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garyk

Member

Registered: 2018-04-14

Posts: 40  

VLC no longer starts

I did an aptitude safe-upgrade the other day and since then vlc no longer starts.  I did another one today and aptitude removed several vlc plugins.  Aptitude still doesn't start but aptitude reported the following error:  No plugins in /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/vlc/plugins.  It then asked me to manually run: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/vlc/vlc-cache-gen -f /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/vlc/plugins.  This reproduced the same error as aptitude reported. 

Doing a search for the error found this error reported in Debian, but the fix is an upgrade of libvlc-bin:amd64 to version 3.0.0~rc6-1 from version 3.0.0~rc5-1.  As the current ascii version is 2.2.7-1~deb9u1 this seems like a huge jump.  Does anyone have any idea how Devuan is going to go about fixing this?

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: VLC no longer starts

The version you want is in ascii-security. If you don't have that repo enabled, you should enable it. If the version from there is not installing, then you can name the repo in the command.
apt-get  -t ascii-security install vlc (maybe you need to add the plugins to that command, too, and maybe a full-upgrade would have installed the newer version.)

garyk

Member

Registered: 2018-04-14

Posts: 40  

Re: VLC no longer starts

The version you want is in ascii-security. If you don't have that repo enabled, you should enable it. If the version from there is not installing, then you can name the repo in the command.
apt-get  -t ascii-security install vlc (maybe you need to add the plugins to that command, too, and maybe a full-upgrade would have installed the newer version.)

That isn't a workable solution for me as it completely removes vlc.  Here's the output from aptitude full-upgrade:

aptitude full-upgrade
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libmicrodns0{a} libnfs8{a} libprotobuf-lite10{a} libva-wayland1{a} 
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  libgles1-mesa{u} libvlccore8{u} vlc-data{u} vlc-l10n{u} 
The following packages will be upgraded:
  libvlc-bin vlc{b} vlc-bin vlc-plugin-base{b} vlc-plugin-qt vlc-plugin-skins2 vlc-plugin-video-output 
The following packages are RECOMMENDED but will NOT be installed:
  vlc-plugin-notify vlc-plugin-samba vlc-plugin-video-splitter vlc-plugin-visualization 
7 packages upgraded, 4 newly installed, 4 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 5,532 kB of archives. After unpacking 54.9 MB will be freed.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 vlc : Depends: vlc-l10n (= 3.0.2-0+deb9u1) but it is not going to be installed
 vlc-plugin-base : Depends: vlc-data (= 3.0.2-0+deb9u1) but it is not going to be installed
The following actions will resolve these dependencies:

     Remove the following packages:                                 
1)     phonon-backend-vlc [0.9.0-2+deb9u1 (ascii-security, now)]    
2)     phonon4qt5-backend-vlc [0.9.0-2+deb9u1 (ascii-security, now)]
3)     vlc [2.2.7-1~deb9u1 (now, testing)]                          
4)     vlc-plugin-base [2.2.7-1~deb9u1 (now, testing)]              

     Install the following packages:                                
5)     phonon-backend-null [4:4.9.0-4 (testing)]                    
6)     phonon4qt5-backend-null [4:4.9.0-4 (testing)]                

     Leave the following dependencies unresolved:                   
7)     task-xfce-desktop recommends vlc

Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] 
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  phonon-backend-null{a} phonon4qt5-backend-null{a} 
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  fonts-freefont-ttf{u} libbasicusageenvironment1{u} libcddb2{u} libdca0{u} libdvbpsi10{u} libebml4v5{u} libgles1-mesa{u} 
  libgroupsock8{u} libkate1{u} liblivemedia57{u} libmatroska6v5{u} libopenmpt-modplug1{u} libproxy-tools{u} 
  libresid-builder0c2a{u} libsdl-image1.2{u} libsidplay2{u} libupnp6{u} libusageenvironment3{u} libvlc-bin{u} libvlc5{u} 
  libvlccore8{u} libvlccore9{u} phonon-backend-vlc{a} phonon4qt5-backend-vlc{a} vlc{a} vlc-bin{u} vlc-data{u} vlc-l10n{u} 
  vlc-plugin-base{a} vlc-plugin-qt{u} vlc-plugin-skins2{u} vlc-plugin-video-output{u} 
0 packages upgraded, 2 newly installed, 32 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 32.0 kB of archives. After unpacking 91.2 MB will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] n
Abort.

garyk

Member

Registered: 2018-04-14

Posts: 40  

Re: VLC no longer starts

I have to say I have never seen a solution like this in all my years of running Debian: since 2002.  It looks to me like something is really broken badly as a full-upgrade should have fixed the issue by installing what was needed.  BTW, this was after running aptitude update a second time so this is the very latest in all the repos.  As to ascii-security I would never run a system without enabling the security repo.  That's just plain stupid.

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: VLC no longer starts

Yeah, something is weird. I don't know what. I just tried it on four different systems, and in all cases, vlc will get upgraded. One system was installed by debootstrap last fall, has no task-* packages and has Recommends excluded. The other three were desktop-live isos - one from February, the official beta and the official rc.

What about the first command I suggested? Does it give you any useful output?

ivanovnegro

Member

Registered: 2018-05-15

Posts: 57  

Re: VLC no longer starts

Did you try with apt?

This version is in the repos:

3.0.2-0+deb9u1 500
        500 http://de.deb.devuan.org/merged ascii-security/main amd64 Packages

I do not even have aptitude installed on my system.

garyk

Member

Registered: 2018-04-14

Posts: 40  

Re: VLC no longer starts

I figured it out.  I was using the auto.mirror.devuan.org repos and it was sending me to a mirror for security updates that hasn't been updated yet.  I changed to us.deb.devuan.org and everything worked.  It looks like something is broken in how at least one of the repos is being updated.