Python problem with upgrade from 19.10 to 20.04

[Colin Law]

On Fri, 24 Jul 2020 at 15:09, Chris Green <cl at isbd.net> wrote:
>
> On Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 12:49:06PM +0100, Colin Watson wrote:
> > On Thu, Jul 23, 2020 at 09:55:35PM +0100, Chris Green wrote:
> > > I have recently upgraded my desktop system from ubuntu 19.10 to ubuntu
> > > 20.04.  I have some Oki printer/scanner driver software that is
> > > written in Python 2 and, although python 2 is still installed on my
> > > system it's no longer the default python and the Oki software no
> > > longer runs.

If you have a reasonable spec machine you could run Ubuntu 18.04 in a
VM and fire it up when you need to use the scanner.  That would keep
you going for another three years.

Colin

> > >
> > > The error I am getting is:-
> > >
> > >     chris at esprimo$ ./scantool.py
> > >     Traceback (most recent call last):
> > >       File "./scantool.py", line 52, in <module>
> > >         import gtk
> > >     ImportError: No module named gtk
> > >
> > > So what do I need to install on my Ubuntu 20.04 system to provide the
> > > gtk module?
> >
> > That used to be python-gtk2, but it's probably unreasonably hard to
> > install it on Ubuntu 20.04, unless you can find a PPA that you trust
> > and that provides it.
> >
> > Have you tried asking your software vendor for an updated program?  It
> > sounds like this program was written for Python 2 (which has been
> > clearly on the way out for some years, and is officially end-of-life as
> > of the start of this year), and also for GTK+ 2 (last full release
> > 2011-01-30; last maintenance patch 2018-01-08).  Ubuntu provided both
> > stacks for a very long overlap time, and they should have had time to
> > come up with something a little more current by now.
> >
> I am trying to get the 'software vendor' to update but I don't hold
> out much hope.  It's scanner software for an OKI all-in-one printer,
> scanner, copier, FAX machine.  I was really quite surprised that it
> came with Linux software at all.  I have been using it successfully
> for a few years.  As I say I have asked them though and maybe they'll
> come up with the goods.
>
>
> > > Alternatively (but much harder work) what is the Python 3 equivalent
> > > of the the Python 2 pygtk and gtk modules.
> >
> > The old-style PyGTK bindings were never ported to Python 3; the modern
> > approach is to use the gobject-introspection-based bindings, using
> > python3-gi and gir1.2-gtk-3.0.  (I believe the impetus for moving to
> > these is that the bindings could be maintained with much less manual
> > effort; and by "modern" I mean that I have a child learning to program
> > who's younger than them.)
> >
> > This GNOME wiki page may help, and if the script is small enough and you
> > have a bit of familiarity with Python then you may be able to do the
> > port fairly mechanically:
> >
> > https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/PyGObject/IntrospectionPorting#Porting_from_PyGTK_2_to_PyGI_GTK_3
> >
> Thank you, that might help me, I can program Python *reasonably* well.
> There's something over 6000 lines of code involved though so a fair
> amount to deal with.  It's obviously not all GUI though so not as bad
> as it might seem at first.  I need to get my housekeeping in order
> first though and import it all into mercurial to manage it.
>
> --
> Chris Green
>
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