KGS appear to be using "proper" installers

[Jujube]

Playing Go again after a break over December and January and I noticed that the KGS download page is now listing installers for Windows, Mac and Linux, so they must have provided wrappers for people.

(What I mean is, the install file used to be a few KBs and it downloaded the application as a Java web service and "installed" it somewhere in the existing Java runtime on your computer. Now the install file is like 40MB and seems to work as its own thing).

This may help people who are still finding it difficult to make it work with their Java installs.

[RobertJasiek]

http://www.gokgs.com/ has a Windows EXE (do not know what the Mac file is) while http://www.gokgs.com/download.jsp has two JNLP files as a choice. For direct offline installation, there is also http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar according to unofficial working methods for the security sensitive users: http://senseis.xmp.net/?CGoban3OfflineInstallation

It is good to have a choice between different installation methods! The next improvement would be checksums.

[Bonobo]

(do not know what the Mac file is)

cgoban.dmg is a 64 MB image file, contains CGoban.app, 171.5 MB (about CGoban tells me “CGoban 3.0 (1)”)

[Marathon]

http://www.gokgs.com/ has a Windows EXE (do not know what the Mac file is) while http://www.gokgs.com/download.jsp has two JNLP files as a choice. For direct offline installation, there is also http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar according to unofficial working methods for the security sensitive users: http://senseis.xmp.net/?CGoban3OfflineInstallation

It is good to have a choice between different installation methods! The next improvement would be checksums.

The applet page still exists, and the download page still exists. However, the KGS main page no longer links to them. It is reasonable to suspect these will be abandoned or not supported. In fact, the applet already no longer works. However, those working on go playing software who want their bots to play on KGS will still want to download the GTP software, which is available on the download page.

The raw .jar file, http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jar, is one of the three files linked to on the main page.

[Javaness2]

It is nice to see an attempt to solve the installation woe, although I am slightly surprised to only find out about it in February. The help page isn't really fleshed out yet.

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Starting in December 2015 the Java Web Start client and applet were abandoned. Over time Java's code signing requirements became increasingly difficult, and finally these were abandoned. The new clients include java with them, and have a client for Windows, one for Mac, and one raw .jar file for Linux systems. Instructions for each are below.

Windows

TBD

Mac

TBD

Linux

For Linux you need to use the raw .jar file. Go to the Java download page, and download and install (or install the Java that came with your Linux distribution). Then download the .jar file, and run from the shell with:

$ java -jar cgoban.jar

[Jhyn]

Not having to wait 30 seconds at each launch is a nice improvement compared with the old software, and well worth a one-time download.
Furthermore making a ssh tunnel is now way easier.

A positive upgrade for me.

[Marathon]

It is nice to see an attempt to solve the installation woe, although I am slightly surprised to only find out about it in February. The help page isn't really fleshed out yet.

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Starting in December 2015 the Java Web Start client and applet were abandoned. Over time Java's code signing requirements became increasingly difficult, and finally these were abandoned. The new clients include java with them, and have a client for Windows, one for Mac, and one raw .jar file for Linux systems. Instructions for each are below.

Windows

TBD

Mac

TBD

Linux

For Linux you need to use the raw .jar file. Go to the Java download page, and download and install (or install the Java that came with your Linux distribution). Then download the .jar file, and run from the shell with:

$ java -jar cgoban.jar

It would have been nice had we been given some advanced warning. I didn't find out about this until some time in January, when someone borrowing a computer asked for help logging in on his. Those of us trying to help discovered he was an applet user, and the applet wasn't working. We then saw the change to the KGS home page.

Suggestion for KGS admins: Address this using the KGS announcement page.

Suggestion for WMS: The applet page and Web Start client download pages still exist. Change those pages with a message that those clients are no longer supported. Move (or duplicate) the link to download the GTP client.

[jeromie]

I recommend testing the new client before getting rid of your old one. The jar file didn't work for me on Ubuntu 15.10 - it would freeze every time I tried to accept a game. The old Java Web Start client still works fine.

[psk31]

I recommend testing the new client before getting rid of your old one. The jar file didn't work for me on Ubuntu 15.10 - it would freeze every time I tried to accept a game. The old Java Web Start client still works fine.

Same here, since this was my first install on a Linux machine (Mint, 17.3 Cinnamon) I was beginning to wonder if it was something I did. The application opens up, I can go through the setup, look in different rooms, etc., but as soon as a game starts it freezes. Luckily I was only trying to do a few bot games.

[Marathon]

Hmmm -- I also have Linux. So, I tried the running the raw .JAR file. For a test, I challenged an offer from the Golois bot. I didn't get the freeze. This is what I did get:

Feb 10, 2016 9:29:49 AM gh <clinit>
INFO: JnlpIo: JNLP unavailable
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/jnlp/UnavailableServiceException
at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors0(Native Method)
at java.lang.Class.privateGetDeclaredConstructors(Class.java:2671)
at java.lang.Class.getConstructor0(Class.java:3075)
at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:412)
at gh.<clinit>(cgoban:53)
at org.igoweb.cgoban.CGoban.<init>(cgoban:97)
at org.igoweb.cgoban.CGoban.main(cgoban:62)
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: javax.jnlp.UnavailableServiceException
at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:381)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:424)
at sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader.loadClass(Launcher.java:331)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:357)
... 7 more

Host = goserver.gokgs.com
Feb 10, 2016 9:30:54 AM ci e
INFO: Playing time warning
Feb 10, 2016 9:31:02 AM ci e
INFO: Playing time warning
Feb 10, 2016 9:31:10 AM ci e
INFO: Playing time warning
...

After the game was over, I engaged in some private chats and room chats. I had a few lines like this: FLAGS CHANGED on fh@2dfa313a

Also, clicking on a URL in a private chat and one in the EGR had no effect.

[Marathon]

By the way, does the KGS client have command line arguments? For example, could I do something like this:

java -jar cgoban.jar -open=/home/marathon/games/go/foobar.sgf?

If so, what are the options, arguments, and syntax?

[xed_over]

By the way, does the KGS client have command line arguments? For example, could I do something like this:

java -jar cgoban.jar -open=/home/marathon/games/go/foobar.sgf?

If so, what are the options, arguments, and syntax?

I just use

Code: Select all

java -jar cgoban.jar foobar.sgf

In fact, I have that wrapped in a scriptand set my file associations for sgf file to that script so I can just double-click any sgf file and have it open in CGoban

[Marathon]

...Also, clicking on a URL in a private chat and one in the EGR had no effect.

In addition, the client did not open help pages in my browser, neither using the "Help" button in the rooms screen nor the "Help" entry in the "Help" menu from the menu bar.

[Fedya]

So has anybody been able to get Cgoban to work with Linux?

I downloaded the cgoban.jar file, and when I typed the java -jar cgoban.jar into the terminal, I got "Unable to access jarfile cgoban.jar".

I'm new to Linux, so I have no idea what to do next. It would be easier just to have a nice clickable shortcut....

[skydyr]

So has anybody been able to get Cgoban to work with Linux?

I downloaded the cgoban.jar file, and when I typed the java -jar cgoban.jar into the terminal, I got "Unable to access jarfile cgoban.jar".

I'm new to Linux, so I have no idea what to do next. It would be easier just to have a nice clickable shortcut....

You may need to change to the directory that the file is in or use a full path to the file like java -jar ./cgoban.jar or java -jar ~/Downloads/cgoban.jar or the like. The actual path depends on how your filesystem and home directory are set up, and where your browser is set to download files to, of course.