Author Topic: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris  (Read 9842 times)

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Offline mde

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It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« on: March 19, 2019, 12:07:26 »
Hello:

I have been using Ancestris for about a year on a Linux system and am generally happy. However, I recently upgraded to the newest version of Linux Mint and consequently need to reinstall Ancestris. For various reasons this now seems almost impossible.

Firstly, according to the installation page I must not have the most recent version of Java running but the out of date 1.8. This is a serious security risk:
https://www.ophtek.com/important-update-java/

I am also wondering why a full release of 10.0 has never been made and why it is only available in the "Daily Build". I want to use the features of this version but I also want Ancestris to be properly installed with an icon on the start menu,

Thanks,

M!

Offline Zurga

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2019, 19:31:04 »
Hi,

There is no "security risk" with the use of Java 8.

You can have some risks if you use Java 8 in web application, but Ancestris is not a web application.
No-one can use any "security breach" with this application.
The link you indicate leads to an obsolete 2014 article.
No browser accept to launch Java applet now.

We are planning to release the 0.10 version of Ancestris as new public version. There is some delays due to the infrastructure used actually.

Regards,
Zurga
« Last Edit: March 19, 2019, 19:33:24 by Zurga »

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2019, 08:38:01 »
Why do you not use the most up to date Java? Everything I have read says it is a big mistake not to have the most up to date version of a program, especially Java.

Obviously, Ancestris is not online. However, all my other programs which are online will be using whatever Java I have installed.

Offline Zurga

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Re : Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2019, 11:00:18 »
Hi,
Why do you not use the most up to date Java? Everything I have read says it is a big mistake not to have the most up to date version of a program, especially Java.

Obviously, Ancestris is not online. However, all my other programs which are online will be using whatever Java I have installed.
You can always use a separate installation of Java for Ancestris.

We don't use the last version of Java (Java 11 by the way and not 10) because Oracle has changed a lot of things in Java, including the license terms and funding.
Actually, Java 8 is still updated by Oracle for the security breach, not Java 9 nor Java 10. ( https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/java-se-support-roadmap.html public update until December 2020)
Oracle has also changed and modularized Java and didn't release Netbeans corresponding to the last versions of Java.
Ancestris is based on Netbeans (basically Ancestris is a bunch of Netbeans plug-ins).
The first stable version of Netbeans for Java 11 has been release in January 2019 : https://jaxenter.com/apache-netbeans-10-0-jdk-11-154014.html
We have lot of work to do to upgrade Ancestris to last version of Java, we work on it, but we couldn't say when the work will be done, we are a small team of volunteer.

So until then, Java 8 is our only option.

Regards,
Zurga

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2019, 13:40:02 »
I see your problem. For me the difficulty is that I am not a geek and I have no clue how to have two different versions of Java running on my computer at once. As soon as you introduce complications like this the average user just doesn't use your program. For every one person like me who will ask more and try and make it work there will be twenty who don't bother and use some other program.

Offline Zurga

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Re : It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2019, 14:09:53 »
Hi,

If you want use another version of Java :
- First install all the version of Java you want on your computer.
- Define the most recent version as default one for all your others applications.
- Go to the installation directory of Ancestris.
- Open the "ancestris.conf" file that you can find in the "etc" directory in Ancestris installation
- Uncomment the "jdkhome" variable and put the directory of your Java installation
- Save, launch Ancestris.

By the way, most of users have only Java 8 on their computers.
It is relatively rare to have an user with a post 8 version. Basically, they are more "geek" than others users.
Java 9, 10 or 11 have no free public releases. You have to check an alternative JDK and not the Oracle one.
I think, but it is only my opinion than we have more users that don't use the program due to the need to install Java explicitly than users that have trouble with Java version.

Regards,
Zurga

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2019, 13:11:29 »
I downloaded the daily build and installed it and it appears on the start menu. However, when I try and run it the initialisation screen appears but the disappears without the program starting.

I have checked and Java 10 is what is installed on my brand new Linux Mint setup. I tried to follow instructions online as to how to install Java 8 but just get error messages after typing in all the commands:
http://tipsonubuntu.com/2016/07/31/install-oracle-java-8-9-ubuntu-16-04-linux-mint-18/

I also tried the instructions on this page and got the same problem:
http://www.webupd8.org/2012/09/install-oracle-java-8-in-ubuntu-via-ppa.html

Offline Zurga

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Re : It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2019, 18:23:53 »
Hi,

If you don't have Java 8 somewhere on your computer, it is useless to launch Ancestris : it's won't work.

You don't need to "install" Java 8. you can just unzip / untar a jdk or jre bundle : https://adoptopenjdk.net/releases.html#x64_linux

After that, modify the ancestris.conf to point the variable "jdkhome" to the directory where you unzip Java 8.

And this should work correctly.

Zurga

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2019, 09:16:05 »
Obviously, that is why I am trying to install Java 10 (which is what comes as standard now with Linux Mint) and downgrade to Java 8. I presume if I do that it will work. Can you explain how to do that?

Asking me to " modify the ancestris.conf to point the variable "jdkhome" is like telling me to give a speech in French ...


Offline Zurga

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2019, 14:27:19 »
Hi,

Sorry for my bad English.

I will try to explain again.

You can use a JDK or a JRE without any installation.
Just download the JDK corresponding of your Operating System from Oracle or Adoptopenjdk.
Unzip the content of the JDK in one directory.
Go to Ancestris installation, look for the "ancestris.conf" file located in "etc" directory.
Remove the first character of line 18 (beginning with #jdkhome= ) to use this variable in launching sequence.
Replace the path between double quote with the path to your Java unzipped directory.

This should work.

Zurga

« Last Edit: April 19, 2019, 14:28:51 by Zurga »

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2019, 09:21:32 »
Is there no way to do this using the Software Manager or Package Manager? There should be some simple way to replace Java 10 for Java 8. I have given up caring about the security implications at this stage. I just want to do that and get Ancestris working again. I have thousands of hours of work stuck in it and want to try a print a family tree for someone ...

Offline Zurga

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Re : It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2019, 09:30:47 »
Hi,

Sorry, I'm not a Linux user.
Perhaps you can find some help in some technical forum dedicated to Linux or Java.

I have to mention that your work is not stuck with Ancestris.
All your data are in a GEDCOM file that you can import in any other genealogy software.
If you can't find any solution with your Java security fear, you can try another software.

Zurga

Offline mde

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2019, 10:08:13 »
I tried GRAMPS and I am starting all over again to learn the basics.

You really need to get Ancestris to a situation where it is there in the standard software repertory of Linux (like Gramps is) and anyone can install it at the click of a button. As it is it is only for geeks who can do all these tweaks.

Offline exminer

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Re: It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2019, 15:12:54 »
Hello,
I have been reading this thread with interest because I am a Linux user and had the same issue in trying to get Ancestris to work on my Linux Mint 19.01 computer.

I am new to this forum and joined specifically to let you all know the I followed the advice given by Zurga, who says in one of his replies in this thread "You don't need to "install" Java 8. you can just unzip / untar a jdk or jre bundle".

I followed the instructions he gave on how to download , unzip, and save the JDK files. And also his instructions on how to edit the ancestris.conf file to give the correct path to the JDK folder you create.

I am not a Linux geek but I found his instructions were easy enough to follow and the task is fairly simple to carry out. After editing the .conf file and saving it my Ancestris program inititallised and began running as it should. I am very pleased with this simple fix to the problem because it involves no messing around with different versions of Java and there is no security risk involved, as far as I can see.

Here's how I carried out Zurga's procedure -

1. I created in my /home directory a new folder which I named "jdk for ancestris".

2. I then downloaded the JDK tar/gz file from the Zurga's weblink and saved it in my /Downloads folder.

3. When download was complete I right clicked the saved JDK tar/gz folder and extracted the contents into the new "jdk for ancestris" folder in my home directory.

4. I then navigated to the newly extracted JDK files and copied the full path.

5. I then did a file search to find the correct Ancestris program folder which contains the .etc folder.

6. I right clicked on ancestris/.etc and chose to "open as root" to give me admin rights.

7. I found inside ancestis/.etc the ancestris.conf file which I opened with a text editor and carried out Zurga's first instruction which was "Remove the first character of line 18 (beginning with #jdkhome". (That is, remove the # sign.)

8. I then replaced the path between the double quotes, on the same line, with the full path to my new JDK files. The full path I used was “/home/exminer/jdk for ancestris/jdk8u212-b03”

9. I then saved and closed the .conf file and when I opened Ancestris it started with that annoying "initialising" screen but instead of disappearing it actually did initialise and the program opened, and is running nicely thankyou.
   

So a big thankyou to Zurga. You solved my problem for which I am much obliged.

Cheers.

Offline Zurga

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Re : It is getting impossible to use Ancestris
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2019, 22:11:44 »
Hi,

I'm glad to have been able to help you

Zurga