LibreCAD 2.2.0 Appimage

[dellus]

LibreCAD now provides a continuous build for Linux as an appimage. The official stable branch still is V 2.1.3, has been since years, though 2.2.0 is much improved and stable too, and has been provided as release candidate for Windows. Now Linuxers have got their equivalent: https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/re ... tag/latest.
For me it works in Busterdog64, Fossadog64, Devuanpup64, but sadly not in Bionicpup64 and Fossapup64. Also see here: http://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.p ... 763#p44763.
If someone finds out the reason and what can be done to solve it, I would appreciate it to be told here.

[mikewalsh]

@dellus :-

Thanks for the info about the LibreCAD AppImages.

Depending on whether or not you tend to make use of any LibreCAD-specific features since it was forked off QCad around a decade ago, I provide an AppImage-based 'portable' build of the latter.....currently at v3.26.4. There's possibly an updated version of it now; this was built about 6 months ago.

As a casual user, to my untrained eye the GUIs of the two look identical to each other. I know the fork does HAVE differences from the original, but in all honesty I've always found that each is equally useful for what I tend to do with them!

Mike.

[rockedge]

This Appimage started right away in KLV-Airedale-alpha5 from completely outside of the file system of KLV and on the root of the partition.
Made it executable and just clicking on the app folder launches it.

[dellus]

@ mikewalsh:
Generally QCad is more advanced than LibreCAD. But it is not really an open source project, rather a commercial one and the free community edition is restricted in several aspects.
Most severe is the restriction of DXF support to R15/2000 vs 2007 in LibreCAD, and no DWG at all, vs at least basic import in LC. There are a number of other LibreCAD features missing in Qcad, and also the other way around. I feel in the end you are better off with LC.
I also find the look and user interface of LibreCAD more pleasing.
This appimage is not really selfcontained. I have tested and made a renamed copy of it, where i made some changes in the user interface. After closing it and opening the original one it showed all these changes too! So there must be some config file outside. I like to experiment with having several ui versions. Isn't it a speciality of yours to produce true portables?

[mikewalsh]

@dellus :-

Well, as a graphics "hobbyist" of something like 40 years standing, I tend to experiment & 'play' with a lot of stuff.....including a full version of Photoshop CS2 running under WINE. I actually purchased this nearly 20 years ago; as luck would have it, it's the last version of Photoshop that's pretty near fully-functional under WINE. Subsequent versions have all kinds of issues, and don't really behave themselves at all.

I did a 2-year technical drawing course at college back in the mid-70s, and have always liked playing-around with CAD software ever since.....but I don't do it to any serious degree, so lack of various formats doesn't really bother me.

Yes, I do produce a number of self-contained portables, it's true. Mostly, these create the .config files within the portable's directory, then sym-link them out to where the app in question expects to find them when it runs. At close, the sym-links are then removed again.....and because they're sym-links, any config/cache stuff is at all times being written directly back to the portable anyway. If you run them from a flash drive, you can 'share' them between multiple machines, and you've always got your own personal settings ready-to-go.

All very much inspired by the creations from PortableApps.com ..!

I switched to using a whole raft of these things during my last year or so with XP, and had wanted to re-create them in Linux ever since..... Most use either an AppImage (no, an AppImage is not truly 'portable', because they leave .config files all over the place, "ready for next time". Why create multiple copies of the same thing?), or as in many cases, it'll be an app like Blender where the whole thing runs from a single self-contained directory.....just like 'zilla-based browsers do.

AppImages are my favourite 'portable' format.....when they're built correctly. Too many 'packagers' simply make bad AppImages out of existing .deb packages, meaning instead of being truly self-contained they're STILL hunting around all over the system to find dependencies. And that kinda defeats the whole object of the things..!

My 'portables', especially when based around an AppImage, attempt to address this business of leaving files all over the place. It's my one big niggle with the things; otherwise, it's a brilliant concept.

Are you 'hinting' that you'd like the LibreCAD AppImage turned into a 'true' portable?

Mike.

[dellus]

@mikewalsh:
hint, hint,...yes,but it is not really important, just for a single person's interest. If you might be bored some day, and better wait for 2.2.0 final released, can only be a matter of years.

Bye, dellus

[bob93]

LibreCAD now provides a continuous build for Linux as an appimage. The official stable branch still is V 2.1.3, has been since years, though 2.2.0 is much improved and stable too, and has been provided as release candidate for Windows. Now Linuxers have got their equivalent: https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/re ... tag/latest.
For me it works in Busterdog64, Fossadog64, Devuanpup64, but sadly not in Bionicpup64 and Fossapup64. Also see here: http://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.p ... 763#p44763.
If someone finds out the reason and what can be done to solve it, I would appreciate it to be told here.

Hello.

Did you ever get it to run in Fossapup64? I have the older version but find it very limited in settings. I also have qcad community which has tools librecad doesn't, so I want to try the latest Librecad available to see how it compares and which one is better for me.

[dellus]

It seems the QT stuff contained in the LibreCAD appimage collides with the QT within Fossapup 64. The appimage runs in Fossapup 64 barebones version, where QT is missing. But the barebone also lacks CUPS. I have tried to add CUPS and get my printer working, but had no success.
But - tataa - Fossapup F96_4-CE_radky6 also comes without QT, and it works here!

LibreCAD 2.2.0 Final is out now at last. Not much different to the previous RC release. https://sourceforge.net/projects/librec ... e/download
If mikewalsh is eager to apply his magic he could produce a true portable now!

dellus