"Focus" key required for Xvkbd in Tahr32 [SOLVED]

[JASpup]

In Tahr JWM, both Florence and Xvkbd install and run from the PPM, but neither work (clicking on the keyboard does not produce characters).

Florence is builtin and works in Xenial.
Xvkbd is builtin and works in X-Tahr.
Xvkbd installed in Hirsute works: viewtopic.php?p=42505#p42505

32-bit

[greengeek]

Works ok for me with JWM 2.3.6 in Tahr 6.0.6

Which version of JWM and which version of Tahr do you have?

[JASpup]

@greengeek versions are default from the main download page.

SysInfo:

Code: Select all

▶—— Distro Specifications ——◀

Distro: tahrpup 6.0.5
Window Manager: JWM vgit-976
Desktop Start: xwin jwm

Development:
 Bash: 4.3.29
 Geany: 1.25
 Gtkdialog: 0.8.4
 Perl: 5.18.2
 Python: 2.7.6
 Yad: 0.12.4
 --
 busybox: 1.21.0
 dhcpcd: 6.7.1
 GlibC: 2.19
 OpenSSL: 1.0.1f 6 Jan 2014, built on: Fri Dec  4 13:55:04 UTC 2015
 wpa_supplicant: 2.1

Historically this is one of the reasons I boot X-Tahr or Xenial, but this is the first time I have tried xvkbd in Tahr.

[greengeek]

OK, just tried 6.0.5 and have the same problem as you - but it starts to work if I click the "focus" button first - then click into Leafpad or whatever and start typing.

I vaguely remember that there is a way to force "focus" to be automatic but can't remember it at the moment (might be a jwm option??). Will post back if I remember how.
Just try manually clicking focus then start typing and see what happens.

[JASpup]

@greengeek ah, I was playing with the Focus button. Couldn't figure it out. It looks just like other focus functions (e.g., screenshot window), but the need is less obvious as virtual typing usually starts in the last window selected.

Would you guess this is a similar problem with Florence? (have not noticed a Focus button there)

I am in Xenial now but will check it out next Tahr boot.

[JASpup]

Just try manually clicking focus then start typing and see what happens.

works

have not found a Focus function in Florence: http://florence.sourceforge.net/english/index.html

[greengeek]

Running Florence in Tahr32 6.0.5 in a terminal I see lots of Gstreamer errors - but i really have no idea how to fix this.
I will try it on Tahr32 6.0.6 and see what happens.

Edit - seems to work fine on 6.0.6 (not that it's any help...)

[JASpup]

@greengeek well, thanks for checking and the Focus insight. It's probably not worth a system update, but we got one.

[greengeek]

Turns out that the gstreamer errors also appear on Tahr32 6.0.6 - where Florence works fine - so that was not the reason for the non-performance on 6.0.5

Will post back if I find a solution for Florence - but my guess is that it needs to be compiled from source specifically on Tahr32 6.0.5

[JASpup]

@greengeek I think this is intelligent seluthing on your part, but also a waste of time, unless we can expect it to occur in newer pups. E.g., so both Florence and Xvkbd work without a hitch in Fossa 64? Memory serves there is Xvkbd and it works, but not sure about Florence.

I have used Xvkbd in Tahr since your solution. The fewer reasons you have to reboot, or boot a different distro, the better.

[bigpup]

Basic 100% fact of all computer software.
It has to be compiled, for the specific operating system, it is going to be used in.
That is why the stuff is released in source code.
The source code and the make process, compiles the software to work with the needed dependency stuff, that is in the specific operating system.

Why does stuff work in different versions of Puppy Linux, if it was compiled in a specific Puppy version?
The two different Puppy versions, are using the same or very similar, dependency stuff.
Why can stuff compiled for Ubuntu Fossa work in Fossapup64 9.5 Puppy?
Same reason, the two OS's share the use of the same dependency stuff.

Now you are going to say this conflicts with the statement:
Basic 100% fact of all computer software. It has to be compiled, for the specific operating system, it is going to be used in.
Not if you understand the need for the dependency stuff, to be the same or similar, for the compiled software to work in a different OS.

The Puppy programs, that are basic script files, can work in a very large number of different Puppy versions, as long as they have the ability to execute the script commands.
Which most will be able to do.
They all share the same core Linux support stuff, that these script commands use.
That is why, some of the Puppy specific programs (that are basic script commands), go back to the very beginning of Puppy Linux and still work.

[JASpup]

All makes sense from a general perspective.

Specifically could one guess what makes Florence work in 6.0.6 but not 6.0.5?

A new Florence compiled coincidentally for 6.0.6?

To greengeek I was just hoping if he wants to fix something, it's more important to get current compatibility than to make sure every possible utility works in outdated but useful 32-bit. I would use either one.

[greengeek]

I don't know exactly why/how 6.0.5 and 6.0.6 are different - certainly there are some components that are missing in 6.0.5 (such as certain versions of libgtk-3 and libxkbcommon and others) but i also saw errors about libnss3 (i think it was...) so it may be that 6.0.5 is just a bit too old and needs a version of Florence that is compiled just for 6.0.5 as bigpup said. (Anybody with skills keen to do this???)

No idea why the Florence version in the PPM is not correctly compiled. But hey, this is puppy and sometimes it's a lottery...

[mikewalsh]

Just out of interest I tried these in the Tahrpup "test" OS I have set up.

Xvkbd I didn't get from the PPM; I have a .pet of v3.7, and that works fine in pretty much every Puppy I've ever thrown it at.

Florence I did get from the PPM, but it works 100%, so why JASpup is having issues with it, I don't know. He seems to have issues with a LOT of things.

Tahrpup IS getting 'long in the tooth', in so far as dependencies for much multimedia stuff is concerned. And that substitution of 'avconv' for ffmpeg never helped, right from the word go.

Mike.

[JASpup]

Xvkbd is builtin to Fossa64. It works.

Installed florence_0.6.3-1.2_amd64 crashes by clicking on the keyboard. There is no character output before the crash.

Terminal feedback:

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root# Florence version 0.6.3
XRecord extension found version=1.13
X11 composite extension detected. Semi-transparency is enabled.
DBus name aquired: org.florence.Keyboard

(florence:22559): dbind-WARNING **: 16:28:02.472: AT-SPI: Error retrieving accessibility bus address: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.a11y.Bus was not provided by any .service files
WARNING: AT-SPI has been disabled at run time: auto-hide mode is disabled.
X11 composite extension detected. Semi-transparency is enabled.

(florence:22558): dbind-WARNING **: 16:28:11.576: AT-SPI: Error retrieving accessibility bus address: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.a11y.Bus was not provided by any .service files

(florence:22558): dbind-ERROR **: 16:28:11.576: AT-SPI: Couldn't connect to accessibility bus. Is at-spi-bus-launcher running?

[4]+  Trace/breakpoint trap   florence

Ideas?

[greengeek]

Just out of interest I tried these in the Tahrpup "test" OS I have set up.

Is this a standard Tahr32 6.0.5 from the download link JAS referred to?
(If not maybe there was a change to that link at some point and we are using different isos). As far as I can tell i get the same result as JAS. (so i assume same original 6.0.5 download)

Or is this something to do with different Florence versions depending on whether or not PPM has been updated?

[mikewalsh]

@greengeek :-

A bit of clarification never hurt, Ian. This 'test' version is a standard Tahr32 6.0.6 ISO; downloaded, installed to frugal as a 'quick & dirty' (contents copied to a new subdirectory and the menu.lst manually edited). Then the PPM updated, along with the updates in Quickpet. Shut down, save created, and re-booted. With the exception of xvkbd & Florence actually installed, most other stuff I've tested in it has been of the 'portable' variety, so not actually installed at all.

606 is simply 605 with the UEFI stuff added. There weren't any other differences; certainly, I don't believe any system upgrades were put in place.

ATM, it's still fairly standard, as it comes OOTB. Only other mods I've made have included installing my custom 'fonts' directory to /usr/share, and setting up GTK/JWM themes and stuff. To date, that's the sum total of what I've done to it. I haven't run Tahrpup as a regular member of the kennels for more than 3 years now, so I've forgotten quite a few of the fixes & workarounds it needed. They're slowly coming back to me.

I'm not setting it up as a regular member of the kennels; it's more so's I can help out others with trouble-shooting. Same reason why I have an UPupBB32 'test' Puppy. (I run Xenialpup 7.5 as a regular member of the kennels; that one IS totally set-up & customized).

Mike.