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On 18.10 MATE I'm trying to install x-tile https://www.giuspen.com/x-tile/ which I've been using since 16.04 or so.

Installation fails looking for python-gconf and installation of python-gconf fails with what looks to be a circular dependency. Is there an issue with python-gconf for 18.10? Has it been replaced? I've left a note on the developer site but there hasn't been x-tile activity there for some time.

Here's what the installation attempt looks like. I've cut some output into <...>

 sudo dpkg -i x-tile_2.5.1-1_all.deb 
 <...>
  x-tile depends on python-gconf; however:
   Package python-gconf is not installed.
<...>
sudo apt install python-gconf
 The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  python-gconf : Depends: gconf-service
                 Depends: libgconf-2-4 (>= 3.2.5) but it is not going to be installed
 <...>
  gconf-service : Depends: gconf-service-backend (= 3.2.6-4.1ubuntu2) but it is not going to be installed
  <...>
  gconf-service-backend : Depends: gconf-service
                          Depends: libgconf-2-4 (= 3.2.6-4.1ubuntu2) but it is not going to be installed
                          Depends: gconf2-common (= 3.2.6-4.1ubuntu2) but it is not going to be installed
  x-tile : Depends: python-gconf but it is not going to be installed
 E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt --fix-broken install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

apt --fix-broken install simply removes x-tile.

  apt-cache policy python-gconf apt
  python-gconf:
    Installed: (none)
    Candidate: 2.28.1+dfsg-1.2
    Version table:
       2.28.1+dfsg-1.2 500
          500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu cosmic/universe amd64 Packages
  apt:
    Installed: 1.7.2
    Candidate: 1.7.2
    Version table:
   *** 1.7.2 500
          500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu cosmic-updates/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
       1.7.0ubuntu0.1 500
          500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu cosmic-security/main amd64 Packages
       1.7.0 500
          500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu cosmic/main amd64 Packages



  And 

   apt-cache policy libgconf-2-4:
   Installed: (none)
   Candidate: 3.2.6-4.1ubuntu2
   Version table:
      3.2.6-4.1ubuntu2 500
         500 http://ca.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu cosmic/universe amd64 Packages
Stephen Boston
  • 4,186

2 Answers2

2

About Gconf and python2

Not he answer you were literally looking for, but gconf is gone for quite a while (replaced by dconf), and python2, in which x-tile is written, isn't quite fresh as well. Looking at the code of x-tile, its latest commit was almost three years ago, which is a very long time in developers time.

Then what?

Your options are to either try and contact x-tile's maintainer and find out if he is going to update, or use another tiling extension, like this one, which is a default extension in Ubuntu Budgie, but also works on Mate (disclaimer: I am the author).

The extension furthermore has a growing number of cli options and can a.o. be used for quarter-tiling shortcuts, arrange all in a grid etc etc.

enter image description here

To install, just follow the instructions in the README here.

Community
  • 1
Jacob Vlijm
  • 85,475
1

Error messages about missed packages pointed me to the idea that you have disabled universe pocket. You should enable it first and install updates:

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

and then proceed with your method by sudo apt-get install ./x-tile_2.5.1-1_all.deb or with method below.

The Ubuntu 18.10 (Cosmic Cuttlefish) is not supported (yet) in official PPA. But X-Tile was available for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (as you can see in previous answer).

Temporarily you can install the x-tile package from PPA manually:

cd ~/Downloads
wget https://launchpad.net/~giuspen/+archive/ubuntu/ppa/+files/x-tile_2.5.1-3_all.deb
sudo apt install -y ./x-tile_2.5.1-3_all.deb

and enjoy it as before:

x-tile on Ubuntu MATE 18.10

Update: I have e-mailed giuspen to get official package for 18.10 and upcoming 19.04.

In case of upcoming Ubuntu 19.10 (Disco Dingo), the x-tile package is still installable if you get python-gconf manually:

cd ~/Downloads
wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/g/gnome-python/python-gconf_2.28.1+dfsg-1.2_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install ./python-gconf_2.28.1+dfsg-1.2_amd64.deb

wget https://launchpad.net/~giuspen/+archive/ubuntu/ppa/+files/x-tile_2.5.1-3_all.deb
sudo apt install -y ./x-tile_2.5.1-3_all.deb
N0rbert
  • 103,263