This release targeted improvements in our Linux build process and functionality. It also added support for the raspberry pi (arm architecture).
Using the .deb installer
We recommend using the .deb installer for the Pi. It will check the system and install java and the required libraries for you and it will add Alice 3 to the general launch menu under development.
Using the .sh installer
The Linux shell script does not start the installer right away. Follow these steps:
- Open the Terminal, and go to the directory where you have downloaded Alice
- Type chmod +x Alice3_unix_installer_3_6_0_2+build_566.sh
- Type ./Alice3_unix_installer_3_6_0_2+build_566.sh
- Installation will start in a few seconds
This version will create a desktop shortcut and add the program to the drop down but does install Alice in a non traditional way for accessing in add/remove applications so will require you to use our uninstaller if you chose to remove it.
When using non .deb installers
Our Linux Alice release require the installation of Java. Depending on your OS and other installed applications you may or may not have Java installed. For Alice we recommend Java 8. You only need the JRE (though our test was using the full JDK).
Install the openjdk version using the following:
sudo apt install openjdk-8-jre
Specific Raspberry Pi 3 requirements:
To run Alice the Pi 3 must be configured with Full KMS. This is needed for JOGL to work.
sudo raspi-config
Then select:
6 Advanced Options >> A2 GL Driver >> G3 GL (Full KMS)
Specific Raspberry Pi 4 requirements:
For the Raspberry Pi 4 you may need to add an additional library (if you used the .deb installer we will have done this for you). If this is not working correctly you will notice it via certain models including the person builder not functioning (we are working on the best way to integrate this) :
sudo apt install libglu1-mesa
This is a first release so we are looking for people to help us test and determine what our functional minimal specs are. We have tested on a Raspberry Pi 3B and 4B. Our initial test was using an HDMI video output. We would be very interested to find out how it looks and functions using RCA out as we want this roll-out to support an inexpensive and accessible option. We recommend a minimum of a 16 GB SD card to have enough room for the OS and Alice.
For installing on the Pi you can use any of these builds except the .rpm depending on your preferred method for installing. Just follow the other requirements depending on the chosen method. You will need to have your Pi on a network to install the additional components. In our testing we did find that the full Raspberry Pi OS seemed to have all of the necessary components (we will be doing further testing and update trying to find the easiest set-up paths and share.