Linux Library Hell

I'm running the latest version of LinuxCNC (2.7.14) and trying to connect a Contour Shuttle Express. I have read everything I can find about this, and while there is some material, there is no step-by-step procedure covering everything that has to be done. After setting up a shuttle.hal file and adding it to my .ini, and also making the required entries in the /etc/udev/rules.d directory, I still can't get it to connect.

After more research I decided I needed to install HIDComp (hidcomp.sourceforge.net). I got that installed and tried to run hidconfig only to get a missing library error (libqt4-xmlpatterns.so). I checked and the QT4 package is already installed. Since this is a missing library, I assume I need a qt4-dev package or something like that. However, I can not find such a package for wheezy. Only for newer versions of Debian.

Worse, the Debian website seems to have placed wheezy in a black hole of sorts. The current package repo on the Debian website (www.debian.org/distrib/packages) only goes back to jessie (Debian 8) and the archive repos (www.debian.org/distrib/archive) only go forward to squeeze (Debian 6). No Debian 7 anywhere!

Has anyone else gotten hidconfig to work? Or gotten the missing qt4 library installed? If so, how?

Thanks!

Yes, it connects with USB, but it's a control wheel, not a machine. It's the same one used by Tormach with their milling machines (which also run LinuxCNC).

Tormach Shuttle

I think I am already pointing at those repos, but I will double-check. Thanks!