Multiple GNU Radio versions installed in parallel. Viable?

[Anton Ottosson]

Hi,

I have been using (or learning to use) GNU Radio 3.9.2 for a couple of weeks now, and for the last few days I've had some trouble with it (specifically https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2021-06/msg00106.html). For this reason I am thinking about trying the 3.8 version instead. I also intend to be using the extension https://github.com/bastibl/gr-ieee802-11 and I think that might go smoother with 3.8 as well. Now, the best thing would be if I could have both versions installed in parallel, so here are a few questions about that:

- Is it viable to run both 3.9 and 3.8 on the same machine (without using virtual machines), or will it be more trouble than it is worth?

- What is the best way to do this? PyBOMBS (https://github.com/gnuradio/pybombs) looks promising, because it installs "into a specified user directory rather than in the system files" (from the README). But I notice that the repo has not seen any action in the last few years, so maybe PyBOMBS is dead?

- If I use PyBOMBS, can I keep my current 3.9 installation (installed "in the system files" by package manager, via PPA) and additionally install 3.8 with PyBOMBS? Or will this be a mess?

Best regards,

Anton