The Latest trouble

[Kevin Broderick]

(my responses to edited email are inline)
On 20 Jun 2006, at 1:42 PM, David T. wrote:
> Derek--
>
> Since you want this on the list...
>
> As I am not a developer, but a user, I didn't think to search the  
> developer
> forums.

In my experience, it's fairly common to make the leap from checking a  
-users list to a -devel list when attempting to get things working on  
the bleeding edge.  The -users list is certainly a good place to  
start, but -devel tends to be necessary when you start getting into  
new platforms and/or pre-release software.  To make this easier from  
a search perspective, the mailing list search page defaults to both - 
user and -devel.

> Well, DUH, I turned on unstable in Fink and it doesn't show. I  
> thought that if
> I turned on the unstable tree, I'd see 1.9. See my note above (the  
> part about
> not being a developer). Furthermore, I don't finking understand how  
> you expect
> me to "get that [1.9] working" if your own goddamned website tells  
> me that
> installing the application and its dependencies is best handled by  
> fink, and
> then your finking application won't finking show in fink?

I think this is fairly clear in the wiki--you can use fink to get the  
dependencies, but you need to grab GnuCash from svn if you want to  
install 1.9.x on OS X.  If it's not, I would appreciate comments on  
how I might clarify the wiki page to avoid further confusion.

> And I will not go into the wiki and add pages, because the only  
> pages I would
> add at this point are strictly negative and would not be helpful.
[CHOMP]

Actually, in this case, a polite negative note on the OSXInstallation  
page was probably appropriate, and I have added one.  You have  
encountered a known problem with dependencies

> You say that the problem is with Fink. You're wrong there--the  
> problem is with
> the packages that won't compile under Darwin, which is exacerbated  
> by the fact
> that Fink gets behind the times on all these packages.

Other people have reported success with compilation under OS X on  
Intel, although none have managed to successfully use the  
application.  In short, either the packages or their fink ports  
contain bugs that appear only in OS X on Intel-based Macs, and those  
issues will (hopefully) be resolved by the package maintainers as  
they are able to get to them.

> I understand that this
> all is qualifies as a Big Change in the OS X world, and am game to  
> try to find
> a solution, if I can. But GnuCash's developers don't help things by  
> the secrecy
> around the GnuCash dependencies.

I fail to see how the dependencies are in any way secret.  fink finds  
them just fine for 1.8, and I was able to compile 1.9.x based on the  
list of dependencies listed in the MacOSXInstallation wiki page.  As  
I wrote that page, I would certainly welcome any corrections (I  
didn't take the time to start with a clean fink install, so it is  
entirely possible that I missed a package or two that I already had  
installed).

> I'll finish where I started, Derek: I'm trying to be a USER. I'm  
> trying to
> follow the website's directions for getting GnuCash to run for me  
> so that I can
> USE it. All I really want is to be able to USE GnuCash.

Unfortunately, no one has yet had success doing so under OS X on  
Intel.  I'm sorry that wasn't clear in the wiki, and I hope it is  
now; if anyone has any corrections for my note in the wiki, please  
feel free to add them.  I do not have a MacIntel system to test with  
(although I'd be happy to take one for testing purposes; anyone who  
would like to may contact me backchannel for a mailing address).


> --- Derek Atkins <warlord at MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
>> Please CC the list on all replies...
>>
>> "David T." <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> Derek--
>>>
>>> 1) I read the archives. Most threads about Mac OS X date from  
>>> early 2005 or
>>> earlier. Pre-Intel.
>>
>> Did you read the -devel archives, too?  This has been discussed much
>> in the last couple weeks.
>>
>>> 2) Fink refuses to find 1.9
>>
>> Well, DUH!  1.9 is still only a release candidate.  But you're still
>> more likely to get that working.
>>
>>> 3) I read the archives. You said on the 16th of June 2006 that  
>>> GnuCash
>> "doesn't
>>> work" on MacIntel boxes. At this point, I guess I'd have to agree  
>>> with you.
>> But
>>> if that's true, why don't you just put that on the website? Then  
>>> Mac users
>> like
>>> me could skip ahead and buy Quicken.
>>
>> Again, if you'd read the archives you'd know that right now we can't
>> update the website due to technical difficulties.  We're hoping to
>> remedy those difficulties ASAP, but it's been a multi-month process.
>>
>> You ARE correct that the wiki doesn't say anything, either.  You're
>> welcome to update that yourself.
>>
>>> I have been quite frustrated by GnuCash. I believe that others  
>>> could really
>>> benefit from a little clearer information with regard to the  
>>> project's
>> status
>>> and needs.
>>
>> Well, go ahead and update the wiki, then.  Note that the problem  
>> on MacIntel
>> has nothing to do with us..  It's a FINK problem.  We cannot  
>> control the
>> fact that the dependencies don't work.
>>
>>> David
>>
>> -derek
>>
>>> --- Derek Atkins <warlord at MIT.EDU> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 1) read the archives.
>>>> 2) Give up on 1.8 and work on 1.9 with gtk2
>>>> 3) read the archives
>>>>
>>>> Good Luck,
>>>>
>>>> -derek