LinuxCNC Install using MX Linux 19.4 - Geared Toward New Users - Discussion

A year or more ago I went through the guide on a spare computer and everything went flawlessly.

My luck being as it is, when I go to do it today on my plasma computer, I encounter problems.

I get to this stage in the guide, where I have to enter this command in the terminal window:
/usr/lib/python3/distpackages/qtvcp/designer/install_script

but I get the error message:
beefy@mx:~
$ /usr/lib/python3/distpackages/qtvcp/designer/install_script
bash: /usr/lib/python3/distpackages/qtvcp/designer/install_script: No such file or directory

I followed that file path in the file manager, all the way to "install_script" and everything seems to be there, so no idea why it says no such file or directory.

Anyway I tried starting Linuxcnc and selecting one of the Qtplasmac sim configurations but get and error:

Qtvcp encountered an error.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/qtvcp", line 509, in <module>
    _qtvcp = QTVCP()
  File "/usr/bin/qtvcp", line 117, in __init__
    from qtvcp import qt_makepins, qt_makegui
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/qt_makepins.py", line 22, in <module>
    from qtvcp.widgets.screen_options import ScreenOptions
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/widgets/screen_options.py", line 24, in <module>
    from qtvcp.lib.message import Message
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/lib/message.py", line 5, in <module>
    from qtvcp.widgets.dialog_widget import LcncDialog
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/widgets/dialog_widget.py", line 32, in <module>
    from qtvcp.widgets.macro_widget import MacroTab
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/widgets/macro_widget.py", line 87, in <module>
    class CustomSVG(QtSvg.QSvgWidget):
NameError: name 'QtSvg' is not defined

you are missing a package:
python3-pyqt5.qtsvg

Thanks cmorley,

still having issues though.
I installed the package using:
sudo apt install python3-pyqt5.qtsvg

and it looks like it installed OK.

Got another error message when I attempted to run Linuxcnc, saying something about PyQt5.Qsci, so ran the command:
sudo apt install PyQt5.Qsci

and it seemed to install OK.

Tried to run Linuxcnc again but get the error message:

Qtvcp encountered an error.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/qtvcp", line 509, in <module>
_qtvcp = QTVCP()
File "/usr/bin/qtvcp", line 252, in __init__
window.load_extension(opts.usermod)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/qt_makegui.py", line 265, in load_extension
methods, self[obj].handler_module, self[obj].handler_instance = self._load_handlers([handlerpath], self.halcomp, self[obj])
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qtvcp/qt_makegui.py", line 293, in _load_handlers
mod = __import__(basename)
File "/usr/share/qtvcp/screens/qtplasmac_4x3/qtplasmac_4x3_handler.py", line 67, in <module>
from qt5_graphics import Lcnc_3dGraphics as DRO
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/qt5_graphics.py", line 183, in <module>
class Lcnc_3dGraphics(QGLWidget, glcanon.GlCanonDraw, glnav.GlNavBase):
NameError: name 'QGLWidget' is not defined

I have no idea what QGLWidget is or what it means that it is not defined.

G'day Beefy! Long time no see.
About 12 months or more ago all hell broke loose with Linux when it migrated from Python 2.7 to 3.xx. lots of other things have happened since then.
I gave up on other  distributions and reverted to Debian Bookworm. Its only a few lines at the command line to get going.
So if you have not got your plasma working yet, You could blow it away and follow my how to
docs.google.com/document/d/1jeV_4VKzVmOI...diY/edit?usp=sharing

Hi Rod,

good to be back a bit. Haven't had much time at the plasma table since getting a fishing boat LOL, but a job came in and I had to read up on how to use it again.

Realised I missed the old girl, and after doing the cut, ripped the PC out to do the MX install. Ha ha, life can't be that simple can it.

I feel sorry for Snowgoer after he's put the effort into writing that tutorial for us, and now it doesn't seem to work like it used to.

I'll give your tutorial a shot tomorrow, got nothing to lose right now.
Thanks very much for that.

This is really making me realise how "fragile" a setup can be with Linuxcnc when you are basically a layperson with Linux. I'm starting to wonder if there's a "safe" way to have a backup. Example, instead of relying on updates, new Python versions, etc and downloading the latest off the web whenever you do a fresh install, can a user store all the install files that are known to work on a storage device and simply re-use them if they want to set up a spare PC years down the track. Is that what a RIP install is. Damn I feel so clueless with Linux.

beefy wrote:

I feel sorry for Snowgoer after he's put the effort into writing that tutorial for us, and now it doesn't seem to work like it used to.

No worries. I’ll take a look and see what’s messed up. The python stuff shouldn’t be affecting this distribution. I still run MX 19 and keep the packages up to date for all of my development work. No issues.

At any rate, I have been meaning to make a similar guide for MX 21 anyhow. Just haven’t gotten around to it. I do think someone recently used this guide though with success. Are you sure you didn’t miss a step maybe? Or a copy paste error? I’ll report back once I get some time to check it out.

If you were used to MX, you aren’t likely to enjoy the standard Debian distribution of Bookworm. Just my unsolicited $0.02.