pychess can't be started

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please answer these questions:

 * Is this reproducible?
 * If so, what specific steps should we take to recreate this bug?
 * Do you have any error on the command line when running it?

 This will help us to find and resolve the problem.

I also have this bug.

The following attachment contains the error when launching pychess with no arguments.

Hope it helps.

I can confirm the problem, it happens everytime directly after starting pychess.

Hi,
there is a bug reported in upstream project:
http://code.google.com/p/pychess/issues/detail?id=449

The answer is: "In hes Python 2.6.2 package Ubuntu changed site-packages dir name to dist-packages, so our prefix.py fails on finding data dirs."

So it looks previous 2.5 version of Python has different dir directories then2.6 - application PyChess expects 2.5 directory structure, so program fails to start.
Regards

I've come up with a very ugly temporary fix.

If you don't have first install python2.5 and then just edit the file /usr/games/pychess and in the first line change #!/usr/bin/python to #!/usr/bin/python2.5

as per bug #78395 the upstream report cannot be linked here. However according to upstream and comments here the cause for this issue is explained here:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2009-February/027439.html

and workaround:

http://code.google.com/p/pychess/issues/detail?id=449#c5

@Joao Trindade, I see python2.5 is already installed. So I edited file /usr/games/pychess to #!/usr/bin/python2.5 Then I have executed command pychess and got the following errors:
===============
Exception in thread Thread-2:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/threading.py", line 525, in __bootstrap_inner
    self.run()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/System/tsqlite.py", line 34, in run
    con = sqlite.connect(self.path)
OperationalError: unable to open database file

/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/Players/engineNest.py:3: DeprecationWarning: the md5 module is deprecated; use hashlib instead
  import os, md5, imp

(pychess:8855): libglade-WARNING **: could not find glade file '/usr/lib/python2.6/glade/tipoftheday.glade'
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/bin/pychess", line 45, in <module>
    import pychess.Main
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/Main.py", line 20, in <module>
    from pychess.widgets import tipOfTheDay
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/widgets/tipOfTheDay.py", line 7, in <module>
    widgets = GladeWidgets("tipoftheday.glade")
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/System/uistuff.py", line 198, in __init__
    self.widgets = gtk.glade.XML(addDataPrefix("glade/%s" % filename))
RuntimeError: could not create GladeXML object

This has been fixed upstream: http://code.google.com/p/pychess/issues/detail?id=449 please update downstream versions.

the log file:

18:22:14 Default Debug: Started
18:22:15 stdout Debug: /usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/System/uistuff.py:368: GtkWarning: GtkSpinButton: setting an adjustment with non-zero page size is deprecated
  self.glade = gtk.glade.XML(addDataPrefix("glade/%s" % filename))
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: /usr/games/gnuchess
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: Black
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: GNU Chess 5.07
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Log: xboard
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Log: protover 2
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: Adjusting HashSize to 1024 slots
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: Transposition table: Entries=1K Size=40K
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: Pawn hash table: Entries=0K Size=28K
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Debug: White (1) : feature setboard=1 analyze=1 ping=1 draw=0 sigint=0 variants="normal" myname="GNU Chess 5.07" done=1
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Log: nopost
18:22:16 (u'Gnuchess', '18:09:16.657') Log: quit
18:22:16 Default Debug: Engine finished GNU Chess 5.07
18:22:16 (u'Phalanx', '18:09:16.829') Debug: /usr/games/phalanx
18:22:16 (u'Phalanx', '18:09:16.829') Debug: Black
18:22:16 (u'Phalanx', '18:09:16.829') Log: xboard

ubuntu karmic

pychess:
  Installed: 0.10beta1-2
  Candidate: 0.10beta1-2
  Version table:
 *** 0.10beta1-2 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.10~beta1-1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com karmic/universe Packages

it didn't work. upgraded to beta and it worked, then most recent ubuntu upgrade and now it fails from GUI but works from command line. Similar error reported.

pychess
/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/pychess/System/uistuff.py:368: GtkWarning: GtkSpinButton: setting an adjustment with non-zero page size is deprecated
  self.glade = gtk.glade.XML(addDataPrefix("glade/%s" % filename))

remove pychess, apt-get autoremove python leftovers, reinstalled pychess, works from menu.

pychess not working again after louis, python-louis, etc. were re-installed at the insistence of aptitude.

o.K. some other upgrades occurred. Thought I would try pychess again. Did not work.
Used Synaptic and did a re-installation. It worked.
Ah-hah. So I totally exited pychess, then re-started. Did not work (As in you get to the chess board, and it is frozen.)
Pretty sneaky bug, eh?

Hi,
a really gave up using PyChess from repository, because it just doesn't work, it is broken.
I suggest you to install PyChess directly from subversion directory:

1. Install subversion
sudo apt-get install subversion

2. Download files fromo subversion
svn checkout http://pychess.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ pychess-read-only

3. Move to pychess-read-only dir
cd pychess-read-only

4. Run Pychess
PYTHONPATH=lib/ ./pychess

Regards

Hi,
by the way, if you are from non-English country you can create translation files by compiling po file to mo file, by executing command:
msgfmt ${HOME}/pychess-read-only/lang/template.po -o ${HOME}/pychess-read-only/lang/[your_language]/LC_MESSAGES/pychess.mo

Note: instead of [your_language] write your language, check pychess-read-only/lang directory for available translations.

If you downloaded subversion files to other directory then your home dir, then also change ${HOME} variable to that downloaded dir.
Regards

Great, so we should post a new beta.

Regads
Thomas

On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 9:23 PM, grofaty <email address hidden> wrote:

> Hi,
> a really gave up using PyChess from repository, because it just doesn't
> work, it is broken.
> I suggest you to install PyChess directly from subversion directory:
>
> 1. Install subversion
> sudo apt-get install subversion
>
> 2. Download files fromo subversion
> svn checkout http://pychess.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ pychess-read-only
>
> 3. Move to pychess-read-only dir
> cd pychess-read-only
>
> 4. Run Pychess
> PYTHONPATH=lib/ ./pychess
>
> Regards
>
> --
> pychess can't be started
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
> You received this bug notification because you are the registrant for
> PyChess.
>

--
Mvh. Thomas

so if the repo flavour is broken how about we fix that instead of moving
epople to the SVN version which, as mentioned above, is beta material. I
have been waiting for almost a year for a fix to this. Yes, it could
also work to take the RPM version from fedora and run it through aliens
qand maybe get a good copy. (i run fedora as well and it runs pychess
just fine)
cheers
nobodie

Thomas Dybdahl Ahle wrote:
> Great, so we should post a new beta.
>
> Regads
> Thomas
>
> On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 9:23 PM, grofaty <email address hidden> wrote:
>
>
>> Hi,
>> a really gave up using PyChess from repository, because it just doesn't
>> work, it is broken.
>> I suggest you to install PyChess directly from subversion directory:
>>
>> 1. Install subversion
>> sudo apt-get install subversion
>>
>> 2. Download files fromo subversion
>> svn checkout http://pychess.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ pychess-read-only
>>
>> 3. Move to pychess-read-only dir
>> cd pychess-read-only
>>
>> 4. Run Pychess
>> PYTHONPATH=lib/ ./pychess
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> --
>> pychess can't be started
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
>> You received this bug notification because you are the registrant for
>> PyChess.
>>
>>
>
>
>

I believe the svn version is currently the most stable code we've got.
The 0.8.x stable was also good until recent fedore/ubuntu/gnome upgrades,
but it is a hell to fix, and we are currently low on developing time, so we
rather focus on our next release.

I hope to soon have more time for PyChess development and thus put a stop to
the currently misserable situation.

Regards,
/Thomas

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 9:10 AM, nobodie <email address hidden> wrote:

> so if the repo flavour is broken how about we fix that instead of moving
> epople to the SVN version which, as mentioned above, is beta material. I
> have been waiting for almost a year for a fix to this. Yes, it could
> also work to take the RPM version from fedora and run it through aliens
> qand maybe get a good copy. (i run fedora as well and it runs pychess
> just fine)
> cheers
> nobodie
>
>
> Thomas Dybdahl Ahle wrote:
> > Great, so we should post a new beta.
> >
> > Regads
> > Thomas
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 9:23 PM, grofaty <email address hidden> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Hi,
> >> a really gave up using PyChess from repository, because it just doesn't
> >> work, it is broken.
> >> I suggest you to install PyChess directly from subversion directory:
> >>
> >> 1. Install subversion
> >> sudo apt-get install subversion
> >>
> >> 2. Download files fromo subversion
> >> svn checkout http://pychess.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ pychess-read-only
> >>
> >> 3. Move to pychess-read-only dir
> >> cd pychess-read-only
> >>
> >> 4. Run Pychess
> >> PYTHONPATH=lib/ ./pychess
> >>
> >> Regards
> >>
> >> --
> >> pychess can't be started
> >> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
> >> You received this bug notification because you are the registrant for
> >> PyChess.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> pychess can't be started
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
> You received this bug notification because you are the registrant for
> PyChess.
>

--
Mvh. Thomas

Thomas,
version 0.8.x was working fine, but it was just freezing so many times in Ubuntu (on my two home computers), that I upgraded to 0.10.x and since then I have never witnes a freeze. I think the latest svn is way more stable that 0.8.x ever was.

I suggest to make a new beta or even better to make a final code of current development, that downstreams would know that this is stable code and include this code in new releases of distributions.

It looks Ubuntu 9.10 will have 0.10.x code base: http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=pychess
Regards

Today I have installe PyChess in Karmic from repository using command 'sudo apt-get install pychess' and it looks this bug is fixed.

I think problem can be marked as solved.

done... thank you brother.. :D

--- On Sun, 11/1/09, grofaty <email address hidden> wrote:

> From: grofaty <email address hidden>
> Subject: [Bug 365730] Re: pychess can't be started
> To: <email address hidden>
> Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009, 4:35 PM
> Today I have installe PyChess in
> Karmic from repository using command
> 'sudo apt-get install pychess' and it looks this bug is
> fixed.
>
> I think problem can be marked as solved.
>
> --
> pychess can't be started
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
> You received this bug notification because you are a member
> of PyChess
> People, which is subscribed to pychess in ubuntu.
>
> Status in PyChess chess client: Unknown
> Status in “pychess” package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: pychess
>
> I have collected info from command:
> ubuntu-bug pychess
> to give you more info on bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pychess/+bug/356553
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> Architecture: i386
> Dependencies:
>
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
> Package: pychess None [modified:
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/pychess.list]
> PackageArchitecture: all
> ProcEnviron:
> LANG=en_US.UTF-8
> SHELL=/bin/bash
> SourcePackage: pychess
> Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686
> UnreportableReason: This is not a genuine Ubuntu package
>

except it doesn't work for me and hasn't for almost a year. Did you
check my reply to the previous post? What is the problem?

Arief Setiadi Wibowo wrote:
> done... thank you brother.. :D
>
> --- On Sun, 11/1/09, grofaty <email address hidden> wrote:
>
>
>> From: grofaty <email address hidden>
>> Subject: [Bug 365730] Re: pychess can't be started
>> To: <email address hidden>
>> Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009, 4:35 PM
>> Today I have installe PyChess in
>> Karmic from repository using command
>> 'sudo apt-get install pychess' and it looks this bug is
>> fixed.
>>
>> I think problem can be marked as solved.
>>
>> --
>> pychess can't be started
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/365730
>> You received this bug notification because you are a member
>> of PyChess
>> People, which is subscribed to pychess in ubuntu.
>>
>> Status in PyChess chess client: Unknown
>> Status in “pychess” package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
>>
>> Bug description:
>> Binary package hint: pychess
>>
>> I have collected info from command:
>> ubuntu-bug pychess
>> to give you more info on bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pychess/+bug/356553
>>
>> ProblemType: Bug
>> Architecture: i386
>> Dependencies:
>>
>> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
>> Package: pychess None [modified:
>> /var/lib/dpkg/info/pychess.list]
>> PackageArchitecture: all
>> ProcEnviron:
>> LANG=en_US.UTF-8
>> SHELL=/bin/bash
>> SourcePackage: pychess
>> Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686
>> UnreportableReason: This is not a genuine Ubuntu package
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> ** Changed in: pychess (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Fix Released
>
> ** Changed in: pychess (Ubuntu)
> Assignee: (unassigned) => grofaty (grofaty)
>
>

It just did now came out, when I clicked the Icon.