i am a newbie in this forum as well as a newly engineering student who tries to stay as far away as possible from windows and anything related to it. So, i am trying to learn KiCAD on my slackware-current box.
I managed to install KiCAD-5.1.9 easily as i had the possibility to compile and make&&make install the package through Ponce’s repo ( a very common third party package repository highly adopted by slackware users). However, i found compiling and installing the latest version a non-trivial issue as it appears to be partly python, partly C++ and some assembler?!.
I followed my own usual UNIX way of building a package as well as the method listed on KiCAD download page but whichever way i tried , the compile returned an error msg (requiring a wxPython which was even harder to get and install on slakware).
After a lot of help from the linuxquestion.org/slackware/, I managed to install KiCAD-6.0.9 (apparently, with several options that disabled the requirement of wxPython) however, I don’t seem to be able to populate the library directories nor change the library paths in preferences.
I downloaded and un-packaged all libraries in a local folder and when i try to point the KiCAD/prefernce//set-path to such folder, I can’t (as soon as i restart KiCAD the path on prefernce, is back to default). So, i tried to leave the default path and populate the library by adding a new library (from schematic/add_new_library). It doesn’t allow me to do it as a bulk (unless i add all files one-by-one).
I recall i did manage to do this successfully (bulk-move) on KiCAD-5.1.9.
In debian linux, there are extra deb packages you have to install in order to get everything related to kicad 6.0.x. Here’s a list of deb packages I added.
Unpacking kicad-libraries (6.0.6+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) over (6.0.5+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-footprints (6.0.6-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-packages3d (6.0.6-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-demos (6.0.6+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-symbols (6.0.6-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad (6.0.6+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-doc-en (6.0.6+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) ...
Setting up kicad-libraries (6.0.6+dfsg-1~bpo10+1) ...
I have never used slackware, so I excluded the APT commands I used in debian linux. Also, I have never tried to install more than one version of Kicad at a time.
I uninstalled 5.1.9 before trying to install 6.0.x
I’m on Mint myself and although not “officially supported”, I can install normally with packages.
If you have some trouble with the library setup, then you can also modify the sym-lib-table and fp-lib-table with a text editor. Redirecting a directory listing to a file and then editing it to add path names is a lot easier if you have to do a lot of libraries.
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In debian linux, there are extra deb packages you have to install in order to get everything related to kicad 6.0.x. Here’s a list of deb packages I added.
I did say that I downloaded and uncompressed all the additional packages (which i called libraries)
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Also, I have never tried to install more than one version of Kicad at a time.
I uninstalled 5.1.9 before trying to install 6.0.x
I don’t recall saying that I installed both packages simultaneously; in fact, I also did remove kicad-5.1.9 before installing kicad-6.0.9
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Redirecting a directory listing to a file and then editing it to add path names is a lot easier if you have to do a lot of libraries.
and I think I also said that i tried to write/redirect the path in the preference menu and I don’t seem to be able to do it bcos when i restart the application somehow, it returns to what appear to be, “default” paths.
Perhaps the biggest concern should be focusing on the wxWidgets-wxPython salad which has, clearly, been causing issues to many users.
Mmm, Slackware isn’t exactly friendly if the software you want hasn’t been already built for you. It’s historically ground breaking and all that but you’ll have to decide whether you want to spend time delving into software building instead of spending time using applications. There are lots of easier to use Linux distros for avoiding Windows.
If you’re still adamant about using Slackware perhaps you could install a flatpak or something along those lines.
Thank you for your straight forwardness retiredfeline that was more constructive.
And I apologize if I came across a little too “direct” in the previous reply; I blame my lack of social skills
Anyway, I managed to add all the libraries in the right place. What or how I did it?
Being a newbie I have to get accustomed to properties, settings, menus etc., and i noticed that under preference there are two submenus: Manage Symbols Library and Manage Footprints Library.
Using these two options, instead of ‘Configure Paths’ solved my problems (at least until i get confident enough to start requiring the 3D Library too).
Thanks again everyone
p.s.: retiredfeline perhaps you are right about slackware however, decades ago I tried to install and use Debian as my 1st distro and I found it waaaaayyy harder. I think the stability of slackware is second to none (I stop bragging about slackware now as this it not the right place)
I’ve used Debian for a few years and the way I see it, Debian is more a distribution for people who know what they’re doing, and as a foundation for other distributions. I’ve always had more trouble with it then I liked, and that is why I switched to Mint. Mostly because I did not like the brown colors and weird start menu of Ubuntu. For me, Mint “Just works”. I run updates every now and then, and that is about 95% or more of the maintenance I do.
