Xenial (16.04) .click app or desktop app on Focal (20.04)?

enohpu

I am running Ubuntu 20.04 (2023-W13) from 20.04/arm64/android9plus/stable on a Google Pixel 3a phone.

Is it possible to run an app written for Xenial (16.04) on Focal (20.04)?
Is it possible to run a Xenial desktop app in a container using a Libertine container set up as separate from my default Focal Fossa container?

For 1) Is it possible to run an app written for Xenial (16.04) on Focal (20.04)? I’ve tried downloading the .click file and installing but that doesn’t work:

click info ~/Downloads/activitytracker.cwayne18_0.15_all.click
{
"architecture": "all",
"description": "Activity tracker for Ubuntu touch",
"framework": "ubuntu-sdk-16.04",
"hooks": {
"activitytracker": {
"apparmor": "activitytracker.apparmor",
"desktop": "activitytracker.desktop"
}
},
"installed-size": "774",
"maintainer": "Erne st slash.tux@gmail.com",
"name": "activitytracker.cwayne18",
"title": "Activity tracker",
"version": "0.15"
}

pkcon install-local ~/Downloads/activitytracker.cwayne18_0.15_all.click --allow-untrusted
Installing files [=========================]
Finished [=========================]
Fatal error: No such file /home/phablet/Downloads/activitytracker.cwayne18_0.15_all.click, or unknown or unsupported content type

and I’ve also tried:

click install ~/Downloads/activitytracker.cwayne18_0.15_all.click
Cannot install /home/phablet/Downloads/activitytracker.cwayne18_0.15_all.click: Signature verification error: debsig: Origin Signature check failed. This deb might not be signed.

For 2) Is it possible to run a Xenial desktop app in a container using a Libertine container? I have tried using the “+” in the GUI but cannot see anywhere to specify the version I want (just container name ane password)

I have a default Libertine container set up "Ubuntu 'Focal Fossa'" and would like to set up a Xenial container to try and run the application from there. I assume I use some version of the “libertine-container-manager create” but how do I specify Xenial rather than Focal?

arubislander

@enohpu said in Xenial (16.04) .click app or desktop app on Focal (20.04)?:

Is it possible to run an app written for Xenial (16.04) on Focal (20.04)?

Yes, that is possible. Have you tried simply tapping on the file from the file explorer and chosing OpenStore to handle it from the list of applications?

Is it possible to run a Xenial desktop app in a container using a Libertine container set up as separate from my default Focal Fossa container?

No, that is not currently possible. Libertine containers in UT must be of the same version as the host OS.

Not sure why you would want to create a xenial container with older software selection, though.

Also you could try changing to the devel update channel in System Settings. That might give you a better experience with Libertine on UT.

kugiigi

Running xenial apps on focal would be a hit and miss. Some apps won't even install like the one you experienced. Not sure why but I did experience that for some apps I tried. Some would run totally fine. Some won't open. Some will open and work fine until you access something that isn't compatible anymore. They implemented backward compatibility in some levels but not fully so this is the case.

enohpu

@arubislander said in Xenial (16.04) .click app or desktop app on Focal (20.04)?:

Is it possible to run an app written for Xenial (16.04) on Focal (20.04)?
Yes, that is possible. Have you tried simply tapping on the file from the file explorer and chosing OpenStore to handle it from the list of applications?

Thank you @arubislander. The problem I was having was that:

The app was not listed in the OpenStore app itself and I coud not see a way to get Xenial rather than Focal Apps listed.
When I found the app in the online version of OpenStore (https://open-store.io/app/activitytracker.cwayne18) clicking "Install" opened the OpenStore app - or switched to it if it was open already - but did not install it.

Instead "Downloading" the app from the online version of OpenStore and, as you say, clicking on it in File Explorer and choosing the OpenStore app to handle it worked.Once I accepted the risks, the program installed.

arubislander

@enohpu Glad you got it to work. But keep in mind what @kugiigi mentioned: installing the app is one thing, running the app could indeed be a hit or miss affair.

enohpu

Thanks @kugiigi and @arubislander , caveat noted. As an update for anyone trying to do similar it seems GPS is not working with the App in Focal (so my search for a Focal-based app to record GPS (.gpx) track continues.

(See also my other post on "Libertine fails to install a package because of permissions related to the creation of a directory /run/gpsd. How do you fix permission errors related to gpsd?" - https://forums.ubports.com/topic/9175/libertine-app-install-run-and-remove)

Here is what happens with Activity Tracker (a Xenial based app running in Focal):
• map show API Key Required
• clicking on saved activity shows spinning wheel
• importing .gpx file shows correctly but clicking on saved activity shows spinning wheel
• Recording activities (screen on or off, app on top or background) shows no data for speed and altitude also distance 0.
• Map shows whatever you set it to (starts at Trafalgar Sq in London.
• Time advances but seems to stop advancing when screen is off (locked).
• Ditto for “i” Track Info when looking at gpx track– spinning wheel. After stopping record:

cd ~/.local/share/activitytracker.cwayne18/
phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~/.local/share/activitytracker.cwayne18$ ls -la
total 40
drwxrwxr-x  2 phablet phablet  4096 Jul 27 19:31 .
drwx------ 37 phablet phablet  4096 Jul 27 17:50 ..
-rw-rw-r--  1 phablet phablet   341 Jul 27 19:10 1690499407.gpx
-rw-rw-r--  1 phablet phablet   341 Jul 27 19:31 1690500673.gpx
-rw-r--r--  1 phablet phablet 16384 Jul 27 19:31 activities.db
-rw-rw-r--  1 phablet phablet     8 Jul 27 17:50 .dbfixed
-rw-rw-r--  1 phablet phablet     8 Jul 27 17:50 .dbfixed2

1690499407.gpx

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<gpx xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0 http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0/gpx.xsd" version="1.0" creator="gpx.py -- https://github.com/tkrajina/gpxpy">
<trk>
<trkseg></trkseg></trk></gpx>
1690499407.gpx (END)