#551 (re-)installing on Ubuntu 22.04?

[Wolfgang Helm]

Hello there!

I recently updated my ubuntu to 22.04, and apparently task coach (which I use happily for years) got kicked out. Installing via .deb doesn't work due to "unmet dependencies", via PPA it says this:

OK:1 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy InRelease
OK:2 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates InRelease               
OK:3 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports InRelease             
Ign:4 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/taskcoach-developers/ppa/ubuntu jammy InRelease
OK:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security InRelease
Fehl:6 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/taskcoach-developers/ppa/ubuntu jammy Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 2620:2d:4000:1::3e 443]
Paketlisten werden gelesen… Fertig                              
E: Das Depot »https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/taskcoach-developers/ppa/ubuntu jammy Release« enthält keine Release-Datei.
N: Eine Aktualisierung von solch einem Depot kann nicht auf eine sichere Art durchgeführt werden, daher ist es standardmäßig deaktiviert.
N: Weitere Details zur Erzeugung von Paketdepots sowie zu deren Benutzerkonfiguration finden Sie in der Handbuchseite apt-secure(8).

deepl translates the last three messages as:
E: The depot "https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/taskcoach-developers/ppa/ubuntu jammy Release" does not contain a release file.
N: Updating from such a repository cannot be done in a secure way, so it is disabled by default.
N: For more details on the creation of package depots as well as their user configuration, see the apt-secure(8) manual page.

How do I get this on my computer again?

Best regards,
Wolfgang

[Aaron Wolf]

You just need to use the AppImage from https://www.taskcoach.org/download_for_linux.html

We really need to remove or qualify the mention of PPA on the website since the PPA is not maintained or updated and there's no likelihood of it at this time.

[Wolfgang Helm]

Hi!

Maybe I'm too dumb for this: now I have that appimage in some directory and could start it from there. Then it opens empty, and I have to browse to my .tsk file. I don't find any setting to open a chosen file automatically. Doubleclicking the .tsk file doesn't open TaskCoach anymore - it opens the text editor now.
How can I properly install TaskCoach now, so that it shows up among the other applications and automatically starts with my .tsk file or that doubleclicking the tsk file opens TaskCoach?

Or why doesn't the .deb work?

[Aaron Wolf]

There's no simple way to get it to work because Task Coach needs to be overhauled to Python3, and nobody is readily working on it which means it is slowly getting obsolete unless that progress can happen.

You can put the AppImage somewhere prominent or add a shortcut somehow, all of that is related to any case of AppImage. I can't guide you on that, but there are things out there for how to best manage AppImage apps. Task Coach should ideally recall the last open file if you simply quit with a file open and then reopen. If it doesn't, not sure what to do.

There's a discussion of workarounds, and they worked for me to get Task Coach fully installed and working: https://answers.launchpad.net/taskcoach/+question/690591 and here's the workaround steps mentioned there which worked for me (though I'm still on 20.04 at this point):

First uninstall Task Coach. Then:

sudo apt install python2
curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py --output get-pip.py
sudo python2 get-pip.py
sudo pip2 install twisted
sudo pip2 install notify
sudo apt install python-wxgtk3.0
sudo apt install ttf-dejavu ttf-dejavu-core ttf-dejavu-extra

only after this:
download the latest .deb from https://www.taskcoach.org/download_daily_build.html

sudo dpkg --force-all -i taskcoach_1.4.6.8115-1.deb

then edit /var/lib/dpkg/status and delete the dependencies that were causing task coach to block other apt actions.
(search for the line: "Depends: python (>= 2.6), python-wxgtk3.0 (>= 3.0.0.0), python-wxversion, python-twisted (>= 10.0), libxss1, ttf-dejavu, xdg-utils, python-igraph" )
So change this to: "Depends: python-wxgtk3.0 (>= 3.0.0.0), python-wxversion, libxss1, ttf-dejavu, xdg-utils"

sudo apt install --fix-broken**

Next step is to tell TaskCoach to use python2:

sudo xed /usr/bin/taskcoach.py

edit the 1st line by adding '2' at the end

[Wolfgang Helm]

Thank you so far for that information, but facing the story of suffering of Mario, I won't try that workaround. Funnily, TaskCoach worked just fine under 20.04 at my computer...? (my second computer is not yet upgraded, still on 20.04, and I usually keep them on the same version) I can't remember if I did something to make it work. Acutally I can't find another ticket from me here.
Anyway, I guess I have to stick to the appimage for now, and maybe look for a different task tool. Would be a pity, as taskcoach does just what I need...

[Aaron Wolf]

I have a vague memory that maybe the .deb was updated to not need that whole workaround. Maybe the .deb just worked on 20.04 now. Maybe it can be updated to work with 22.04 even. But the only real answer is to get help updating everything to Python3. We might have more luck eventually getting someone to make a modern tool that includes all the features of Task Coach. The design is still one that nothing else out there fully covers. I still use it myself

[Wolfgang Helm]

Hi there! Anything new around this issue? That appimage runs very unstable, crashes on simple actions, like doubleclicking a task...