Interesting /dev/null/ is nothing. I will not copy and paste to the terminal. Beware of anything with r in it. Looking forward to getting on with it. Thanks for the lessons..
Well, you can think of /dev/null as a file with a special feature.
Lets recap
# It is something (sort of file)
$ ls -l /dev/null
crw-rw-rw- 1 root root 1, 3 28. Okt 10:10 /dev/null
# which keeps nothing, does nothing and
# gives nothing but an EOF which is the sign of end of file.
# So it is something which when read from, gives something
# namely the token EOF (which is kind of an unseen nothing for us humans).
$ echo text # write to standard out, stdout.
text # you, the reader, is the standard in, stdin
# your eyes directly see what echo has written
# (clever fingers stdout, burning eyes stdin)
$ echo text | cat # shells redirect stdout and stdin, here for two cmds,
text # neither echo nor cat know of each other and this time
# you don't see what echo but what cat has written to
# its stdout (for the stdin of something, your eyes in the case).
# The pipe | connects two cmds, the signs < and > connect a cmd and a file.
$ echo text > myfile # > stands for stdout so echo writes into a file (instead of a pipe).
$ cat < myfile # < stands for stdin, so cat reads from a file (instead from a pipe).
text
And finally. Watch out!
$ echo text > myfile && cat < myfile
text
# echo writes text into myfile AND cat reads content of myfile
# This time echo and cat are connected with the help of myfile
$ ls
myfile
# && simply tells the shell:
# If echo is successful then execute cat else message: an error occurred
# or in other words, cat never runs when echo was unsuccessful.
All right that’s a lot but we’ve just talk about for signs | < > &&
and /dev/null.
You need to know about this because
When we install Scid vs. PC
I have to show you why AUR is problematic.
+++
Because /dev/null is a file this is not possible, the pipe connects two cmds:
echo text | /dev/null | cat
Instead: “Connected” via a file
echo text > /dev/null && cat < /dev/null
nothing 
Preparing for Scid vs. PC
$ sudo pacman -Qi patch | grep ^Version
Version : 2.8-1.1
$ sudo pacman -Qi tcl | grep ^Version
Version : 8.6.16-1.1
$ sudo pacman -Qi tk | grep ^Version
Version : 8.6.16-1.1
# If some are not intalled: sudo pacman -Syu pkgname
Download
https://sourceforge.net/projects/scidvspc/files/source/
scid_vs_pc-4.26.tgz
I assume you saved the download in folder ~/Downloads
$ cd /home/john52
$ mv Downloads/scid_vs_pc-4.26.tgz chess/tgz
$ mkdir -p $HOME/chess/bin/share
$ mkdir -p $HOME/chess/configs/scidvspc
# Execute like so
$ cd
$ pwd
/home/john52
$ ln -s /home/john52/chess/configs/scidvspc .scidvspc
# Check path to config files
$ ls -l .scidvspc
lrwxrwxrwx 1 john52 john52 32 28. Okt 01:25 .scidvspc -> /home/john52/chess/configs/scidvspc
We talk about the new stuff later.
Code Reader Aid
If you see or read or execute (ok, codereaders do execute in their heads)
be aware that signs like &, && or |, || or |& are operators with a complete
different meaning. They are just compositions of signs because there
are not enough signs to express the specific intention.
If you read in your books and you don’t understand
just read on and get back afterwards (several times perhaps).
Don’t think like so: Hmm I’ve seen && before, now &
I dont understand but it must have something to do with &&.
Just forget && when you try to figure out what & means.
+++
1 Like
-Qi tk is not installed and pacman cannot find the package. I am stuck at the third line of code. When I do sudo pacman -Syu -Qi tk I get an error message about two commands…
There is no +++
But ok I understand.
sudo pacman -Syu tk
The pkgname is tk and not -Qi tk (-Qi is a query)
I don’t see anywhere above you should execute
sudo pacman -Syu -Qi tk
Please, it is better you ask whether your interpretation is correct
before you execute a command I did not list.
Hint: Don’t execute commands you do not see written down.
(Don’t worry, I’m not perfect, too)
NEW: I write every command explicit
and when I’ve written /home/john52 then you should /home/john52 write, too
and not $HOME or ~ or any other shortcut.
1 Like
It may be instructive to break this down;
sudo - this can be prepended to commands to elevate privileges.
pacman - this is the command executable.
-Syu | -Qi - these are the ‘flags’ or options of the command. There are slightly different constructs but in this case you should only be using one set of flags.
-Syu is sync/refresh/upgrade. It can be used alone or in combination with package name(s) to install something new [especially since partial upgrades are a no-no].
-Qi is query information of installed package(s). Usually used in combination with a package name then information on that package.
tk - this is finally the argument being passed to the previous command/options. In this pacman scenario it is a package name.
You may use pacman -Syu OR pacman -Qi, but not both.
2 Likes
I have scidvspc where you want it…Thanks…
It is very important that from now on you write exactyl what I did.
For a beginner it is not easy installing Scid vs. PC.
No, no
Better is this
Checked!
$ cd
$ ls -l .scidvspc
lrwxrwxrwx 1 john52 john52 32 28. Okt 01:25 .scidvspc -> /home/john52/chess/configs/scidvspc
$ ls -l /home/john52/chess/configs/scidvspc
$
I have scidvspc where you want it
1 Like
When I go through the above code I get Total 0…
I received my arch linux handbook today by Dusty Phillips. Although small and old it is the most helpful book I have at the moment. It was only CND $10.00…
Yes, correct, I forgot to show the output you should see.
Just mention the command in a short form, too.
ls -l /home/…/scidvspc
Total 0
It would be easier for me to find you referring to.
Total 0 = Empty folder
Go and look yourself
$ cd /home/john52/chess/configs/scidvspc
$ ls -la
Total 0
drwxr-xr-x 1 john52 john52 0 29. Okt 02:41 .
drwx--x---+ 1 john52 john52 2094 29. Okt 02:41 ..
There are no files and just two entries
The dot is the folder itself (which is empty)
and dotdot is the parent folder /home/…/configs
To view all files in a folder you use the flag ‘a’
ls -a shows the hidden files I mentioned above ( .config)
This is no big deal, usually you don’t want see all files all the time
and some get hidden with a dot in front (out of sight, so to speak).
ls -a # list all
ls -la # list long all
ls -al # lst all long, the same as la
Some commands are more restrictive than ls and the order counts.
I’ll explain when installing scid_vs_pc.
These size numbers are a bit confusing
I give you an example
The echo writes some characters and a newline
$ echo 1 > tst1
$ ls -l tst1 # … john52 2 … tst1 # see the 2, there are 2 characters in the file
$ cat tst1 # you just count/see 1 character
1
$
ppl don’t count/see the newline as a ‘real’ character but the computer have to
because it has been written.
If you tell echo, don’t write a newline
$ echo -n 1 > tst1
try and see how ls -l and cat change their output.
1 Like
Intermezzo
Phoronix:
Unfortunately, it only got as far as beginning to boot the Illumos kernel before it was restarting.
ARCH:
Trimmed short, the PKGBUILD procedure.
CachyOS:
Don’t take it too serious.
It is just an example of how things happen in the Linux World.
I’m not a Phoronix member.
The point here is the comments of these members.
Of course, I have to verify what is said.
I don’t know how Phoronix boots but if you boot as described
in the issue, then it is an issue of Arch and not of Openindiana.
Let me guess: Phoronix secretly runs CachyOS and he hits the issue.
1 Like
Before we continue, I need a short overview:
$ cd
$ cd chess
$ ls *
It takes some time.
I’ve read you like to install Wine for running windows chess programs?
Which one?
And what are your plans concerning Lc0?
There are several clients to use on Linux.
+++
1 Like
I would like to install HIARCS, Chessbase 17 and Stockfish. I eventually would like to get rid onfmy dual boot and just have COS. I would like a solid Lc0 with good weights that are stable on COS…
[john52@cachyos-x8664 chess]$ ls *
bin:
share
configs:
scidvspc
git-nibbler:
files LICENSE.md README.md
lco0-nibbler:
files LICENSE.md README.md
sf17-nibbler:
files LICENSE.md README.md
stockfish-git:
AUTHORS CITATION.cff CONTRIBUTING.md Copying.txt README.md scripts src tests ‘Top CPU Contributors.txt’
stockfish-sf17:
AUTHORS CITATION.cff CONTRIBUTING.md Copying.txt README.md scripts src tests ‘Top CPU Contributors.txt’
tgz:
scid_vs_pc-4.26.tgz Stockfish-sf_17.1.tar.gz stockfish-ubuntu-x86-64-avx512.tar
[john52@cachyos-x8664 chess]$
Another thing you need to observe, really.
The update again.
Exemplified, thats why no $ and you decide to execute
electron38 -v
v38.4.0
pacman -Syu
:
electron38 old 38.4 new 38.5
:
Update Y/n ?
Even for me hard to decide.
Why? Because Nibbler is an Electron application and
Electron knows nothing about you running Nibbler source
on CachyOS.
You can update this time and in the near future as long as
the developers of Electron provide line 38.x.
So what to do? One solution is to keep Electron v38 in your chess folder
and this works as long as CachyOS supports Electron as such.
And when CachyOS system components no longer support v38
then the only solution is that you have kept CachyOS installed
on a second disk. The refrigerator where all your applications in
combination with versions of components run so to speak.
This is a task you should be aware of in the years ahead.
I have applied the update and there is no nibbler-problem.
So you can update, too.
1 Like
Have installed updates. Nibbler still works. Have also upgraded BIOS and also trying to sell my old computer to pay for the new one partly. I need luck with all these things. Thanks for your patience and continued help…
$ cd /home/john52/chess
$ tar xf tgz/scid_vs_pc-4.26.tgz
$ cd scid_vs_pc-4.26
$ patch -p0 < patches/gregors_tktext_inline.patch
$ sed -i 's/8.5/8.6/g' ./configure
$ ./configure BINDIR=/home/john52/chess/bin SHAREDIR=/home/john52/chess/bin/share TCL_VERSION="8.6" OPTIMIZE="-O3"
$ make
$ make install
$ cd /home/john52/chess/bin
$ ./scid
+++
1 Like
Well I have a database, Thank you so much…