Re: Installing old/deprecated packages
On 9/5/21, Linux-Fan <Ma_Sys.ma@web.de> wrote:
> riveravaldez writes:
>
>> I have this `phwmon.py`[1] which I use with fluxbox to have a couple
>> of system monitors at hand. It depends on some python2 packages, so
>> stopped working some time ago.
>
> Any specific reason for preferring `phwmon.py` over a tool like `conky`?
Hi, Linux-Fan, thanks a lot for your answers.
`conky` is great, but you have to see the desktop to see `conky`, and I
tend to work with maximized windows.
Monitors like `phwmon.py` or the ones that come by default with IceWM
for instance are permanently visible in the sys-tray/taskbar (no matter
you're using fluxbox, openbox+tint2, etc.). That's the only reason:
minimal and visible.
>> I've just made it work, installing manually (# apt-get install
>> packages.deb)
>> this packages that I've downloaded from Debian OldStable official
>> archives:
>>
>> python-psutil
>> python-is-python2 (this is in fact in Testing)
>> python-numpy
>> python-pkg-resources
>> python-cairo
>> libffi6
>> python-gobject-2
>> python-gtk2
>>
>> Therefore, my questions:
>>
>> How safe is this?
>
> IMHO it's pretty OK because that is quite similar to having upgraded from an
> old system with the legacy packages installed to a new release where they
> are no longer part of.
Thanks!
>> Is it better to install them as I did, or adding the corresponding line
>> in
>> sources.list and pull them from there? Is there any difference?
>
> There are differences: Whenever you install packages, you may not notice
> that they are only avaliable in old releases because the output of
> `apt-cache search` and similar tools will include old packages. Also,
> running a release with stable+oldstable in sources.list is less common than
> the other case: stable in sources.list and some oldstable packages leftover
> from upgrades. In case bugs are fixed in the oldstable package, you will get
> them automatically if you have them in sources.list.
>
> My personal choice would be to install the packages without adding the
> oldstable repositories as to be reminded that they are obsolete and are
> likely to stop working in the future.
Thanks again. Very informative and educational.
When you say 'as to be reminded that they are obsolete', how/when/where
the system will remind me this?, will it be?
> Be aware that libraries like `python-psutil` may not work with newer
> kernels. Here (on oldstable with a backported kernel 5.10) the script would
>
> not run due to excess fields reported by the kernel for disk statistics:
>
> | $ ./phwmon.py
> | Traceback (most recent call last):
> | File "./phwmon.py", line 341, in <module>
> | HardwareMonitor()
> | File "./phwmon.py", line 128, in __init__
> | self.initDiskIo()
> | File "./phwmon.py", line 274, in initDiskIo
> | v = psutil.disk_io_counters(perdisk=False)
> | File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/psutil/__init__.py", line 2131,
> in disk_io_counters
> | rawdict = _psplatform.disk_io_counters(**kwargs)
> | File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/psutil/_pslinux.py", line 1121,
> in disk_io_counters
> | for entry in gen:
> | File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/psutil/_pslinux.py", line 1094,
> in read_procfs
> | raise ValueError("not sure how to interpret line %r" % line)
> | ValueError: not sure how to interpret line ' 259 0 nvme0n1 42428
> 17299 3905792 8439 49354 7425 3352623 15456 0 48512 26929 43429 11 476835656
> 3033 0 0\n'
Yes, indeed. I didn't mentioned it but I had to "fix" that as seen in:
https://gitlab.com/o9000/phwmon/-/issues/3#note_374558691
Essentially, convert:
`elif flen == 14 or flen == 18:`
to
`elif flen == 14 or flen == 18 or flen == 20:`
In /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/psutil/_pslinux.py
Supposedly shouldn't be problematic, but I'm not sure. Any
comment on this?
> See also: https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic.php?id=967
Thanks. Checked.
> [...]
>
>> [1] https://gitlab.com/o9000/phwmon
>
> Btw. it looks as if `python-is-python2` is not needed for this to run?
> `phwmon.py` states `python2` explicitly.
Probably, not sure. But if I'm remembering properly it was pulled as
a dependency's dependency.
> HTH
> Linux-Fan
>
> öö
>
> PS: If you are interested in my thoughts on status bars, see here:
> https://masysma.lima-city.de/32/i3bar.xhtml
Thanks a lot, LF!
I'm checking it right now. Very interesting.
Best regards.
Reply to: