This script by blendedmarks will help you select, download and install any Blender version for your Ubuntu/Debian Linux.
The now open source app helps keep your version of Blender up to date on Debian / Ubuntu based distributions.
https://youtu.be/pwsCbG4KSGI
13 Comments
OMFG. I don't see any reason for someone to use THIS instead of downloading and unpacking.
I read a script and it's getting even worse. Just read it yourselves.
1) The user is new to linux.
2) You can't download and unzip the "conventional way" on a headless system (most renderfarms dedicate resources to rendering and not displaying a GUI and don't even have the xorg-server package installed). Something that further adds to the complexity beginners to linux would face.
It addresses a very unique problem I admit. But that is my reasoning behind releasing this.
There's no any unpacking algorithms it just console operations what you can do your self. Three commands, nothing more... it's helpless. On ubuntu better is to use some ppa repo like this: https://launchpad.net/~thomas-schiex/+archive/ubuntu/blender
Hi JOJO thanks for letting me know about Thomas Schiex's PPA I have amended the README.md file on my github to let possible Ubuntu users know of an existing alternative.
Well, let's imagine that case: user has a CLI on a remote server. In that case doesn't matter whether he directly downloading Blender archive itself or that script from GitHub - both ways requires basic knowledge of linux command line interface and downloading address. In case user has that script on his flash drive and can directly upload it to server there's no reason he couldn't have Blender on that flash drive too.
Talking someone down in such an uncronstructive way for releasing his work for free with the intention to help other people is quite unprofessional.
Fully agreed. I don't see where this aggression is coming from. Someone made something he found useful, he shares it. If you don't need it, so what?
I'll try to explain. I can admit that someone wrote something he found useful. I even can admit that he posted it with intention to help. In that case see my comment above about basic knowledge of cli. What I can't admit is naming. It's not installation app. It's downloading and unpacking script with hardcoded download link, nothing more. Also it's not helping to keep Blender up to date - user should download new version of this script every time new Blender release is out.
Case: remote linux server with cli.
Option 1: script
1. wget *script_address_here* *path_to_save*
2. sh *script*
3. echo "alias blender='/home/user/blender/blender-2.78a-linux-glibc211-x86_64/blender'" >> ~/. bash_aliases (just to make it easier to call blender with single-word command from outside of blender directory. Or you will upload your *.blend files directly into Blender directory? If you don't want to add alias, see 4a instead of 4)
4. run blender with "blender" command
4a. run blender with "~/blender/blender-2.78a-linux-glibc211-x86_64/blender" command
Option 2: ppa or repo
1. add a repo or ppa to /etc/apt/sources.list
2. sudo apt-get update
3. sudo apt-get install blender
4. run blender with "blender" command. This is actually an installation.
Option 3: direct download
1. wget *blender_archive_address_here* *path_to_save*
2. tar xvjf *downloaded_archive* - creates a directory "blender-VERSION-linux-glib211-x86_64"
3. echo "alias blender='/home/user/blender-VERSION-linux-glibc211-x86_64/blender'" >> ~/. bash_aliases
4. Run blender with "blender" command
What can author do:
1. Name it "downloading and unpacking script" 'cause it's not an installation, it doesn't generate any system-wide dependencies and links;
2. Add an option for user to text down desired version of Blender and automatically update download link instead of hardcoding;
3. Get rid of moving downloaded archive to newly created directory and just rename the unpacked directory instead. In that case path to Blender executable will be ~/blender/blender out of the box OR add an alias to ~/.bash_aliases.
I hope I cleared my position. Regards.
That comment is infinitely more helpful than your initial post.
Why I choose to "download" 120mb .bz2 files rather than upload them to remote servers see here:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/5810375834.png
Yeah not even joking and that is a surprisingly good speed for me.
You're correct in that it doesn't install any system wide dependencies but it comes down to naming yes and sorry but a "downloading and unpacking script" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
"blender install linux" is a far more common search term than "downloading and unpacking script for blender".
What you can do however is make a fork of my code (or carry on with the code you wrote here) and call it whatever you want if that is your number one issue with this. Your second point I addressed and I see you received it.
Number 3 is a good idea that I'll look into for the next release
Regards,
Mark C
It's constructive. It's easier to directly download and unpack the archive with DESIRED version of Blender instead of using this script with hardcoded link to 2.78a.
Um you didn't watch the video where it shows you can download any blender version you want. And I'm quoting from Bart here:
"download and install any Blender version for your Ubuntu/Debian
Also the cool thing about the GPL if you don't like how something is coded you can change it.
Sorry if I insult you. Yes, I missed a video, i read a script itself and my reaction is for this script only. See my answer to Barts' comment for explanaition.