Update to 3.10 on Linux

Hi
I am running a Debian based Linux distro. I click the correct mirror for SC 3.10, and my OS says Open With Software, then when it installs it gives me version 3.6.6. The recommendation is to use the command line to install and update all dependencies, but I’m afraid I am not very ‘apt-get’ fluent. Any Linux users running 3.10.x able to help me out please?

Brendan

i’ll be the first to admit that the situation with debian packaging for supercollider is pretty painful, and unfortunately nobody is currently working on providing .deb packages for the latest releases. we don’t have direct control over the debian repositories (we do have our own PPA, but it is also out of date because the people who were maintaining it aren’t actively working on the project anymore).

unfortunately, the only way to get newer SC on debian/ubuntu is to build it yourself. the process is documented in README_LINUX.md in the project root. let me know if you run into any problems doing that.

Thanks for the advice Nathan.

I was wondering, what needs to be done in such project? Is it difficult to package sc for debian/ubuntu? It’s a real shame there’s no updated version for this linux distro.

For a quick ‘workaround’ I personally compile sc into a deb using checkinstall package (i wrote about it on my blog: https://lukaprincic.si/development-log/supercollider-deb-package-from-git-with-checkinstall).

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Best long-term solution is adopting CPack, which will not only help with Debian packaging, but also packaging for other Linux distros and OS’s. No work in progress on this currently, but @VIRTUALDOG might have some advice.

Other than that, I’ve looked into Debian packaging multiple times, and every time the tooling gave me a headache and I gave up. The most recent attempt, I found out that SuperCollider basically can’t be packaged for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS because it depends on Qt 5.7+. Only Qt 5.5 is available in the main repos, and Qt 5.7+ can only be obtained via a special PPA, and as far as I can tell, a cross-PPA dependency is not possible.

Wish I had left a better paper trail with the various attempts on this, sorry.

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So I just asked on the #mentors-debian irc channel. In the context, no one is maintaining supercollider debian package, what can be done. I was pointed to the fact that Debian 10 (stable and sid) has SuperCollider 3.10 via apt. So the OP was probably running Debian Jessie.
I was not aware of this since I am building from source everytime i use SuperCollider on debian. Kinda abandoned the “apt” approach to getting SC a couple of years ago. But 3.10 is not that bad i would say.
I am now then interested in knowing who is maintaining the package or is it done via a sponsor (package uploader)? When will 3.11 be in the debian archive? Who is in the loop?

Maintainers listed on the package tracker are:
Alexandre Quessy, Dan Stowell, Felipe Sateler and Georges Khaznadar.

the old package site is teasing with: A new upstream version is available: 3.11.0, you should consider packaging it.
https://packages.qa.debian.org/s/supercollider.html

new tracker is here: https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/supercollider

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The debian-multimedia team eventually packages new versions of SC in the debian & ubuntu repos, and their process and their schedule is not in our control.

We have our own PPA, which hasn’t been updated since 3.9. I have admin access to it, so theoretically I could upload new builds, but I don’t know how.

Do you any have experience with this packaging process? I could really use your help.

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I’m so rooting for this!
I looked into CPack, but that’s way beyond my level.

Sorry. Slow reply here. I have no experience.
The closest I have gotten is subscribing to the debian-mentors mailing list where it is possible to ask for “sponsors(uploaders)” for your package. :slight_smile:

Also I would say that building SuperCollider from source it quite easy following the instructions or using this script by Mauro.

For those on Debian/Ubuntu feeling adventurous jumping distro - Arch is the one with the best bleeding edge package management. pacman -S supercollider and pacman -S sc3-plugins smack! 3.11.0-4 is installed. Thanks to David Runge the community repo maintainer/packager for SuperCollider.

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