Gimp & ArcaOS

[Tuure Linden]

What is the correct way to get Gimp installed and running under ArcaOS? The Gimp port at Hobbes is of an ancient version and doesn't seem to work. The needed librarieas are from 2005 and I didn't want to replace the newer ones installed - that would probably break most of the newer software installed.

[ivan]

Are you referring to the 2.2.8 version that comes in two WPI archives?  If so have you also installed HobLink x11 that is required to run it?

I have it running on my WSeB CP2 computer that I use for graphics manipulation but have not tried it on a ArcaOS box.

[xynixme]

The needed librarieas are from 2005 and I didn't want to replace the newer ones installed - that would probably break most of the newer software installed.

I'm not using Gimp, but you could add SET BEGINLIBPATH=x:\GIMP and SET LIBPATHSTRICT=T to all WPS program objects of Gimp. Unless newer libraries are even better than the ones in that package of required libraries.

[Dave Yeo]

As says, you can use LIBPATHSTRICT and BEGINLIBATH to isolate the old EMX DLLs, which are not compatible with kLIBC (difference in having a leading underscore for symbols) or use RUN! (should be on HOBBES)
The problem is that an xserver is needed. At one point there was HOBLINK, which gave X in a window, but it is no longer available and is hard to run due to the licensing if you didn't get it legally. I have a version that runs on Warp 4, but refuses to run on eCS or ArcaOS.
The other option is to install X. The problem is the support driver needs updating for the newer kernels, things like PTTY's are currently broken. I did install it on eCS using the vnc server, which allowed using pmvnc to run gimp on the desktop.

[Valery Sedletski]

GIMP 2.2.8? Where it can be found? I only know about GIMP 1.x based on GTK 1.x. GIMP requires XFree86 or HobLink X11, or any other X-server, and also all required libraries, including GTK. There is also old GIMP 1.00 port, which can be run using Everblue project. It works in PM and doesn't require an X-server. But it is very old. There was an archive distributed, containing GIMP, GTK, Everblue and all required libraries.

[Valery Sedletski]

2Dave Yeo: I use HobLink X11 and XFree86 4.5.0 in my MCP2 system. XFree86 support driver works fine, including tty's. The update is required for Aurora kernels. There is such an update. The latest xf86sup.sys seems to be version 1.545. The sources are available. I run XFree86 successfully with an OS/4 kernel. I use VESA video driver, and set write combine with QSINIT. The video speed is very fast. I have Radeon 9600 XT video card. HOBLink X11 works fine, too. It allows to run X apps in a window, as well as seamlessly. I see no problems. Yes, it's legally closed, but I have a registered version (there is a key available, shared by someone).

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi

Here it is the Gimp 2.2.8 reference that I know. It requires X server.
http://www.altsan.org/os2/utils/

Regards

[Dave Yeo]

@Valery, where did you find ver 5.145 of xf86sup.sys? The newest i could find last time I looked was 1.522. Searching quickly now, all I can find are older ones.
Did you try to find a Linux module for your 9600 XT card? Quite possibly one of the early Xorg drivers would work, depending on whether they broke the symbols, something X was good at keeping compatible but most Linux people don't seem to care about. Our X does have an elf loader and uses the same binary modules as Linux.
Trying to run my HobX11 on ArcaOS results in a popup about an illegal copy or such and suggests reinstalling. I got it from the authoring company just before they discontinued the OS/2 version and they were giving it away, seems to only be licensed for Warp v4 as it runs fine there. Probably the version that shipped with eCS 1.x would work given putting ecsreg.ini or ecsreg1.ini in the right place.

[xynixme]

Trying to run my HobX11 on ArcaOS results in a popup about an illegal copy or such and suggests reinstalling ... Probably the version that shipped with eCS 1.x would work given putting ecsreg.ini or ecsreg1.ini in the right place.

Is any of the X environments a fully functional component of eCS 1.x indeed?

[Tuure Linden]

The 1.00 beta version via EverBlue works, but it's really an old version and functionality is very limited. Is it impossible to compile a newer version of Gimp using EverBlue? However, it seems like the EverBlue project is most likely dead and all the development has stopped over 10 years ago.

[Valery Sedletski]

2Tuure Linden: Yes, Everblue project had stopped. Newer versions of GIMP require more API's ported to Everblue, it seems. So, probably, current state of Everblue is not ready for newer GIPM's.

2Andre Heldoorn: Indeed, a trial version of HobLink was supplied togetrher with eCS CD's. But I don't remember, which eCS version. Both XFree86 and HobLink X11 should work in all eCS versions. And in ArcaOS, if they did not broke something when patching the kernel.

2Dave Yeo: Version 5.145 of xf86sup.sys is supplied with the latest versions of XFree86/OS2. You need to update XFree86 to version 4.5.0 from Netlabs' ftp, it contains the latest xf86sup.sys for sure. Yes, XFree86/OS2 video drivers are ELF modukles. I didn't tried to take the XServer module from Linux, yet, though, I could try. But I'm not sure if X.Org modules are compatible with XFree86.

My HOBLink copy works on all systems: MCP2, eCS. Didn't tried Arca OS, though, but I don't see any problems with it. I doubt that it only licensed to run on Merlin kernels. It only checks for product keys stored in os2.ini. I even put HOBLink X11 on a live CD with OS/2, and it works from there. There are keys available in older cracks collections for OS/2 software. I have one of them, and it works. (Sorry for talking about cracks, it's offtopic

[Dave Yeo]

@Valery, that version of xf86sup.sys is the same as I have, according to the changelog, v1.522, with the same size and file dates. I'll try installing XFree86 on ArcaOS and also test with the OS4 kernel.
Xorg was forked from XFree 4.49 (last beta of 4.5.0) or so, just before the license changed so the source was basically identical. Afterwards it changed in major ways but not sure how quick it changed. I tried building with kLIBC but could never get the xserver built as it depended on internal EMXism's.

[Valery Sedletski]

2Dave Yeo: ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/xfree86/4.5.0/X450sup.zip is version 1.545, I just checked. Indeed, it is vice versa. XFree86 was forked from X.org long time ago, then they joined later, after XFree86 version 4.5.0. Yes, it would be a good thing if we'll rebuild it with kLIBC support, instead of EMX. But also the problem is that X11 requires ELF-enabled GCC, to build XServer modules. But I also tried to build such GCC, almost successfully. I just built a freestanding version of GCC with ELF support. (without bindings to a LIBC). This is notvery hard to do.

[Dave Yeo]

OK, I found my problem, lack of LIBPATHSTRICT in my startup script. X is running mostly fine now using the VESA driver. Things need adapting, I always ran it on a TVFS volume with lots of symlinks. Have to remember where all the configuration files are and such. Then there are problems with some ports wanting %HOME% with /'s and some wanting \'s.

Yes, gcc-elf is a requirement. Another problem is select() with the EMX version supporting pipes and some other stuff IIRC. I did build the libraries with kLIBC and as long as you ran them with -display 127.0.0.1:0 instead of -display :0, they worked on the EMX Xserver. The IP address forced using IP instead of pipes. I believe my work is on ftp.netlabs in the xfree86/xorg directory.

[Valery Sedletski]

I don't use LIBPATHSTRICT. It is not working on my system, for some reason. I just put have %unixroot% on my disk f: and EMX ports and XFree86 on disk l:. Also, I have all paths with f:, followed with paths with l: (in PATH and LIBPATH). Home is common: SET home=f:/home/root, with forward slashes. No programs attempt to uses it with backslashes, it seems. It looks like most OS/2 API's understand forward slashes. All unixisms too. I also used TVFS in past, but not currently.

Ah, that was you who did initial port of X.Org to OS/2? But I heard, this port misses some features and is not fully functional, as XFree86 is.