VICE on Linux? How do you start it?

[Ral-Clan]

Hi, so I've got my Lubuntu Linux operating system all set up.  I've installed a few applications - and these appear in my "start" menu as icons.  Great.

However, I installed VICE, but no icon appears, and also, I can't find any way to start the emulator.  I don't know where to look for the executable.

I know it's installed because Lubuntu lists it as one of my installed apps - but damn if I don't know how to actually start the bloody thing.  They could have made it easier, methinks.

Anybody used this emulator in Linux?

PS: I've used WinVICE for years no problem.

Thanks.

[Ral-Clan]

CritAnime,

Thanks for your help. I finally got a chance to play with VICE under linux today and followed your installation instructions, but I'm getting an error message:

XRandR: XRandR reports current display: 1920x1080@50
Loading system file `/usr/lib/vice/C64/kernal'.
Received signal 4.

Exiting...

I'm running VICE 2.3

It used to start with an error that said the ROM kernal could not be found.  I assume this was because there was no .vice folder containing them in my home directory containing the ROM files. So...I created one manually:

/home/brent/.vice/C64

and put the ROM files in there (basic, chargen, kernal).

Now I don't get the Kernal not found error.  Instead I get the "Received signal 4 error" as stated above.

[Ral-Clan]

I believe I did try that line, CriteAnime.  I followed your tutorial all the way through.
I typed it exactly as written - was I supposed to replace the asterisk or the "usr" part with my own user name instead?

[Ral-Clan]

Ah!  Okay, no, I did not replace * or usr with my own.  I typed it as you had written.  But I believe I did not see the space, and typed it as one continuous line of text.  I should have just cut a pasted - (I might have - I can't remember).

I will try it again.

[Ral-Clan]

I believe I am using Lubuntu 13.10?  Saucy...

I just downloaded and installed the live disc from the main Lubuntu site last month.

[Ral-Clan]

Okay, I will try this Wednesday night as that will be the first time I have a moment to sit down and do something like this.

Thanks very much for your instruction...

[Ral-Clan]

Did exactly as you said - uninstalled and re-installed VICE cutting and pasting the commands from your guide above directly to the terminal.  Same problem re-occurs.

Here's a cut and paste from my Terminal showing me running the x64 command.

Code: [Select]

brent@Brent-Lubuntu:~/Downloads$ x64
getting symbol guess_format failed!
*** VICE Version 2.3 ***
OS compiled for: Linux
GUI compiled for: GTK+
CPU compiled for: 80386
Compiler used: GCC-4.7.1
Current OS: not yet implemented
Current CPU: Intel Pentium 4/Pentium D/Pentium Extreme Edition/Celeron/Xeon/Xeon MP
 
Welcome to x64, the free portable C64 Emulator.
 
Current VICE team members:
D. Lem, A. Matthies, M. Pottendorfer, S. Trikaliotis, M. van den Heuvel,
C. Vogelgsang, F. Gennari, D. Kahlin, A. Lankila, Groepaz, I. Korb,
E. Smith, O. Seibert.
 
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
See the "About VICE" command for more info.
 
XRandR: XRandR reports current display: 1920x1080@50
Loading system file `/usr/lib/vice/C64/kernal'.
Received signal 4.

Exiting...

brent@Brent-Lubuntu:~/Downloads$
I don't know if this is important or not, but my main menu (start bar thingy) doesn't have an applications folder.  So I never see any VICE icons in my start bar.

Again, there doesn't seem to have been a .vice folder or sub-folders created in my "/home/brent" folder.  There simply aren't any vice related folders there.  Should these have been created during the installation?  Even showing hidden folders does not reveal a .vice folder or subfolders.

[Ral-Clan]

The error you got initially..

I did this...

wget http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/crossplatform/emulators/VICE/old/vice-1.5-roms.tar.gz

cp -a vice-1.5-roms/data/* /usr/lib/vice/


then it will work.  Its happened to me in Debian 7.


EDIT: Thats basically what CritAnime is saying to do.

I will be able to try this Wednesday, but what does it do?  Use older ROMs?

[Ral-Clan]

Those are the roms I used.  I dont know the actual differences but...honestly..its  a C64..I would think those are just plain stock roms.


On a side note, I've had VICE installed on other distros and moved to different laptops..  The last incarnation, I basically just have a directory with VICE in it, no need to install anything I dont think.  You just run it out of there.  I'll check..and if thats the case, I can archive it all up and post up a download link.   I'll check when I fly back from Chicago today.

Well, that's how I ran it on my Windows XP partition - no need to install anything - just unpack and go.

I would like to use v2.3 if possible - as there have been some great leaps made in VICE in the past few revisions (I love the scanlines and TV blurring filters that make it feel real - plus the 1541 drive sounds).  But if your version 1.5 will run straight from a folder without installing than it wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose.  I could leave my 2.3 installation intact until I figure out what is the problem with it.

[Ral-Clan]

Oh, CritAnime, so you're saying that VICE installed perfectly fine for you on Lubuntu?

Interesting...I wonder why it won't install for me.  

The first time I tried to install VICE was through the Lubuntu Software Center (available from the main menu).  That is sort of an automated installation.  It didn't work that time.  Perhaps it did something that screwed up later installations.

I agree....it is a nagging problem - I'd rather install the native version than run it under Wine.

[Ral-Clan]

The error you got initially..

I did this...

wget http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/crossplatform/emulators/VICE/old/vice-1.5-roms.tar.gz

cp -a vice-1.5-roms/data/* /usr/lib/vice/

then it will work.  Its happened to me in Debian 7.

EDIT: Thats basically what CritAnime is saying to do.

Tried to do this and got this result (you can scroll the code window to see it all):

Code: [Select]

brent@Brent-Lubuntu:~/Downloads$ cp -a vice-1.5-roms/data/* /usr/lib/vice/
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C128/chargen’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C128/z80bios’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C128/kernal’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C128/basic’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/C128’: Operation not permitted
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C64/chargen’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C64/kernal’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/C64/basic’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/C64’: Operation not permitted
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II/kernal’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II/basic.256’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II/chargen.600’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II/basic.128’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II/chargen.700’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/CBM-II’: Operation not permitted
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos2040’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos4040’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos1571’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos3040’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos1581’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/d1541II’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos2031’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos1001’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES/dos1541’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/DRIVES’: Operation not permitted
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/chargen’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/kernal4’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit2g’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/chargen.de’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/basic1’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit4b40’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit4g40’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit2b’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit4b80’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/basic2’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/edit1g’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/kernal2’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/kernal1’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET/basic4’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/PET’: Operation not permitted
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/VIC20/chargen’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/VIC20/kernal’: Permission denied
cp: cannot create regular file ‘/usr/lib/vice/VIC20/basic’: Permission denied
cp: preserving times for ‘/usr/lib/vice/VIC20’: Operation not permitted
brent@Brent-Lubuntu:~/Downloads$


I ran the above over top of my existing VICE 2.3 installation (I did not remove VICE).

[Ral-Clan]

Are you running that with sudo at the front?

No, should it have sudo at the front?  TheMagicM's message didn't mention using sudo, and I'm new to Linux so I just copy and pasted the commands from his message:

The error you got initially..

I did this...

wget http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/c....5-roms.tar.gz

cp -a vice-1.5-roms/data/* /usr/lib/vice/

[Ral-Clan]

Hi guys,

Lots of progress....

I upgraded Lubuntu from 13.10 to the new 14.04 and now VICE works!

However, it is giving me a sound error.  Something about being unable to initialize sound.  This is probably due to the fact that I am running ALSA with my semi-pro music recording audio card.

I will have to investigate and report back here.

So it seems to have been a problem with 13.10.

[Ral-Clan]

Okay, I've played with VICE in Linux now for a bit.

It starts and displays this error message:

Sound: initialization failed for device `pulse'.

I wasn't getting any sound, but then figured out how to switch sound over from PULSE to ALSA and now it seems to work.

I do notice that the VICE emulation in Linux seems to require more CPU than WinVICE.  The VIC-20 emulation is very choppy and even in C64 emulation, I ocassionally see the following message appear in the terminal:

Warning! Your Machine is too slow for current settings!

If I try to run 1/1 frame-rate (so 60fps for an NTSC VIC-20) the emulator can't keep up.
That's kind of disappointing.  I would have througt a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4 was more than enough to do VIC-20 emulation - espeically under WinVICE it runs well, even on my 1.8Ghz P4 laptop.
VIC-20 emulation is even choppier and PET emulation simply crawls.

Making the emulator's window larger or going full screen makes performance worse.

NOTE: I've noticed when I shut off "enable hardware scaling" under settings - the CPU usage drops by about 40%.  But then I can't get true fullscreen modes anymore, only small windowed modes.

Thanks.