What Is The Difference Between Apps Built In Arch Repos and Other Distros?

[nicknick]

Hi friends.

I’m a Linux noob and barely know the basics of using EOS, but I have several questions about compiling source code and packaging from the official Arch repositories.

(Also, what I say below may be my misunderstanding since my English is very bad and I am using Google Translate, sorry!)

My doubts started with this thread:

Blender closes when I add a Fluid Domain

Hi friends. I don’t know how long this error has been active, since I haven’t used fluid simulation in Blender for months. But I needed to simulate fluids a few weeks ago and every time I click on Fluid - Domain, Blender closes: [image] I have run it from terminal and I get this: [mylinux@eos ~]$ blender Read prefs: "/home/mylinux/.config/blender/4.1/config/userpref.blend" Fatal Python error: PyImport_AppendInittab: PyImport_AppendInittab() may not be called after Py_Initialize() Python runt…

Basically, I have read on the Arch forums, in 2 threads with Blender issues, that it works well on Debian and Fedora, but not on Arch.

Apparently the Arch programmers have discovered that when compiling the Blender source code for the Arch repositories, they exclude older versions of Python (or maybe Python packages from the Arch repository, I don’t know), so this makes Blender crashes.

When you download the universal version from the Blender website and run it, everything works perfectly, because the package downloaded from the Blender website brings all the old versions of Python.

I read this today in these 2 threads:

Blender 4.1.1 crash on creating fluid sim domain (#18) · Issues · Arch Linux...

Use suggested upstream Python version (#1) · Issues · Arch Linux / Packaging...

So 3 days ago a guy compiled the blender-bin package in the AUR repositories, with the original Blender source code, with all the Python libraries, so that it works correctly. That is, like Debian and Fedora (I think).

So, I don’t understand, how does Arch work unlike Debian and Fedora? Do Debian and Fedora compile the Blender source code, with all Python versions and Python dependencies?

Is that why it works correctly? But then, in the Arch repository, only the Blender source code is compiled, but modified, with only the most recent version of Python?

Shouldn’t the Arch repository compile everything even if it has old files or something?

Sorry, I’m asking out of total ignorance, I know I shouldn’t ask all this until I have more advanced knowledge about Linux and Arch, but maybe you can explain a little to me. Also, this question arose today.

Sorry for so much text or if the question is a bit silly and thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!

[anon93652015]

See here:

@anon93652015

In the case of Arch, we are now using Python 3.12. Blender 4.1.1 uses Python 3.11. This is the actual issue. So, you should be able to install Python 3.11 and run the system installed Blender with no issue.

As far as packaging is concerned, Ubuntu, et al., use LTS Blender from what I remember, and a bunch of other LTS packages, so usually there are no issues or version conflicts.

Taken from Blender’s official dev site: https://developer.blender.org/docs/handbook/building_blender/python_module/

The Python version requirements are the same with building a regular blender binary (if Blender is using Python3.11 then there is NO WAY to use another version - 2.7…3.9/3.10 will all fail).

[dalto]

@nicknick

So, I don’t understand, how does Arch work unlike Debian and Fedora? Do Debian and Fedora compile the Blender source code, with all Python versions and Python dependencies?

Debian and Fedora are fixed release distros. They have versions and major versions generally won’t change during the lifecycle of that release. This means that they won’t get a new version of Python until the next major release.

Arch is rolling which means it get new libraries whenever. That means that if application developers aren’t staying up to date with dependency versions, the software will not work until they get around to updating it.

Arch gets new software versions very quickly. Sometimes it is a good thing and other times not so much.

[anon93652015]

Yes, and at the moment, Blender’s package build just points to python rather than python311. So, it builds like it should, but some things don’t work as expected.

This is due to the recent python update.

[dalto]

@anon93652015

Yes, and at the moment, Blender’s package build just points to python rather than python311.

Of course it does. Repo packages will never depend on AUR packages. In general, Arch expects applications to stay up-to-date with newer library versions.

[anon93652015]

I know. Just clarifying the cause of the issue for @nicknick .

[nicknick]

@anon93652015

See here:

@anon93652015

In the case of Arch, we are now using Python 3.12. Blender 4.1.1 uses Python 3.11. This is the actual issue. So, you should be able to install Python 3.11 and run the system installed Blender with no issue.

As far as packaging is concerned, Ubuntu, et al., use LTS Blender from what I remember, and a bunch of other LTS packages, so usually there are no issues or version conflicts.

Taken from Blender’s official dev site: https://developer.blender.org/docs/handbook/building_blender/python_module/

The Python version requirements are the same with building a regular blender binary (if Blender is using Python3.11 then there is NO WAY to use another version - 2.7…3.9/3.10 will all fail).

@dalto

@nicknick

So, I don’t understand, how does Arch work unlike Debian and Fedora? Do Debian and Fedora compile the Blender source code, with all Python versions and Python dependencies?

Debian and Fedora are fixed release distros. They have versions and major versions generally won’t change during the lifecycle of that release. This means that they won’t get a new version of Python until the next major release.

Arch is rolling which means it get new libraries whenever. That means that if application developers aren’t staying up to date with dependency versions, the software will not work until they get around to updating it.

Arch gets new software versions very quickly. Sometimes it is a good thing and other times not so much.

First, sorry to respond so late!

Second, thanks for editing the thread title, sometimes I inadvertently want to cover everything related to the thread in the title, and I inadvertently put misspelled titles.

Third, thank you very much, now I understood everything!

About the issue of Fluids in Blender and Phyton, I think they already fixed it:

Blender 4.1.1 crash on creating fluid sim domain (#18) · Issues · Arch Linux...

So I will re-download Blender from the official repositories.

Now I know the difference, and despite these small problems, I still find EOS/Arch better in everything than Debian or Fedora, although I’m noob, so my opinion is of little use.

[anon93652015]

Better is relative to each person’s needs.

I definitely prefer Arch because I can do whatever I want easily without having to jump through hoops to figure out how to install the latest version.

It’s a core feature! You get the latest by default. I love that.