Livecode on chromebook

[TomKeane123]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried to get livecode working on a chromebook?

I have seen some chromebooks can use use crostini to install Linux software like gimp, inks ape, firefox, steam, kaden live.

Some people claim to have installed wine on a chromebook so they can run some windows software on a chromebook.

Lots of children are using chromebooks in shool so it would be a great way to kid kids using livecode.

[bogs]

Hiya Tom

Yes, kinda. I don't actually have a 'Chromebook', but I was messing around last year with a CloudReady vm and Lc. I also used crouton, not croustini, but I would imagine they are both the same thing (more or less).

The first thing I tried was just getting a standalone made in my 'nix box to run on it, however there are a few hurdles you have to overcome.

On the other side of that, the last time I actually tried this, you *could* run Lc in WINE (tested on Debian, not a Chromebook ). Now, whether or not the WINE implementation running on a Chromebook would be sufficient to overcome the problems I was looking at is another question altogether. I know my friend (whom I mentioned in that other thread) was running all kinds of things that way, but I never got around to attempting it once I succeeded in actually getting a simple timer to run on his Chromebook

*Edit -- Hmmm, I think I still have that vm image hanging around somewhere....hmmmmmm....

*Edit -- the newest versions of CloudReady no longer run on Virtualbox, but they have a ready made VmWare appliance.

[FourthWorld]

Chromebooks run ChromeOS, which runs Android apps. So you can deploy to ChromeOS but not the the IDE there.

You can run the LC IDE on a Linux system provided it's running an Intel-compatible CPU.

FWIW I bought the HP Stream 11 G4 EE and it runs Ubuntu very well, and LiveCode too. It's not a powerhouse, but at $180 I'm quite happy with it for the light-duty tasks I got it for.

[bogs]

You can run the LC IDE on a Linux system provided it's running an Intel-compatible CPU.

Hm, Tom didn't mention the processor his CB has, so I didn't think about that aspect of it too much, and the vm version I was running was of course using my x86 processor, but, there might be a workaround to that problem as well.

Raspberry Pi
LiveCodeCommunityInstaller-6_5_1-linux-arm.arm
LiveCodeCommunityInstaller-6_5_0-Linux.arm

- and -

LiveCode 7.0.4
Community Edition Commercial Edition Community Server Release Notes Release Date
STABLE Win 32 | Mac | Linux 32 | Linux 64 | RPi * {edit me - assuming RPi = arm processor}

I am pretty sure that if the CB is running an arm processor, and you installed an actual 'nix there, you could probably use one of the arm installers at that point as if you were using a Pi (I could be wrong, but don't have any way to test that theory).

Just food for thought if someone wants to play with that.

Just a note, the 6.x series of Lc for 'nix requires you install libgtk2.0-0 (32 bit version).

Some of the notes I made while playing with this at the time, although some of this may require modification on an arm installed system -

Linux -
Problem - clicking on a program doesn't start the program.
Possible solutions -
1. Open a terminal window in the directory that contains the application.
type ./Program_Name
If the error is "no such file exists", check to make sure you have multiarch enabled, and the correct architectures listed (i386 or i686).
2. type readelf -a ./ProgramName
if [Requesting program interpreter: /lib/ld-linux.so.2] is there then install libc6-i386.

Problem - Error while loading library(name).
Possible solutions -
1. Make sure that the library is installed in the correct architecture for the program, i.e. if you are running 64bit linux, and the program is 32bit, you need the library for :i386 installed.
Example - [gtk2 required for 32 bit program on 64 bit linux distro]
Make sure that multi-arch is enabled
sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-0:i386
sudo apt install libgtk2.0-0:i386
--------------------

The steps i took on chromebook os cloudready.

If you are using a regular distro of linux, skip to 3a.

1. chromebook os Developer mode

2. used crouton to install ubuntu trusty, xfce

3. Lc test program - BubbleTimer

3a. terminal ./BubbleTimer = shared library error for libX11.so.6

4. verified multiarch was set up properly

5. added i386 and i686 architectures (32bit platforms) using dpkg

6. sudo apt-get update / then upgrade

7. sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-0:i386
--------------------
Another thing to note is that Lc 6.7.x requires the 32bit libstd6c++. This can be added with -
sudo apt install lib32stdc++6

Linux
The linux engine requires the following:

32-bit installation, or a 64-bit linux distribution that has a 32-bit compatibility layer

2.4.x or later kernel

X11R5 capable Xserver running locally on a 24-bit display

glibc 2.3.2 or later

gtk/gdk/glib (optional – required for native theme support) - Possible responsibility for the text box issues...

pango/xft (optional – required for pdf printing, anti-aliased text and unicode font support) - same as above...

lcms (optional – required for color profile support in JPEGs and PNGs)

gksu (optional – required for elevate process support)

Note: The optional requirements (except for gksu and lcms) are also required by Firefox and Chrome, so if your linux distribution runs one of those, it will run the engine. - run the engine yes, the next line shows some of the limitations ...

Note: If the optional requirements are not present then the engine will still run but the specified features will be disabled.

Note: LiveCode and standalones it builds may work on remote Xservers and in other bit-depths, however this mode of operation is not currently supported.
The engine (both IDE and standalone) will require : gtk, gdk, glib, pango and xft on Linux - Even though it is listed optional above, it said required later on. Go figure.

[jacque]

I have nothing to add except that I'd love to run the IDE on my Chromebook, but don't have the time or knowledge to mess with the setup. But I did run an Android test app on my Chromebook and except for a few minor cosmetic issues it ran perfectly. That was good news because our target market is education and Chromebooks are prevalent there.

[bogs]

I have nothing to add except that I'd love to run the IDE on my Chromebook, but don't have the time or knowledge to mess with the setup.

Well, if you have one hanging around that you don't particularly care what happens to it, I'd be happy to use it as a test mule and see if my theories hold water or not

[jacque]

I just bought the Chromebook to test a current project, so no, you can't have it.

[bogs]

What ? YOU don't want to sacrifice it for the greater (or not) good ?!?

Just kidding, *if* I see one come up for sale really cheap (and I mean REALLY cheap!!) OR if I hit the right combination of emulator/image, I'll give it another go. Of course, time (and other inconveniences) allowing

[jacque]

I'm not sure what your definition of really cheap is, but you can get a new one for as low as $150 and a used one on ebay for even less. But that would require a certain amount of motivation and I wouldn't blame you one bit if you were a little low on that.

[bogs]

I'm not sure what your definition of really cheap is...

Remember Scrooge in the 'Christmas Carol' before the ghosts visited him?

Well, compared to me, he was spendthrift

Motivation on the other hand costs me nothing, I just have a lot on the plate at the moment, and am about to have a lot more heaped on.