Qt apps

[A.D. Fundum]

One machine here, nearly (*) identical to others, cannot fully launch
Qt apps. Apps stop before the main window is displayed. What could be
wrong?.

* = e.g. paths order and hardware can be different, software should be
the same but after many years some mistakes are possible. This problem
also introduces a difference because I couldn't confige some apps.


--

[Pete]

Hi

Post by A.D. Fundum
One machine here, nearly (*) identical to others, cannot fully launch
Qt apps. Apps stop before the main window is displayed. What could be
wrong?.
* = e.g. paths order and hardware can be different, software should be
the same but after many years some mistakes are possible. This problem
also introduces a difference because I couldn't confige some apps.
--

My guess would be a "missing" dll (or several) - either required dll(s)
are not installed or not found where the qt app looked.

Yopu could try starting the app from the command line to see if you get
any messages about missing files.


Regards

Pete

[A.D. Fundum]

Post by Pete
My guess would be a "missing" dll (or several) - either
required dll(s) are not installed or not found where the
qt app looked.

No error messages, no POPUPLOG.OS2 screen, no missing DLLs (according
to PM DLL, processing an Qt EXE), and no main window. IIRC the initial
screen of e.g. qOrganizer is displayed during a few seconds, but the
main window isn't. "2mp3" also failed: no main window. There is a
possiblity that it stopped working after using 2mp3 once.

I'll try the other possible solution (".config") soon. Deleting files
or settings is no problem, because all I'm trying to do so far is to
apply the same settings to a backup machine. It works with another old
machine.


--

[Dave Yeo]

Post by A.D. Fundum
One machine here, nearly (*) identical to others, cannot fully launch
Qt apps. Apps stop before the main window is displayed. What could be
wrong?.
* = e.g. paths order and hardware can be different, software should be
the same but after many years some mistakes are possible. This problem
also introduces a difference because I couldn't confige some apps.

Besides the DLL possibility that Pete mentioned, it could be a problem
with Trolltech.ini found in IIRC %HOME%\.config Delete it and let it
rebuild or move the whole .config directory out of the way.
Dave

[A.D. Fundum]

A Qt app like QSimpleSheet works. QT4GUI.DLL is capable to load all
DLLs it requires. Apps with local settings (2mp3: locations of
executables, qOrganizer: lannguage) fail.

could be a problem with Trolltech.ini

It has its own Trolltech.ini in %HOME%\.qOrganizer, but I've deleted
all Trolltech.ini-related directories. qOrganizer recreates its own
files and directories, including Trolltech.ini, but I never get to see
the main window. The small initial window, if any, which "announces"
the app, is displayed.

Erm... Can the native OS/2 video driver be a problem? At least
sometimes, depending on the app? In the past SM crashed too, but after
the main window was displayed with an italic font. The video driver is
a main difference (intentionally, some old apps like Cosmos/2 require
this to work properly), compared to a nearly identical system with the
default eCS 1.2 video driver.


--

[Dave Yeo]

Post by A.D. Fundum
A Qt app like QSimpleSheet works. QT4GUI.DLL is capable to load all
DLLs it requires. Apps with local settings (2mp3: locations of
executables, qOrganizer: lannguage) fail.

could be a problem with Trolltech.ini

It has its own Trolltech.ini in %HOME%\.qOrganizer, but I've deleted
all Trolltech.ini-related directories. qOrganizer recreates its own
files and directories, including Trolltech.ini, but I never get to see
the main window. The small initial window, if any, which "announces"
the app, is displayed.
Erm... Can the native OS/2 video driver be a problem? At least
sometimes, depending on the app? In the past SM crashed too, but after
the main window was displayed with an italic font. The video driver is
a main difference (intentionally, some old apps like Cosmos/2 require
this to work properly), compared to a nearly identical system with the
default eCS 1.2 video driver.

What bit-depth are you using? Perhaps try a different one. Mozilla
(actually Cairo) had a problem where it couldn't display 24bit colour
which the Matrix driver used, eventually Rich added a work around.
Dave

[A.D. Fundum]

Post by Dave Yeo
What bit-depth are you using?

24.

Post by Dave Yeo
(actually Cairo) had a problem where it couldn't display
24bit colour which the Matrix driver used, eventually
Rich added a work around.

I think we're talking about the same bug, automagically fixed by
updating SM (v1.x, IIRC) in the past.

That was a test with interesting test results (all @ 1024 x 768).

16 bpp: no difference. 8 bpp: QSimpleSheet also stops working. I can
see the initial image and next a main window with a blank spreadsheet,
but then it looks like it processes a queued, virtual <Alt-F4> ASAP. I
didn't expect that! I haven't seen any main window of qOrganizer nor
2mp3, FWIW.

So I think we can conclude that the (IBM ThinkPad 600E) OS/2 video
driver is the problem, because it can cause a clean exit.

I'll keep using the buggy, old video driver, but AFAICT it should work
with the eCS 1.2 Snap video driver (known cases, a.o.: 600E, 600X).

It's not a production machine and it's hardly more than a copy of an
install, so I'm not going to suggest the same fix nor report a bug,
but of course I'm willing to support Qt-based apps by e.g. testing a
possible solution.


--

[Dave Yeo]

Post by A.D. Fundum

Post by Dave Yeo
What bit-depth are you using?

24.

Actually 24 or like most drivers 32 (same number of colours in both cases)?

Post by A.D. Fundum

Post by Dave Yeo
(actually Cairo) had a problem where it couldn't display
24bit colour which the Matrix driver used, eventually
Rich added a work around.

I think we're talking about the same bug, automagically fixed by
updating SM (v1.x, IIRC) in the past.

I forget the exact SM version, it was in the run up to FF4. IIRC 1.x
didn't use Cairo.

Post by A.D. Fundum
16 bpp: no difference. 8 bpp: QSimpleSheet also stops working. I can
see the initial image and next a main window with a blank spreadsheet,
but then it looks like it processes a queued, virtual <Alt-F4> ASAP. I
didn't expect that! I haven't seen any main window of qOrganizer nor
2mp3, FWIW.

I thought 16 bpp was a workaround for the matrix+Cairo problem. Doodles
Screen Saver also has a couple of modules that use Cairo, eg the clock.

Post by A.D. Fundum
So I think we can conclude that the (IBM ThinkPad 600E) OS/2 video
driver is the problem, because it can cause a clean exit.
I'll keep using the buggy, old video driver, but AFAICT it should work
with the eCS 1.2 Snap video driver (known cases, a.o.: 600E, 600X).

My T42 has a stripped SNAP as the official driver, I just used the eCS SNAP.

Post by A.D. Fundum
It's not a production machine and it's hardly more than a copy of an
install, so I'm not going to suggest the same fix nor report a bug,
but of course I'm willing to support Qt-based apps by e.g. testing a
possible solution.

Dave

[A.D. Fundum]

Post by Dave Yeo
What bit-depth are you using?

24.

Actually 24 or like most drivers 32?

I didn't check that, I was indeed reporting the number of colors and
the video memory isn't a limit. But 8 was 8, and 16 was a honest 16.

My T42 has a stripped SNAP as the official driver,
I just used the eCS SNAP.

I have more nearly identical machines, and this is the only one
without SNAP. Intentionally. Reasons to use old drivers can be DOS
sound or apps not working well with SNAP, but in general using modern
and faster drivers is recommended.

BTW, can you try with your T42 to create a huge ZIP file (i.e. still
busy while downloading), start SM, go to Hobbes and start (!)
downloading a few files (RMB -> Save link as...).

Yesterday SM (and Hobbes, It was down for a while after/while I was
downloading) crashed during the very first new download. That was
major*.zip. I received an odd (number%2!=0) number of bytes, almost
300KiB. I was creating a 1.97 GiB test archive while downloading. I've
deleted the TRP file, but it was yet another access violation. The
download window was in use because I started a first download, but
IIRC it wasn't displayed yet. That always may take a while anyway.
Perhaps the system load of creating an archive while downloading
triggers it. The system was about as fast as a T42 (IBM ThinkCentre
A30, 2.,66 GHz Pentium 4).

The downloaded file itself isn't a problem. So far I'm always able to
download ZIP files, but it may cost me a few attempts before it will
succeed without a continued download (I tend to delete it, and try it
again). The second time the test archive was completed.

You don't have to download all files. It could crash during the middle
of a download. Hobbes isn't too fast (restricted band width), but
maybe a component of SM is too slow. I can try it here, but my T42p is
using the same profile. If it fails, then we still don't know
anything. If it fails with your T42, then we may know more.

I cannot reproduce Hobbes going down (FTP, HTTP) during my HTTP
download. Maybe the local system load played no role at all too, but
it could be a trigger.


--

[Dave Yeo]

Post by A.D. Fundum
BTW, can you try with your T42 to create a huge ZIP file (i.e. still
busy while downloading), start SM, go to Hobbes and start (!)
downloading a few files (RMB -> Save link as...).
Yesterday SM (and Hobbes, It was down for a while after/while I was
downloading) crashed during the very first new download. That was
major*.zip. I received an odd (number%2!=0) number of bytes, almost
300KiB. I was creating a 1.97 GiB test archive while downloading. I've
deleted the TRP file, but it was yet another access violation. The
download window was in use because I started a first download, but
IIRC it wasn't displayed yet. That always may take a while anyway.
Perhaps the system load of creating an archive while downloading
triggers it. The system was about as fast as a T42 (IBM ThinkCentre
A30, 2.,66 GHz Pentium 4).
The downloaded file itself isn't a problem. So far I'm always able to
download ZIP files, but it may cost me a few attempts before it will
succeed without a continued download (I tend to delete it, and try it
again). The second time the test archive was completed.
You don't have to download all files. It could crash during the middle
of a download. Hobbes isn't too fast (restricted band width), but
maybe a component of SM is too slow. I can try it here, but my T42p is
using the same profile. If it fails, then we still don't know
anything. If it fails with your T42, then we may know more.
I cannot reproduce Hobbes going down (FTP, HTTP) during my HTTP
download. Maybe the local system load played no role at all too, but
it could be a trigger.

Tested under load and downloaded a zip file fine. Did find that the old
bug where the download doesn't even start including no download manager
if saving to the root of a drive
One workaround if the crashes are too irritaiting is to install awget
and you can just set it to monitor the clipboard and invoke wget
whenever an interesting URL is copied to the clipboard. Also has a
plugin that will invoke wget as well.
Dave