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I bought PICO-8 for an Ubuntu 16.04 machine, and a Raspberry Pi, and it's simply a pain in the ass to install because the official app download comes in a .zip file with zero documentation on how to install. There's no install script in the contents of the unzipped files, and there's little to find online that helps. This installer didn't work for me: https://rombus.itch.io/pico-8-linux-installer/devlog/15013/pico-8-linux-installer-script

PICO-8 is a commercial product, please treat it as such, and have the download in a proper .deb file or anything more helpful than a .zip

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What? There's nothing to install and no documentation needed because you don't have to do anything apart from run the executable. It's literally unzip, change to the pico8 directory and run.

So for the sake of not wanting to (for some reason) do that, Zep would have to maintain a DEB package for both 32-bit and 64-bit, a RPM package for 32-bit and 64-bit, a Raspberry Pi package and still provide the plain old package you're complaining about for those who don't have distributions based on the above?

Seriously?
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yeah I'm not sure what you mean exactly by "install", but one additional thing I've done on my Linux computers is to make a .desktop file so I can put it in a launcher and make sure it has the pretty icon

Here's what I use, for reference, if it helps:

pico-8.desktop

 
[Desktop Entry]
Name=PICO-8
Type=Application
Exec=/your/path/to/pico-8/pico8
Icon=/your/path/to/pico-8/lexaloffle-pico8.png


@kittenm4ster - yeah I did the same :) But that's all that's necessary and even that isn't really required.

Linux has a proper way of doing things, and just unzip a file and double click what's in it isn't it. At least that's not the professional way of doing it, which this commercial application is,

No... linux is pretty free about what you do with your executables. Some distributions of linux offer a package manager, which makes installing applications with lots of files a bit easier, but the PICO-8 is so simple that it isn't really required.

On most linux systems, You simply put the executable somewhere like /opt/pico-8 or /home/[user]/bin and add it to your PATH, and you are ready to go.

For systems which provide a rich desktop experience, kittenm4ster's instructions further up are great.

What @springogeek - this is a pointless complaint.

Also, just as an FYI, the desktop file above goes in $USER/.local/share/applications. I've added a category to mine so it appears in the right place in the menu. 

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Pico-8 Fantasy Console
Comment=Retro game programming!
Exec="/home/user/Apps/pico-8/pico8"
Icon=/home/user/Icons/pico.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Development;


Linux is shockingly proper!
4

Let's be friendly here. Lexaloffle games seem friendly, so I'd expect the users to be slightly more sociable than the usual internet trolls who hide away from people's faces.

Saying that Linux — GNU, rather — has a “proper way of doing things” seems rather out of place, but the initial complaint was more or less a valid, albeit obtuse, one: the person had no idea that the binary executable wasn't an installer, or something.

Sounds like maybe some documentation is in order — even if some users think it is obvious, it obviously isn't.

Also, it should be noted that not all desktop environments do their menu items that way. I know Xfce is different, but I can't remember how it goes. The information is on their wiki somewhere.

Cheers, and hope you enjoy Pico.

I didn't mean to sound tetchy but I still don't see a need for an installer for something that doesn't require a lot of files and I didn't much like the tone of the OP. I suppose some documentation might be in order though: -

  1. unzip PICO-8 zip file to preferred location.
  2. cd to subdirectory pico8.
  3. Make sure pico8 executable has execute bit set - chmod +x pico8.
  4. Run ./pico8
  5. Additional example for *.desktop launcher file for those that need/want it.

I mean, for that you absolutely don't need an installer and I'd personally like to choose where PICO-8 goes on my system anyway.

I'm quite an inexperienced Linux user, running Lubuntu on an old Samsung netbook a friend handed off to me.

And I've gotta say, it's not very easy to understand how to install programs! Took me a while to figure out how to get Chrome and VLC on it! :)

So when I found that PICO8 was just a ZIP, I thought "GREAT!"...

Only to find that I can't figure out how to run it! So, even more detailed instructions would be nice. :)

I've made the desktop file as instructed above, but both before and after doing that, I still get the same error when trying to run PICO8:

== Failed to execute child process "/home/[user]/Desktop/PICO8/pico8" (No such file or directory) ==

It's especially frustrating to me because the error itself just makes no sense, seeing the file seems to exist, as I just double clicked on it. :)

Is it maybe a permissions error?

When I double click pico8, it asks if I want to execute, so I say "Execute!", then that error appears.

Not really sure how to make it just work! Seems really silly after using the Windows version, where you literally just click the exe and you're good to go.

I don't have a config file in my folder, do I need to make one?

I figured a default one would get made by PICO8 if it didn't find one I guess.

Not really sure how to get it to run on Linux. Hmmm.

Ah, actually I just figured it out.

I had downloaded the 32-bit version for Linux, and that simply wasn't working on my Samsung netbook.

So I grabbed the 64-bit "AMD" one, and that worked straight away!

Solved. :D

When I tried running it, i got this error,

Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting ")")

I am very confused as to what that means.

That looks like a shell script error, which is definitely not expected when running a binary executable. How are you running it?



 
sudo ./pico8

I've tried using the command with and w/out "sudo"
AFTER i've tried "chmod +x pico8" with and w/out "sudo."

I just don't know what else to do.

(using the Chromebook "Linux (beta)" terminal.)

You don't need sudo here.

This isn't an ARM-based system, is it? What's the output of 

uname -a

What about

 
ldd pico8


uname -a outputs

 
Linux penguin 4.19.16-02893-g2cf2c17c8a43 #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Jan 19 09:49:55 PST 2019 aarch64 GNU/Linux

ldd pico8 outputs

 
        not a dynamic executable


Yep, that's ARM. The Linux versions of P8 are x86 and x86-64, so you won't be able to run them directly.

You could try using QEMU. You'd have to set up an x86 Linux virtual machine and run P8 in that. Or maybe install Raspbian and run the Raspberry Pi version? That might be simpler, but I'm really not sure.

Chromebooks are ARM, yes. @DatChickenGuy did say he was running some sort of beta Linux thing, but I'm pretty sure that's just a chroot environment, no emulation.



I am trying not to use Developer mode BTW

Turns out I can download QEMU, I just don't know how to use it. I've looked at the user documentation, and it is just confusing.

pico8_32bit was the name mate

I mean if it helps I made a script to put pico-8 (linux zip) in an appimage. It also downloads the necessary tools, please read before use.

Pico8.AppDir/Pico-8.desktop

 
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Pico-8
Exec=pico8
Icon=lexaloffle-pico8
Type=Application
Categories=Game;
Comment=Fantasy Console for Making, Sharing and Playing Tiny Games and Other Computer Programs.

Pico8.AppDir/usr/share/metainfo/com.lexaloffle.pico8.appdata.xml
(forum doesn't display the xml correctly but the source view looks fine to me)

 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<component type="desktop-application">
  <id>com.lexaloffle.pico8.desktop</id>
  <name>PICO-8</name>
  <summary>Fantasy console for making, sharing and playing tiny games</summary>
  <description>
    <p>PICO-8 is a fantasy console for creating, sharing and playing small games and programs. It features a custom code editor, sprite editor, map editor, sound editor and more.</p>
  </description>
  <developer_name>Lexaloffle Games</developer_name>
  <launchable type="desktop-id">Pico-8.desktop</launchable>
  <icon type="stock">lexaloffle-pico8</icon>
  <url type="homepage">https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php</url>
  <url type="help">https://pico-8.fandom.com/wiki/Pico-8_Wikia</url>
  <provides>
    <binary>pico8</binary>
  </provides>
  <categories>
    <category>Game</category>
    <category>Development</category>
  </categories>
  <metadata_license>FSFAP</metadata_license>
  <content_rating type="oars-1.1" />
  <agreement type="eula" version_id="1.0">
    <agreement_section id="pico-8">
    <name>SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PICO-8</name>
    <description>
      <p>This license agreement is between you, the end user, and Lexaloffle Games LLP ("LEXALOFFLE GAMES"). The software licensed under this agreement is PICO-8 ("THE SOFTWARE"), including all data files, executables, documentation and design. By distributing, copying, executing, or otherwise using THE SOFTWARE, you agree to be bound by the terms of this license agreement.</p>
      <p>THE SOFTWARE is owned by LEXALOFFLE GAMES. LEXALOFFLE GAMES reserves the exclusive copyright and all rights not expressly granted.</p>
      <p>You may install and use THE SOFTWARE on any computers for which you are the primary user. You may additionally install and use THE SOFTWARE concurrently on any number of computers belonging to a single household or educational organisation, including libraries, clubs, schools and universities.</p>
      <p>Unless express consent is granted by LEXALOFFLE GAMES, you may not distribute all of or any part of THE SOFTWARE to any other party, create derivative works based on THE SOFTWARE, or sell, resell, rent or lease THE SOFTWARE.</p>
    </description>
  </agreement>
  <agreement_section id="cartriges">
    <name>EXPORTED CARTRIDGES</name>
    <description>
      <p>Files generated by exporting a cartridge with PICO-8 (Javascript, HTML, executeables and data files) may be used for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter them and redistribute them freely, provided that permission to do so is also granted by the authors of the cartridge.</p>
    </description>
  </agreement>
  <agreement_section id="disclaimer">
    <name>DISCLAIMER</name>
    <description>
      <p>THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, LEXALOFFLE GAMES DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.</p>
      <p>TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL LEXALOFFLE GAMES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY, LOSS OF DATA, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF LEXALOFFLE GAMES HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.</p>
    </description>
  </agreement>
</component>
 
#!/bin/bash

unzip pico-8_0.2.6b_amd64.zip

#  creating: pico-8/
# inflating: pico-8/readme_linux.txt  
# inflating: pico-8/license.txt      
# inflating: pico-8/pico8.dat        
# inflating: pico-8/lexaloffle-pico8.png  
# inflating: pico-8/pico-8_manual.txt  
# inflating: pico-8/pico8            
# inflating: pico-8/pico8_dyn

mkdir -p Pico8.AppDir/usr/bin
mkdir -p Pico8.AppDir/usr/share/metainfo

cp pico-8/pico8 Pico8.AppDir/usr/bin/
cp pico-8/pico8.dat Pico8.AppDir/usr/bin/

ln -s usr/bin/pico8 Pico8.AppDir/AppRun

convert pico-8/lexaloffle-pico8.png -resize 256x256\! Pico8.AppDir/lexaloffle-pico8.png

chmod +x Pico8.AppDir/usr/bin/pico8
chmod +x Pico8.AppDir/AppRun

wget https://github.com/AppImage/appimagetool/releases/download/continuous/appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x ./appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage

ARCH=x86_64
./appimagetool-x86_64.AppImage Pico8.AppDir/ Pico-8-0.2.6b-x86_64.AppImage


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