[Solved} Compile from source

[OldPedant]

This is probably a newby question, so I am posting it here.
I have just installed LMDE4. (Previousl OS LMDE3).
I am trying to compile and install Cairo Clock which I had running on LMDE3, but I cannot remember how I achieved it.
I have downloaded and extracted the files and cd to the correct directory, but am unable to configure. The following are some of the commands I have tried:-

ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ ./configure
bash: ./configure: No such file or directory
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ sh ./configure
sh: 0: Can't open ./configure
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ find . -type f -name configure
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ locate
locate: no pattern to search for specified
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ updatedb
updatedb: can not open a temporary file for `/var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db'
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ sudo ./configure
[sudo] password for ernest:
sudo: ./configure: command not found
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ ./configure.ac
bash: ./configure.ac: Permission denied
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ sudo ./configure.ac
sudo: ./configure.ac: command not found

There is a file configure.ac in the directory cairo-clock-master.

[jwiz]

Doesn't that come packaged with the Cairo dock?
You might try 'sudo apt install cairo-dock && apt install cairo-dock-clock-plugin'

[OldPedant]

This runs so far, giving 'Cairo Dock' and 'Cairo Dock (Fallback Mode)' in the applications panel, but the output of the terminal ends with:-

Package cairo-dock-clock-plugin is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source
However the following packages replace it:
cairo-dock-clock-plug-in:i386 cairo-dock-clock-plug-in

E: Package 'cairo-dock-clock-plugin' has no installation candidate

Then:-
ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ sudo apt install cairo-dock-clock-plug-in:i386 cairo-dock-clock-plug-in
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
cairo-dock-clock-plug-in is already the newest version (3.4.1-4+b1).
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
cairo-dock-clock-plug-in : Conflicts: cairo-dock-clock-plug-in:i386 but 3.4.1-4+b1 is to be installed
cairo-dock-clock-plug-in:i386 : Depends: cairo-dock-plug-in-data:i386 (= 3.4.1-4) but it is not installable
Conflicts: cairo-dock-clock-plug-in but 3.4.1-4+b1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

[jwiz]

Do a 'sudo apt --add-architecture i386' and then try to install the clock plugin again.

[OldPedant]

Thank you for your attempt.
'sudo apt --add-architecture i386' did not run, but sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 did, giving:-
ernest@multimedia:~$ dpkg --print-foreign-architectures
i386
I then ran 'sudo apt-get update.
Finally I ran 'sudo apt install cairo-dock-clock-plug-in'.
This told me that the clock was already installed:
'cairo-dock-clock-plug-in is already the newest version (3.4.1-4+b1).'
This presumably is the result of earlier attempts to install it from the software manager.
However I am still unable to get it to run.

[jwiz]

Oops, that should have 'dpkg --add-architecture...' as you correctly noted.
Why you still can't run the clock is beyond me though.

[Flemur]

I have downloaded and extracted the files and cd to the correct directory, but am unable to configure.

Although you've apparently gotten cairo dock installed, it's a good idea to say exactly which file(s) you've downloaded, and from where, like:

Code: Select all

https://github.com/Cairo-Dock/cairo-dock-core/archive/master.zip

The following are some of the commands I have tried:-

Code: Select all

ernest@multimedia:~/Downloads/Cairo-clock-2/cairo-clock-master$ ./configure
bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

"No such file or directory" means what it says: the file "./configure" doesn't exist; entering "sh ./configure" won't make it exist.

Also, if you're looking for some file like "configure", use find instead of locate. Also a simple ls or ls -a would show the file if it existed.

In the zip file above, there's a file named "INSTALL" which tells how to compile and install it; "configure" isn't mentioned.

[jwiz]

Oh, I just noticed that it is a configure.ac which means it is creates by autoconf (autotools).
Install it running automake, though I doubt it will compile, due to the code being 13 years old on github.

[OldPedant]

I think that jwiz is correct and it will not now be possible to compile it.
However, since I have now resolved my issues with Cairo-dock-clock, I shall consider the matter closed.
Thank you all for your time and attention.