GNUstep app fails on Ubuntu 16

[Andreas Höschler]

Hi all,

I am trying GNUstep GUI on Linux for the first time. I have installed GNUstep on a fresh Ubuntu 16.04 box like so

su -

apt-get install --yes --force-yes  build-essential

apt-get install --yes --force-yes  gobjc

apt-get install --yes --force-yes  libffi6 libffi-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libxml2 libxml2-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libxslt-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libgnutls-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libjpeg-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libpng-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libtiff-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libxt-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libxft-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libcairo2-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes libfreetype6-dev

apt-get install --yes --force-yes  git-core

git --version

mkdir /usr/src/GNUstep

cd /usr/src/GNUstep

git clone https://github.com/gnustep/tools-make.git

cd tools-make

./configure --enable-debug-by-default --with-layout=gnustep

make

make install

cd ..

. /usr/GNUstep/System/Library/Makefiles/GNUstep.sh

git clone https://github.com/gnustep/libs-base.git

cd libs-base

./configure 

make

make install

cd ..

git clone https://github.com/gnustep/libs-gui.git

cd libs-gui

./configure 

make

make install

cd ..

git clone https://github.com/gnustep/libs-back.git

cd libs-back

./configure 

./configure --enable-graphics=art

make

make install

cd ..

ln -s /usr/src/GNUstep/tools-make/openapp /usr/local/bin

built my source tree and started the app first under the normal Ubuntu window manager.

apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

This worked not at all. I then tried 

apt-get install wmaker

This worked a lot better. I at least got the application menu and was able to log into in application. But as soon as I try to an application window I get

2020-05-05 19:15:59.337 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15e8330)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.345 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x1150210)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.346 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.357 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x17e8a20)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.359 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x17e8a20)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.360 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x17e8a20)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.361 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x1501910)

...

2020-05-05 19:15:59.473 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.475 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.477 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.479 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.602 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] Cairo status 'invalid value (typically too big) for the size of the input (surface, pattern, etc.)' in DPSinitgraphics

2020-05-05 19:15:59.620 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x1501910)

2020-05-05 19:15:59.622 SOObjectBrowser[18492:18492] WARNING: -drawGState called with a NULL target context ((null)) or source context (0x15ea5d0)

and the app malfunctions (window is not drawn, app hangs). 

Any idea what this is caused by or what I could do to investigate this any further?

Thanks a lot,

 Andreas