Installation

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OldAl
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Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:50 am
Location: Canberra, Australia

Installation

Post by OldAl » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:09 am

There was a request for more detail on installation by "impert" in a thread called "Installation on Ubuntu 7.10" in this forum. I thought that it would be a good idea to generalise the method of installation to include other Linux distributions. My own installation and testing was on an PC box with amd64 dual processor with openSUSE 10.3 and KDE desktop. The procedure is very simple indeed and should apply to any other distro. This is a step-by-step description for a Linux beginner:

1. Select a suitable root directory for installation. Help files in qcad (5.1) suggest /opt as probably suitable. I followed that suggestion. The tar ball for demo version or for pro version on my amd64 is located in a subdirectory of Documents directory:

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For the demo version:
/home/ak/Documents/downloads/CAD/qcad-2.2.2.0-1-demo.linux.x86.tar.gz/ 
The pertinent tar ball is copied to the /opt directory, extracted into subdirectory, which is then renamed qcad. It is advisable to carry out all the operations as root (aka "superuser"). The steps for the demo version are:

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1.1 cd /opt
1.2 cp /home/ak/Documents/downloads/CAD/qcad-2.2.2.0-1-demo.linux.x86.tar.gz ./
1.3 tar -zxvf /home/ak/Documents/downloads/CAD/qcad-2.2.2.0-1-demo.linux.x86.tar.gz
1.4 mv qcad-2.2.2.0-1-demo.linux.x86.tar.gz  qcad
Of course, it would not do any harm to check that these steps worked by looking at the results (with "ls" command or something similar).

2. The program can now be started in CLI (aka "Console") whilst the present work directory is /opt ("pwd" will verify what the present work directory is). In openSUSE the default promt for the root user would probably be "/opt #"):

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For the demo version:
2.1 /opt # qcad/qcad-demo &
For a full version the command is:
2.1 /opt/ # qcad/qcad
The last step (2.1) can be replaced by creating a link to application (qcad) on the desktop and editing the Properties -> Application -> Command to show '/opt/qcad/qcad'

Step 1.2 for the pro version looks a little different, as "-demo"is replaced by -"prof".

If you are familiar with Linux, please forgive me for writing this in such detail: my hope is that some CAD users will switch to Linux because of this fine, relatively inexpensive CAD program!

Disclosure - I have no pecuniary interest in this enterprise.

OldAl.
Algis Kabaila, MEngSc, PhD(Eng)

centec2b
Junior Member
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:10 am

Installation - Guidance For Linux Novices

Post by centec2b » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:02 am

Al thank you for this guidance. I have been singularly impressed with Qcad and find this "vagueness" on installation puzzling.

As an Ubuntu novice I successfully installed the software in my home folder last night after reading through your post and several others

I note that there seems to be a preference to install in "/opt". This requires superuser powers and from what I have read in the ubuntu forums is not considered best practice.

I would be grateful for any views or comments on this

Thank you

centec2b

OldAl
Junior Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:50 am
Location: Canberra, Australia

Re: Installation - Guidance For Linux Novices

Post by OldAl » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:20 pm

centec2b wrote: As an Ubuntu novice I successfully installed the software in my home folder last night after reading through your post and several others
centec2b
I am no guru in either Linux or Qcad, but here is my 2c: I think that the installation into your home directory is perfectly OK.
I must have read somewhere a suggestion to install in /opt, so that all users of the computer one is installing qcad in would
be able to make use of it. It is not very important, however, as nowdays most computers have basically one user only.

On being root (or superuser) - it is right to avoid being root unnecessarily, but there is nothing wrong with it if it is necessary!

Congratulations on a successful installation!

OldAl.
Algis Kabaila, MEngSc, PhD(Eng)

centec2b
Junior Member
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:10 am

Re: Installation - Guidance For Linux Novices

Post by centec2b » Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:39 pm

OldAl wrote:[I am no guru in either Linux or Qcad, but here is my 2c....OldAl.
Algimantas

Thank you for your 2c - from where I am stood the difference between guru and very very knowledgeable is infinitesimal!

centec2b

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