Hi all,

I've had a *very* frustrating time trying (still unsuccessfully) to install
CsoundAC.

Compiling with the options goes ok. But then one realizes that one need to
enable the python csnd interface. I guess I knew that, but shouldn't it be
compiled automatically as a dependency if you choose to compile CsoundAC?
Seems counter-productive not to make such things automatic, anyway....it
assumes an awful lot of knowledge about what's under the hood from the
end-user point-of-view!

So, I had to go back and select options to compile csnd.py...scons being
what it is, in case you have a lot of options, you can't remember them all
on the commandline, and have to do the manual editing of the SConstruct
file, changing '1' to '0', etc, so you don't forget options you've
chosen---which BTW, they tell you not to do! ('do not edit the SConstruct
file directly')

Great. I get _CsoundAC.so, csnd.so, csnd.py and friends built, in the
illegal way of designating option directly in the SConstruct file, I run the
install.py script (which by the way is not documented in any obvious way, I
had to figure out that part---couldn't there be a simple massage at the end
of a successful compile -- "To install all targets, run './install.py" ?).
But, guess what, the install script does not install these python libraries
to the local python distribution at all....no docs anywhere about how to
install CsoundAC, so luckily, I know something about python, and I know that
libs are in /usr/lib/python2.*/, and dynamic libraries (*.so files) for
Python go in the same directory, but subdirectory "lib-dynload". Yes, this
is even after they are built successfully by using the SConstruct
file....why would something build, yet not be available for install? Doesn't
make much sense to me.

At this point the average non-hacker would have thrown up their hands and
said 'forget it...I'll never know what this CsoundAC is all about'.....I'm a
decent geeky hacker, so that hasn't thrown me. (so only geeky hackers use
CsoundAC?)

So, then I *finally* get everything in it's place (again, b/c I'm
knowledgable, not because any docs anywhere helped me out) and the Python
libs load fine with an "import CsoundAC" statement in an interactive Python
shell.....hmmm.....let's try a demo.

I go to examples/python directory in the source folder and run
'Lindenmeyer.py'. It then complains that STKWurley is not a legal
instrument. Your average grandma by now is saying "wtf?" I happen to know
it's that I opted not to install STK instruments, b/c I want a lean and mean
Csound. Again, no docs tell me that, I just 'know'. Not a great idea---to
use optional features in a demo. Ok, I'll try another example:
'StrangeAttractor.py'...looks like it's running....oh....nope.....eventually
Python gives a segfault, something clearly but mysteriously related to the
csnd.so library. GRRRRR......

Ok, this is where I give up. No (real) docs other than source, no
auto-install, no note about what options are needed for the nifty examples,
and no reason in the world that I can see why there should be a
segfault....nothing that Google searches made obvious. 

Assuming complete docs are out there...shouldn't any docs exist in the
distribution? From what I can tell, there are no real docs other than a few
general paragraphs in the Csound manual about CSoundAC.

FYI, I'm on Ubuntu Karmic (9.10) running Csound5.11.1, compiled from source.

What am I missing? This (CsoundAC) is certainly not for the faint of heart,
and I fear rightly gives Csound it's backwards, crusty reputation for being
for hackers and programmers only. Too bad. It's so cool and powerful when it
can be put together in a user-friendly way.

AKJ

HI Aaron,

Not sure about everything else, but I wouldn't recommend editing the
SConstruct files.  Instead, what I do is write a build.sh shell file
with:

#!/bin/sh
scons key=value key=value key=value

with whatever keys and values I use.

steven

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 2:00 PM, Aaron Krister Johnson
 wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've had a *very* frustrating time trying (still unsuccessfully) to install
> CsoundAC.
>
> Compiling with the options goes ok. But then one realizes that one need to
> enable the python csnd interface. I guess I knew that, but shouldn't it be
> compiled automatically as a dependency if you choose to compile CsoundAC?
> Seems counter-productive not to make such things automatic, anyway....it
> assumes an awful lot of knowledge about what's under the hood from the
> end-user point-of-view!
>
> So, I had to go back and select options to compile csnd.py...scons being
> what it is, in case you have a lot of options, you can't remember them all
> on the commandline, and have to do the manual editing of the SConstruct
> file, changing '1' to '0', etc, so you don't forget options you've
> chosen---which BTW, they tell you not to do! ('do not edit the SConstruct
> file directly')
>
> Great. I get _CsoundAC.so, csnd.so, csnd.py and friends built, in the
> illegal way of designating option directly in the SConstruct file, I run the
> install.py script (which by the way is not documented in any obvious way, I
> had to figure out that part---couldn't there be a simple massage at the end
> of a successful compile -- "To install all targets, run './install.py" ?).
> But, guess what, the install script does not install these python libraries
> to the local python distribution at all....no docs anywhere about how to
> install CsoundAC, so luckily, I know something about python, and I know that
> libs are in /usr/lib/python2.*/, and dynamic libraries (*.so files) for
> Python go in the same directory, but subdirectory "lib-dynload". Yes, this
> is even after they are built successfully by using the SConstruct
> file....why would something build, yet not be available for install? Doesn't
> make much sense to me.
>
> At this point the average non-hacker would have thrown up their hands and
> said 'forget it...I'll never know what this CsoundAC is all about'.....I'm a
> decent geeky hacker, so that hasn't thrown me. (so only geeky hackers use
> CsoundAC?)
>
> So, then I *finally* get everything in it's place (again, b/c I'm
> knowledgable, not because any docs anywhere helped me out) and the Python
> libs load fine with an "import CsoundAC" statement in an interactive Python
> shell.....hmmm.....let's try a demo.
>
> I go to examples/python directory in the source folder and run
> 'Lindenmeyer.py'. It then complains that STKWurley is not a legal
> instrument. Your average grandma by now is saying "wtf?" I happen to know
> it's that I opted not to install STK instruments, b/c I want a lean and mean
> Csound. Again, no docs tell me that, I just 'know'. Not a great idea---to
> use optional features in a demo. Ok, I'll try another example:
> 'StrangeAttractor.py'...looks like it's running....oh....nope.....eventually
> Python gives a segfault, something clearly but mysteriously related to the
> csnd.so library. GRRRRR......
>
> Ok, this is where I give up. No (real) docs other than source, no
> auto-install, no note about what options are needed for the nifty examples,
> and no reason in the world that I can see why there should be a
> segfault....nothing that Google searches made obvious.
>
> Assuming complete docs are out there...shouldn't any docs exist in the
> distribution? From what I can tell, there are no real docs other than a few
> general paragraphs in the Csound manual about CSoundAC.
>
> FYI, I'm on Ubuntu Karmic (9.10) running Csound5.11.1, compiled from source.
>
> What am I missing? This (CsoundAC) is certainly not for the faint of heart,
> and I fear rightly gives Csound it's backwards, crusty reputation for being
> for hackers and programmers only. Too bad. It's so cool and powerful when it
> can be put together in a user-friendly way.
>
> AKJ
> --
> View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/CsoundAC-install-problems-tp26779955p26779955.html
> Sent from the Csound - General mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
>
>
> Send bugs reports to this list.
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>


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