Depends mostly on how to deal with all these window managers. Too many decisions ^^
Linux kernel is safe and robust and works best with most hardware - on servers.
For most window managers there’s still a long road to go.
And my hint to check Youtube for help is not for customers, it’s the easiest way to get help with basic stuff on Linux if you do not want to read walls of text. If this is too much work just stick with MacOS, it mostly works out of the box. I prefer Linux, use this system like you build stuff with LEGO bricks - build your own system, take only the parts you need, robust, fast and secure. That’s it!
And Linux is used in so many IT products these days. Your modem/router, your NAS, your printer, your TV set might run with it.
My point was that the concept behind ElementaryOS seeming to be simplicity and ease of use, it should work out of the box to be successful. That Linux be like a never ending puzzle is indeed expected.
[quote=81269:@Paul Lefebvre]In my experience, Linux Mint 16 x32 works best.
As of today, we have officially added Linux Mint 16 to our list of supported Linux distributions for running the Xojo IDE and Xojo-made apps.[/quote]
Can someone point me to this list of supported Linux distributions? I’m not a Linux person but am contacted by the occasional Linux user asking for a build of my app. I send them the executable and Libs folder that Xojo generates but I have no idea what installation advice to give beyond recommending that those items stay in the same directory. The most recent user says the executable won’t launch for him.
There are a variety of reasons this could happen. It would be helpful to know which Linux distribution he is using, if it is 32-bit or 64-bit, which folder he is running the app from and what permissions are for that folder, the app, library files, etc. Others interested in helping may want to know even more but this is a good start.
There are a variety of reasons this could happen. It would be helpful to know which Linux distribution he is using, if it is 32-bit or 64-bit, which folder he is running the app from and what permissions are for that folder, the app, library files, etc. Others interested in helping may want to know even more but this is a good start.[/quote]
Thanks, Frederick. Unfortunately the link you posted doesn’t work.
The user states that he has “32-bit Linux Mint 16 (Petra)” and further, that he “can run the MS-Windows version of [my app] with the Linux Windows Emulator (Wine)”, but he would prefer a native Linux version.
As Norman suggested, compiling for the target platform is best but will likely require some code tweaks. Once you do, your Linux executable should run without issues on that Linux distribution. The /opt folder is a good place to create a subfolder for your app and everything (libs, resources, etc.) that goes with it.
Consider creating virtual machines with 32-bit Linux Mint 16 (Petra) and any other target platforms. You’ll then be able to get familiar with them and test your apps before sending them to your users.
I tried generating a Linux executable, copy it to a disk and access that from Linux Mint “Petra”.
Make sure both the executable and the lib folder are together copied on the Linux disk (may not work from external storage)
Double click on the executable
A dialog pops up. Saying “Unknown File Type”. Click on “Make executable and run”
Problem with Linux is that there are so many different distributions, what works with Mint Petra may not with any of the hundreds available. Luckily most Linux users are used to fiddling around.
The way I look at the Linux environment is that Linux are almost all the same, because the true part of Linux is the GNU/Linux core. This core changes slowly. On top of that core is what would be considered the ‘base’, which is an assembly of tools wrapped around the core including the very important ‘package manager’. Some bases are Debian, Redhat, Arch, and others. On top of that is the desktop (GNOME, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, and others).
The issues we face as Linux application developers is resolving our dependencies. Out of the gate, we want the 32bit libraries installed, and perhaps the WebKit 1.0 libraries. Of course, if the application adds any additional dependencies, then … there are extra dependencies that might require extra packages to be installed.
I’m currently working on a tool to help make DEB and RPM packages that guides you through with step by step guides. IF I can get it to work out, hopefully it will make it much easier to deploy Linux applications.
- build your own system, take only the parts you need, robust, fast and secure. That’s it!