Because… that’s not how that works. Even if we inserted code to try to change what user we appear as to the filesystem, that code would not succeed unless you ran KiCad as the superuser.
Running a process as a different account is a privileged operation, and would be a huge security hole if it could be done without permission, such as a password or a setuid bit.
From what you have written, you are not on the same page as all the people who understand Linux/Unix permissions.
You seem to assume something else is perfect.
Wayland isn’t the only thing which may cause rendering problems. As was said, OpenGL rendering may be affected even though everything else is fine, and usually those problems come exactly as you describe: empty rectangle of some color.
What I find weird is that you still haven’t told us if a v6 project can be seen. This is very simple: if you can see the design even with one project, then rendering is not the problem and we can continue with something else. If there really is a problem in opening v5 project, the issue is important and the reason should be found so that it can be fixed.
Where’s the weird part? 6.0 isn’t working, so what should I show? Tlak about chicken-and-egg…
Look, they gave you a specific instruction (open one of the sample files included with kicad and see what happens) and you haven’t done it.
You also need to stop being so grumpy to people who are trying to help you.
3 Likes
You’re right, but there are no sample files to install. And I apologize if I seem grumpy, that’s really not my style.
I’ve now searched for the “pk-client-error-quark” message that I got, and it seems related to Fedora and Gnome, which has nothing to do with Lubuntu.
More likely the PPA repository for 6.0 is faulty.
File > Open Demo Project on the kicad main window
OK, this could bring enlightenment:
macro@macro-pc:~$ sudo add-apt-repository --yes ppa:kicad/kicad-6.0-releases
[sudo] password for macro:
Hit:1 http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates InRelease [114 kB]
Hit:4 https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com stable InRelease
Hit:5 http://ppa.launchpad.net/kicad/kicad-6.0-releases/ubuntu focal InRelease
Get:6 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security InRelease [114 kB]
Hit:7 http://ppa.launchpad.net/libreoffice/ppa/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:8 http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux/ubuntu focal InRelease
Fetched 228 kB in 2s (133 kB/s)
Reading package lists… Done
W: http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/dists/focal/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://ppa.launchpad.net/kicad/kicad-6.0-releases/ubuntu/dists/focal/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal-updates/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://ppa.launchpad.net/libreoffice/ppa/ubuntu/dists/focal/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal-security/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
W: http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux/ubuntu/dists/focal/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
macro@macro-pc:~$
It seems “security” is blocking a good install.
Which presumes you have a successful install.
Maybe install Windows, this will likely spare you (and others on this forum) the sadness.
Several people here asked you to check if KiCad demo schematics open and render correctly, yet you claim you’re “smart”, know everything better and blame 6.0 instead. We wanted feedback from you because this might be a new, genuine issue, but for the moment it looks like a known OpenGL problem which appears on some Linux systems (esp. with Wayland and old Intel or Nouveau graphics). While you don’t deserve anybody’s support here, other users do.
Tom
PS. W: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal-updates/InRelease: The key(s) in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/kicad_ubuntu_kicad-6_0-releases.gpg are ignored as the file is not readable by user ‘_apt’ executing apt-key.
It’s Ubuntu’s official PPA. KiCad has nothing to do with it. Fix your system if you’re so smart. Using Linux doesn’t make you any better than other OS users 
1 Like
Yes, and I answered several times that the demos didn’t install, so I couldn’t show them. I’ll refrain from commenting on the rest of your post.
Yes, but the demos wasn’t the point at all. The point is if you can open any v6 design and see something. Or start a new project and add a symbol or graphic line or anything visible there in a new schematic. All the time we have got an impression that you blame v6 for doing something to your v5 designs.
Now I’m sure this is just a “normal” problem with OpenGL. I instructed you to try the fallback graphics rendering but you apparently ignored it.
OK.
I’ve now reinstalled several times, the last time getting the demos installed as well.
The 6.0 demos don’t show, the grid doesn’t show, my 5.1 files don’t show. And I can’t do anything at all.
My file permission hypothesis is gone, I just tried setting $HOME plus subdirectories to 777. No dice.
Graphics:
First it was Wayland. I don’t have that.
Then it’s “old Intel graphics”. I have Radeon.
Now it’s OpenGL.
But 5.1 works perfectly. Whatever happened?
Have you tried to go into the preferences and change the graphics settings as asked way up in this thread? Preferences → Schematic Editor → Display Options → Rendering Engine? Have you toggled the current setting and then restarted KiCad to see what happens?
Can you give us some more info on your system? The output of the following linux commands might tell us more:
cat /proc/version
lsmod
xdpyinfo
lspci -v
We’re trying to help, but you have to be patient and give us full details since we can’t see your screen or read your mind.
Cheers,
John
Do we have to repeat again?
BTW, Wayland wasn’t the point, either. Nor was some specific graphics card. OpenGL problems was the point. It may happen with several different setups. KiCad isn’t the one to blame, all applications should be able to trust the information they get from the hardware/drivers/API, but those aren’t always trustworthy, and even if they are in other respects, they may have bugs. KiCad rendering is probably very simple compared to some 3D games, but those game developers have a different kind of budget to circumvent hw/driver problems, and they actually spend quite much on it as far as I know.
Sorry, but this is not a gaming machine. It’s a work laptop. There’s not a single game installed on it.
It’s a laptop with 1440 x 900 Radeon graphics. OK?
I’ll try another 6.0 install tomorrow and try your suggestions on retarded graphics. And then it’s over.
5.1 works perfectly. 6.0 needs retarded graphics? What’s going on here? I’d expect modern SW to work this out itself. And then I get attacked as being too dumb and told to install Windows instead?
Of course, but again, that’s not the point. I just illustrated that graphics rendering hw/sw combinations are often buggy. If KiCad has a problem which the developers can’t fix, it doesn’t mean the developers wouldn’t care or that they would be incompetent. The KiCad project just doesn’t have the resources which multibillion game companies have in order to fix the problems with 3D rendering (KiCad uses OpenGL 3D rendering backend for 2D rendering for performance reasons). Don’t blame KiCad for bugs which are elsewhere.