Google Earth Pro 'portable' (64-bit only) - new build : now at v7.3.6.9345

[mikewalsh]

Morning, kiddiwinks.

Uncle Mike's quite pleased with this one!

I experimented with turning this into a 'portable' a while back, but that was before I fully understood the placement of the configuration files. At the time, I was attempting to create a 'profile', along the same lines as the Chromium-based browsers, but this particular app didn't respond to that treatment, so.....I put it on the 'back burner' for a while.

Since successfully creating the Skype- & Zoom-portables, however, I've come to realise it IS possible, albeit in a different fashion. With the afore-mentioned pair, I perfected a file-manipulation method that initially creates the required directories/files within the 'portable' directory, then sym-links them across to where the app normally creates them itself BEFORE actually firing it up. Upon shutting down, the sym-links are then removed; the config stuff is, however, safe within the portable itself, since the sym-links mean it has in fact been written directly to the portable's CONFIG directory anyway.

With this one, it's definitely advisable to run it from an external location, because if you fail to limit the cache size in the settings, the cache CAN grow up to a maximum of around 2 GB in size..!

---

This is the most recent offering from Google; the 'Pro' version, currently sitting at v7.3.3.7786, built at the end of July last year. The 5- and 6-series Earth packages have long since had their Google servers decommissioned.....and even some of the early 7-series are now no longer functional, as peppyy discovered recently:-

https://puppylinux.rockedge.org/viewtop ... 252#p20252

I strongly suspect this will not be receiving very much more in the way of development, since Google are now putting all their development efforts into the new Earth for Web 'webapp'.....which requires a reasonably modern, powerful machine with WebGL enabled, along with hardware acceleration & a discrete graphics card. And even then it's not exactly fast in operation, since unlike G.Earth - which runs a client/server model, where both ends have to be running the same series app - Earth for Web relies entirely on the data coming directly from Google's cloud servers.....and if demand is especially heavy at any given moment, this naturally enough cuts down on the available bandwidth for its operation.

This is, unfortunately, the direction everything seems to be heading in. Which is great while it works; everything you use is accessible, from any device, no matter where you happen to be.....but if your connection goes down for any reason, you're effectively stuffed!

There's still a lot to be said for 'local' apps.

Anyways; for anyone who'd like to 'kick the tyres' & give it a test run, you can find it here:-

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/ksocvb ... +'portable'

Have fun with it. I do..!

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

Evening, gang.

Well, it seems Uncle Mike's prediction vis-a-vis the G.Earth desktop client not getting much more development was wrong. At least, for now.

The expected demise of the desktop client hasn't come about as I expected. Google seem to have standardised on 3 things ATM; the web client.....the Android client.....and the desktop client.

Here is the Puppy 'portable' version of the new version of Google Earth.....v7.3.4.8738, released some time on Friday just gone.

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One thing that needs mentioning is a "fix" for distorted rendering in 'Street View'. I'm not sure as this is for the better, TBH. Google's 'fix' has certainly resolved the issue of distorted image rendering, but at the expense of being able to move around quickly. Where previously you could move around quite fast by double-clicking on the ground direction arrows, this appears to be no longer the case. The only way to move around in Street View is now with the scroll wheel.....resulting in moving at a very leisurely stroll. You can spin the scroll wheel for ever, and you barely move at all.

The only way round this is zooming back out to satellite view, moving along a little way, then back into Street View.....an annoyingly long-winded & frustrating process. C'mon, Google; this is NOT progress.....literally!

Apparently, this thing also now updates itself, but I'll believe that when I see it ....

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Please be aware, kiddiwinks; reasonably modern Intel integrated graphics are fine for this. If you're running either an AMD or Nvidia GPU, you MUST have the official, proprietary driver installed & working; the 'radeon' OR 'nouveau' kernel driver modules just don't cut the ice these days. These latter two are invariably at the bottom of getting that tiny little square jammed up into the top left corner of the display window.

Remember; I don't develop these things.....all I do is to re-package them into 'portable' format for the community. If you've got display problems, it's pointless complaining to me and expecting me to 'fix' it, because in this respect I'm as clueless as the rest of you!

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You can find the new release at the link above, in post #1.

• Download

• Unzip

• Move the portable directory anywhere you like, though preferably outside the 'save'

• Click to enter

• Use the 'LAUNCH' script to keep the thing portable. If greater system integration is required, you can use the included scripts to add or remove a Menu entry

Enjoy.

Mike.

[tosim]

Working GREAT! Thanks.

[ledster]

Hi Mike
Many thanks for all your portable apps - I use several of them regularly. Unfortunately this one throws a wobbly on me. Run LAUNCH in a terminal and I get:

"Warning: Unable to create symlink for lock '/root/.googleearth/instance-running-lock'. No such file or directory."

Using Bionicpup64 on an oldish Mesh computer
processor i5 quad core 2166 GHz
Mobo Asus P7P55LX
Ram 8 Gig DDR3
Graphics ATI Radeon HD5750 (256mb ram) using Radeon driver
HD 1Tb SATA

Any idea what I can do to fix?

Regards

Ches

[mikewalsh]

@ledster :-

Hallo, Ches. Welcome back, I guess.....

Mm. Mm-hm. Um.....have you had this running at all yet? (I had a crazy notion for a moment that I'd done my usual 'party-piece' and left my personal config stuff in place when I packed it, but checking shows I didn't this time..! )

That 'instance-running-lock' is a link to a process number in /proc. That is one directory I won't touch with a bargepole, 'cos I borked one of my first Puppy installs by foolishly clicking on something in there.....and she promptly froze up solid. I leave it well alone these days....

If /CONFIG/.googleearth exists in the portable directory, 'instance-running-lock' will be showing as a warning triangle with the link arrow, top left corner.....indicating it's a sym-link to a non-existent process. You can simply delete that & it'll re-create it again, this time in the right place.

If, however, the 'CONFIG' directory and contents haven't yet been created, I'm afraid that's where my 'savvy' runs out. Google code a lot of odd stuff that's pretty much unique to them, and their product forums are the most confusing place bar none to try and get answers from.....

Mike.

[mikeslr]

My intuition is better than my analytical ability. Had the problem ledster reported.

Examined the portable folder, its subfolders and and their contents but could not find a file named config nor (showing hidden) .config. Wondered what clicking the script named googleearth would do? Had nothing to loose as I run PupMode13 and could always shutdown and just delete the portable folder.
googleearth started right up. Shut it down and then clicked the LAUNCH script. It started right up again. Still no config script.*
Shut it down and tried to start it again clicking LAUNCH. Got the 'lock' message again. Repeated the entire above procedure with the same results: success, success, failure.

So I compared the LAUNCH script in the new version with that of the old. Sorry, at the moment I'm having a 'brain freeze'*. There were changes and my guess is that there may be a mistake in the new version.

*Well it unfroze, slightly. When it's started via the googleearth script, a populated /root/.googleearth folder and a /root/.config/Google folder is created. The latter contains a file named GoogleEarthPro.conf. Shutting that Googleearth started via that script does NOT remove those files and folders. So it works the first time it's started via the LAUNCH scripts. But those files and folders are deleted when 'LAUNCH' ends by closing Googleearth. So the next time you try to start it via the LAUNCH script those files neither exist in /root nor anywhere in the Googleearth portable folder and the error message is displayed.

I think what needed are provisions to copy the folders from /root into the portable folder on shutdown, then copy them back to root before googleearth tries to open. There appears to be such provisions but maybe they're out of sync. Brain freeze again.

[mikewalsh]

@mikeslr :-

Hm. See, this is the bit I don't understand, Mike.

The very first thing the 'LAUNCH' script does is to create an empty directory within the portable directory called 'CONFIG'. Inside that, it then creates an empty directory called 'Google', and another called '.googleearth'. Those are them sym-linked into position - where the app expects to find them if it had created them itself - ready to be populated when Google Earth fires up for the first time....

Hang about, hang about. I've just had a thought; let me investigate...

Ah. Yes; I see where I've gone wrong! At the moment, the first section reads thus:-

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
#
# Launcher for 'portable' Google Earth
#
HERE="$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")"
#
mkdir "$HERE/CONFIG/Google" 2> /dev/null
mkdir "$HERE/CONFIG/.googleearth" 2> /dev/null
#...

It should read:-

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
#
# Launcher for 'portable' Google Earth
#
HERE="$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")"
#
mkdir "$HERE/CONFIG" 2> /dev/null
mkdir "$HERE/CONFIG/Google" 2> /dev/null
mkdir "$HERE/CONFIG/.googleearth" 2> /dev/null
#...

Bugger. I accidentally missed out the first 'mkdir' argument, didn't I? 'Mkdir' being what it is, it's designed to create one level at a time; having left the first line off by mistake, the next line attempts to create two levels simultaneously.....and of course, it falls flat on its face. That's why the 'Google' & '.googleearth' directories never get created.....and thus, never get sym-linked into position.

Sheesh.

Good catch, Michael. I'll do a re-pack, and re-upload it again. Should work for everybody this time; because I originally set it all up manually, and just swapped over the main app directory, my 'CONFIG' directory was still in place, so I never noticed anything amiss..! (I'm guessing @tosim probably re-used his own 'CONFIG' directory from an earlier build, too..... )

Well done, mate. Where would I be without you?

Cheers!

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

@mikeslr / @ledster :-

OK; "fixed" version re-uploaded to the link in post #1. Should work now!

Sorry for the cock-up, guys. But this is what happens when you're maintaining umteen different packages simultaneously; it'd be a bloody miracle if I never made a mistake.....

Enjoy, y'all.

Mike.

[ledster]

That fixed it!

@MikeWalsh
Re Mm. Mm-hm. Um. Yes, you are right, I'm a relic from the old Murga forum. Been using Puppy for mumblemumble years (about 10). Two years on this forum and this was my first post!

Cheers

Ches

[mikeslr]

@mikeslr :-
... Where would I be without you?

Cheers!

Mike.

In King's Lynn, UK, six hours and 'a couple of steps' ahead of me; but engaged in solving some mystery 'above my pay-grade'.

[Burunduk]

'Mkdir' being what it is, it's designed to create one level at a time;

The -p option can redesign that:

Code: Select all

mkdir -p "$HERE"/CONFIG/{Google,.googleearth}

[rockedge]

@mikewalsh using the mkdir -p /make/the/directory/path/completely option will create the entire path and if a directory doesn't exist, one will be created until the target path is completed.

[mikewalsh]

@rockedge / @Burunduk :-

@mikewalsh using the mkdir -p /make/the/directory/path/completely option will create the entire path and if a directory doesn't exist, one will be created until the target path is completed.

Aha. Appreciate the information, guys. Something to remember.

Cheers!

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

Afternoon, gang.

Now; I have an updated version for y'all. I only just thought about updating the thing last night, and.....well, let's just say, it's a lot harder to obtain the Google Earth Pro download than it was a year ago.

Google are, of course, putting all their development into the web-client. But the web-client requires a machine with plenty of 'grunt' to function smoothly, since not only are you running Chrome itself, you're also interacting with the Google Earth web-servers in real-time, too (like multiple times a second).

Still, the 'Pro' desktop client is not quite dead yet. This is now at v7.3.6.9345, and was built on the 29th December last year. Yes, it's several months old, but it IS the newest build available. Currently using it under a newly setup install of Tahrpup64, along with a newer kernel, an upgraded glibc & with the official Nvidia 460 driver in place......and it is running VERY smoothly indeed.

---

I've re-built it - as I'm gradually doing with most of the portables, as & when new versions become available - to keep all the config stuff within the directory at all times.....by the simple expedient of utilising the 'XDG' file-system calls instead. No more sym-linking required.....except with the /usr/bin link for the MenuAdd script.

NOTE:- Please DO remember that this thing only works correctly with a discrete GPU running 'official' drivers. Nowt I can do to change this; if you want to sound-off at anyone about lack of operational functionality, please direct your ire towards Big Brother.....not me!

You can find the new build at the link in post #1, as usual. Enjoy!

Mike.

[backi]

[bigpup]

NOTE:- Please DO remember that this thing only works correctly with a discrete GPU running 'official' drivers. Nowt I can do to change this; if you want to sound-off at anyone about lack of operational functionality, please direct your ire towards Big Brother.....not me

I am using it in F96CE_4 and using the nouveau driver for my Nvidia hardware.

For what I want to do with it is working OK for me.
Have not tried all possible options.

This is on a computer with a Intel i7-9700 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060.
I am sure that helps.

[mikewalsh]

@bigpup :-

Hm. Interesting. I don't think it's the hardware, since mine is somewhat lower-tier than yours, and it still runs fine. Y'know, I think this could be a sign that the recently open-sourced Nvidia-specific code is finally making its way into the kernel..!

Not before time, either.

For me, at least, this all started with the introduction of the 7-series. Under the 5- and 6-series, I could use Earth without any problems using onboard, integrated graphics. The need for a discrete GPU running "official" drivers came in with the start of the 7-series. I suspect this was an app-specific requirement for Earth "Pro", since it used to be a paid option. Of course, it's the only version you can get now.

For a couple of years, I couldn't do anything with it, so I switched to using Google Maps for a time. After the start of the pandemic, when I bought this new HP desktop rig and treated myself to my first-ever discrete Nvidia GPU - and installed the proper drivers for it with shinobar's GetNvidia - Earth suddenly started behaving itself again.....and has done ever since. This latest build is running like greased lightning in my recently set-up customised Tahrpup64 install, too. I've never seen it this responsive before!

(*shrug...*)

Mike.

[Gobbi]

Thank you @mikewalsh

The Pro version works well on Fatdog64 901 .
Nvidia proprietary driver installed .

[mikewalsh]

Now then; update time again, gang.

Earth 'Pro' is apparently still under development. v7.3.6.9796 was released a little over 3 weeks ago.....on February 22nd this year. It seems Earth 'Pro' is aimed more at folks like cartographers & other professionals, who want the use of the accurate tools/utilities Big Brother has built into it.....as opposed to to the Earth web-client, which - contrary to my concerns about it completely taking over - seems to be aimed primarily at the 'virtual tourists' & 'gawkers'. Your average 'Joe', in other words.....who really does little more than 'play' with it.

The new Earth Pro 'portable' build can be found at the link in post #1.....which has now moved from MEGA.nz to MediaFire.

• Download

• Unzip

• Move wherever you like, though outside the 'save' is definitely preferable with this one

• Click to enter

• Click 'LAUNCH' to fire it up

The included scripts will add OR remove a Menu entry for it, irrespective of where it's actually located.

Enjoy.

Mike.