Qt libraries, where are you?

[grahamc]

For some time now I have been trying to to my first bit of programming – ksokoban.

 

When trying the compile (./configure) it always stops at the 'Checking for Qt . . .' part and says 'libraries not found, check your installation'.

 

From the kind help I have received here I understood I was missing the 'libqt3-devel' package (I was using 10.1 download). I tried to install these via easyurpmi and pbone, however, everytime after doing so the 'libqt3' package still didn't appear in my RPM list.

 

After much frustration I gave up and ordered a new Powerpack (+ free Tux) from Mandriva. 36 days later the package arrived (without Tux!) so I did a clean reinstall adding everything that I thought related to programming.

 

Now, I thought, this'll work. So I tried './configure' again and I STILL get the 'libraries not found, check your installation' message. Staying calm, I checked RPM assuming that the libraries had not been installed. 'libqt3-devel' wasn't even in the package list! Eh?

 

Still staying calm, I did 'update media' and then 'libqt3-devel' did appear in the list so I installed it. But for some reason the data came from the internet and didn't ask for a CD. Never mind It's in (I thought).

 

After a restart I tried compiling again but STILL get 'libraries not found, check your installation'. (And it's dissapeared from the package list again)??

 

This is driving me absolutely nuts! I admit to being a newbie but surely it shouldn't be this difficult? My questions are:

 

Shouldn't these libraries be included in the Powerpack?

Do I have to be root to do programming?

Do I have to add a path?

What else can I try?

 

Any help gratefully received. Sorry for the rant but I feel like giving up.

[Crashdamage]

On my 10.1 Power Pack system:

 

$ rpm -q libqt3-devel
libqt3-devel-3.3.3-27.1.101mdk

$ locate libqt3-devel
/usr/lib/menu/libqt3-devel-assistant
/usr/lib/menu/libqt3-devel-designer
/usr/lib/menu/libqt3-devel-linguist

 

Shouldn't these libraries be included in the Powerpack?

Clearly, they are.

 

Do I have to be root to do programming?

No, but you need rights to whatever directory you are using and to have any required software in your $PATH.

 

Do I have to add a path?

Possibly. Check your $PATH and see.

 

What else can I try?

Ummm...Google? Or post back here with more details after you are sure you have the required stuff installed and in your path.

 

BTW, if you don't want to fool with building it yourself anymore, there is a ksokoban MDK 10x rpm available from Thac's rpms. Configure your urpmi sources using the 'Easy-Urpmi' link at the top of any page in this forum, or you can download it here:

http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3/stat/4/idp...c.i586.rpm.html

Edited July 3, 2005 by Crashdamage

[grahamc]

Hi

 

Many thanks for the help.

 

The 'rpm -q' and 'locate' commands gave exactly the same results as yours, so the libraries are installed.

 

I tried adding ' /usr/lib/menu' to my $PATH but it didn't help, I still get the same "qt libraries not found' error. Was that correct?

 

It's not that I am desperate to play Sokoban but I really want to know how get past this error. I've done lots of Googling, but for other people just installing the libqt3 stuff seems to have worked.

 

Thanks again,

Graham (still going nuts)

[Crashdamage]

Hmmm...looking back over your 1st post, I may have misunderstood just what you meant by 'Do you have to be root to do programming?' Well, you don't have to be root to write something (to 'do programming'), but you do to compile and install, which is what I think you really mean. So, have you been doing './configure' as root or as a normal user? If as a user, do:

./configure

make

make install

...as root.

 

But be aware that regardless of your distro or whether it uses rpms , debs, or whatever, it's always a bad idea to install from source except as a last resort. Whenever possible (which with Mandriva is almost always bcause so many packages are available) use your distro's package manager and install binary packages to avoid possible grief down the road.

I never install anything except rpms. Even if something is only available in tarball form, you can use a handy, simple to use little utility called checkinstall to make you own rpms that can be easily installed over and over, and maybe more inmportantly, easily uninstalled.

[grahamc]

Thanks again Crashdamage.

 

Whether as root or as my user ./configure always fails when it gets to the 'Checking for Qt. . .' part. I have added the '/usr/lib/menu' line to both user and root $PATHs but it doesn't make any difference.

 

The thing I can't understand is that when I go to MCC/install and search for "libqt3" it doesn't find libqt3-devel (only some with mysql, odbc and psql suffixes). The Powerpack distro should have this . . . I thought? – that's why I bought it.

 

I am most grateful for your help; but I'm afraid I didn't really understand your last sentence. I don't know what a tarball is (if it's a strong drink, I need one).

 

I also tried the http://rpm.pbone.net/index....html link and downloaded the rpm; but when I did 'rpm -Uv kdegames . . . etc.' it said I had some 'failed dependencies'. Something to do with libkdegames1. Argh!

 

I do appreciate your help but I guess I am just out of my depth.

 

Cheers, Graham

(And I didn't get my cuddly Tux!)

[Crashdamage]

I guess I am just out of my depth.

Nah, you're much closer than you think to figuring this out. Once the light goes on, you'll surprised just how easy it is.

 

First, don't use the old 'rpm -ivh' etc. commands. They still have their place, but are basically outdated. You want to use urpmi (or the GUI version of it, the 'Software Manager' in Mandrake Control Center).

Second - I'll say it again - go to the 'Easy-Urpmi' link at the top of this webpage. Follow the instructions - they're pretty simple. Pick online sources for your distro version. Add sources for 'main', 'updates', 'contrib', 'PLF free', 'PLF non-free', and the sources for the norlug and Thac's rpms. Resist the temptation to add Cooker. And a quick tip: the European mirrors are usually faster than the ones in the U.S.

 

Now you're set to really go. At this point, you might as well eliminate your CDs as sources (easy to do from the Software Manager, just open the 'Media Manager' and uncheck the boxes for them). You can do that because because with online sources for urpmi setup, now when you go to install a package, urpmi will automagically go online, fetch the latest version available for your distro, grab any necessary dependencies (if any) and install everything in the proper order. It's VERY cool.

 

So, now, installing ksokoban will only require choosing that package in the Software Manager, or better, as root in a terminal just type:

 

# urpmi -v ksokoban (like rpm, -v for verbose is optional, but I like the extra info)

 

Urpmi will do the rest - you won't even need to insert a CD if you removed them as sources.

 

As for your original problems:

 

when I go to MCC/install and search for "libqt3" it doesn't find libqt3-devel (only some with mysql, odbc and psql suffixes). The Powerpack distro should have this . . . I thought? * that's why I bought it.

You already proved yourself that the libqt3-devel packages DID come with your Power Pack and ARE installed with the '$ rpm -q' and '$ locate' commands I gave you. If you can't find a package in MCC, then I think that maybe you're searching in the wrong place. Think about it - are you looking for what's already installed in 'Remove' or 'Install'? Because if you look for an already-installed package in 'Install', of course it won't show up - it's already installed, right? You have to look in 'Remove' for it. And visa-versa of course.

 

As for compiling, without more information like exact error messages, etc., I really can't help you sort out any further exactly why trying to compile ksokoban with './configure' is failing - I just don't have enough info. But don't worry about it for now, just let urpmi make things easy for you. Get used to installing ready-to-go packages first and enjoy 'til you grok all this a little more.

 

Oh yeah - you asked about that last line about tarballs and checkinstall...

 

Tarballs are much like .zip files. Tarballs of software are like .zip files of software, but not ready to install - they're raw source code. Think of them as like Windows software code, but not yet made ready for installation on a particular WinOS version, be it 98, Win2k, XP. Raw source code has to be compiled on and made ready to install on your OS version, which is actually what you're doing with the './compile' command.

Put simply, if you don't know enough to compile software in Windows (and maybe you do, I don't know your experience), why would you try to compile software on another OS? But Linux n00bs see this stuff on the 'Net and think it's standard Linux procedure, I guess. So they try it even though it would scare the hell out of 'em (whether using Windows or Linux) if they knew what they're really doing.

 

Checkinstall is just a little utility, included with your CDs, that makes rolling your own rpms from source code very easy (though they are basic, i.e. not really suitable for public consumption). In a nutshell, checkinstall replaces the standard Linux commands:

./configure

make

make install

With:

./configure

make

checkinstall

...resulting in a reusable rpm. To learn more, as root, just

# urpmi -v checkinstall

...then:

$ man checkinstall

...or do some Googling.

 

Let us know how this all works out for you. And don't drink a tarball - sounds nasty.

Edited July 4, 2005 by Crashdamage

[grahamc]

Hi again

 

Kind thanks for your detailed help. I will go through it carefully (tomorrow, it's getting late).

 

You're quite right, I guess I am expecting things to be too easy. I'll slow down.

 

Now you've explained it, I get the bit about MCC/Install . . . Doh!

 

Cheers again for your patience, Graham