oolite that have more polygons than the Amiga could render at even 1fps, even some of the basic ships have textures considerably bigger than the Amiga could hold in its limited graphics memory (remember the Amiga only had 4096 colours (12-bit) in its whole palette and at best 640x256 (512i) gfx, so about 256K/512K of memory max)

MEX wrote:

I asume a V5535 with a MIRAGE compatible graphics chip from SiS should be at least as powerfull as my good old AMIGA CDTV !

It’s not about power. There are two problems:

• SiS chips and/or their drivers are so buggy they’re barely functional.
• There are no 3D drivers for SiS graphics under Linux, so you’re using software rendering.

Hi folks. I've got ubuntu 10.11... and I've got Ooolite working, albeit somewhat crankily, to my satisfaction, however there never was a "Game" file, I created one after a few install tries, and there's "oolite-1.76.1.linux-x86.run" and a zip file. There is a game Icon (Silveyblue diamond...?) in home/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite.app, also in there are Recources, oolite-update and oolite wrapper. There's an icon on the desktop while the game starts up but it disappears when the game shuts down. The only way I seem to be able to start the game is by clicking on "oolite" in Home/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite, then choosing "run" over "Display contents" when that window pops up. The install put the file oolite-saves in Home, above everything else, where it still is. I don't expect anyone to know how messed or why messed my incompetent efforts have left me, and I do intend to slowly, time allowing, learn more and more on my own. Throwing this out there.

Have you looked in Applications, Games? Oolite should be listed there with the other games, and the 'starbird' icon can be copied to the desktop or launch panel for instant starting.

Nah, there's no icon in Games. For two weeks I've been clicking five files to play Oolite. It's worth it. The Icon i see looking closely is actually two gear sections asymetricaly placed on a bluish diamond... it was in Home/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/oolite.app. It is on the desktop now but it doesn't do anything. I'm pretty sure I messed up the installation somewhere. The wiki instructions didn't quite work out; I never had to type anything either, to initiate. I ran one of those unzipped files and I'm playing oolite. I have several saves. But am I missing something fundamental? When I say I don't expect you to solve my issue, I am certainly not thinking you couldn't.. I'm thinking perhaps it's beneath you, and I should just read a linux manual and also, figure out just what GNUstep is, and why the heck I have to click "Trash" now.. to play my favorite game.. because when double clicking on Home in the left vertical menu bar instead of opening it offered me some message and in my frustration I hit "Quit", and now there is no Home icon on that bar, and i don't even know how to restore it. Ah. I got the home icon back in the launcher. But alas when restoring everything from the trash (Why did my computer do that?) I seem to have blissfully retained my save files but not any of the add ons or the ability to play Oolite. Shazbat. Sorry to interupt with cave man stuff. As you were..

Hi Jeffron.. is there any particular reason you're still using Ubuntu 10.11?

Well for what it's worth I'm still on 10.10!
@jeffron, don't worry about bothering us - we like a challenge and always try to live up to our 'friendliest board' reputation.

Smivs wrote:

Well for what it's worth I'm still on 10.10! )

And that's because?

(sorry.. recent Linux Mint convert here.. nice and up-to-date, but without that damn Unity desktop garbage. I'm loving it! - oh, and it runs Oolite beautifuly)

This is what im talking about. I don't like ubuntu. Don't understand it either. I've no use for a menu that offers me "Keep your Tomboy notes in synch." I'd much prefer to be offered a Mai tai. My goal is to figure out how to get rid of everything on this newly aquired old laptop and install just enough stuff to play oolite and do a little word processing. I just hope I can keep my save files, but if I can't I guess I can always manually restore the wealth the Commander has accrued through honest pains and deliberate slaying. What os's would you recommend for someone who is a do it yourselfer, hates when computers try to think for him, and is willing to keep learning the manual side of things, but is painfully, and I mean "I just figured out I can click and drag a file and move it, WHOOO HOOO" painfully, ignorant? I guess I should hit the internet up for some learning.