GIMP Portable 2.2.12 Pre-Release - Testers Needed (Especially if you've had problems in the past)

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August 15, 2006 - 3:56pm

John T. Haller

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GIMP Portable 2.2.12 Pre-Release - Testers Needed (Especially if you've had problems in the past)

I've just posted a pre-release of GIMP Portable 2.2.12 and need some folks to test it out... especially if you've had problems with Portable GIMP or Portable Gaim in the past. For the unfamiliar, GIMP is an image editor taht supports most popular image formats. This release has many of the features of the other new apps, plus some new stuff:

Live CD Support - GIMP Portable fully supports running from a CD. Just extract it to your local hard drive, run it at least once and configure it to your liking, and burn it to CD.

In-Place Upgrades - GIMP Portable supports the ability to do what I'm calling an "in-place upgrade". This means that you can extract it right over an existing installation of GIMP Portable without losing any of your existing preferences and it'll Just Work (tm).

Language Selection - You can now specify the language that GIMP Portable will use independent of the operating system you're currently running it in. After running it at least once (and generating your default settings), head to GIMP Portable\Data\settings and open up GIMP PortableSettings.ini. In there, set LANG equal to the language you wish to use... de for German, for instance. It's blank by default, which means it will use the operating system default).

Autofix xmltok/xmlparse - As many users of previous versions have found, there are issues with compatibility on some systems. It seems the most common one is the presence of xmltok.dll and/or xmlparse.dll in the system32 or system directory. These can be sitting there from a long-ago upgraded or uninstalled app like the old version of Yahoo Messenger. When starting up, GIMP will cause a "The LIBFONTCONFIG-1.DLL file cannot start. Check the file to determine the problem." on Windows 9x or "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). Click on OK to terminate the application." on Windows 2000/XP. To work around this, the launcher will automatically detect the presence of these files and ask you if you'd like to disable them while GIMP Portable is running. It will restore them when you exit GIMP. There's an undocumented INI switch (AutofixIncompatibleFiles=true) that will let the launcher do it automatically without asking you. (I forgot to include this in the example INI and readme but will for the release)

Grab the self-extractor here: GIMP Portable 2.2.12 Pre-Release

Thanks,
John

August 15, 2006 - 7:24pm

Jonathan

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IT WORKS!!!

I can actually save images now, unlike before.

August 15, 2006 - 7:30pm

(Reply to #2) #3

John T. Haller

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Good to hear

I put a lot of time into this one and investigated more of GIMP's internals and common issues to get this release together. I really hope some more people test it.

Thanks for doing your part

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 15, 2006 - 7:43pm

(Reply to #3) #4

Jonathan

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Glad to help

I really hate installing big apps like GIMP and it's always nice to have a portable version. I've been some clutch situations where I really need a good image editor and I can't install programs on that computer so it's always nice to be able to download GIMP Portable and just get it firing right off the bat.

August 15, 2006 - 7:44pm

cbj0129

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It works for me

I've run it on a couple of machines, xp media center and w2k, works fine. I've moved on to Gimp 2.3.9, so I don't know how much use I'll make of this.

Clair

August 15, 2006 - 7:53pm

(Reply to #5) #6

John T. Haller

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Worth a test release?

Is there enough in the unstable branch, and is it stable enough, to warrant a "test" release a la Firefox Portable 2.0 Beta 1?

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 18, 2006 - 1:15pm

(Reply to #6) #7

cbj0129

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Don't know

I picked up a binary a few weeks ago. It is stable enough, but takes about twice as long to load. It seems to do a better job with scripts, but that could be my imagination.

I havn't been back out to check the latest unstable, don't even remember where I found the binary. If I find something, I'll let you know.

UPDATE: After much searching I found the binary for Gimp 2.3.9
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=121075&package_id=...
The current unstable is 2.3.10, but I couldn't find a binary. I have found 2.3.9 to be stable and has a few improvements, so if want to give it a try, let me know what you think.

Clair

August 18, 2006 - 1:28pm

(Reply to #7) #8

John T. Haller

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All unstable

Actually, the whole 2.3 branch is considered "unstable", which is why I'm using the 2.2 branch. A bunch of open source projects use that method (.odd is unstable, .even is stable). I was considering doing a test release of GIMP Portable based on the current 2.3.10 release if there's enough new there. Unfortunately, it's 2000/XP only. I'll just stick to the 2.2 branch for now, I think.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 18, 2006 - 1:43pm

(Reply to #8) #9

cbj0129

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I understand

that the 2.3 branch is considered "unstable". 2.3.10 is probably very unstable and therefor the reason that there s no binary. What I like about 2.3.9 is it preserves the EXIF data. 2.2.12 does not.

I think that you are correct in sticking with the 2.2 branch as the 2.3 branch would just open a new "bag-of-worms". Something you don't need right now.

Thanks,
Clair

September 4, 2006 - 7:30pm

(Reply to #9) #10

cbj0129

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Gimp 2.3.9

If I copy the Gimp 2.3.9 executables to the Gimp Portable file structure, will that allow me to run it as portable? Which version of GTK does Gimp Portable use? The reason I ask is that I really prefer Gimp 2.3.9 for a number of reasons, but installing it causes problems with Gaim 2.0.

Thanks,
Clair

August 16, 2006 - 6:45am

#11

SHADOW-XIII

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Autofix xmltok/xmlparse -

Autofix xmltok/xmlparse - option replaces dll's in system32 directory or all changes are in GIMP Portable dir ?

Embrace your dreams

August 16, 2006 - 7:32am

(Reply to #11) #12

Bruce Pascoe

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...

I suspect John wouldn't replace the system32 DLLs, since that would require admin privs. It would never work on a limited or guest account, which is half the purpose of a portable app. Though judging by John's explanation of the fix, I could be wrong.

@ John T. Haller
John, how exactly are you accessing GTK? You have it in a separate directory, which may explain why people are getting the system32 version instead. Apparently, the search path for LoadLibrary is as follows:

1. Directory with executable for current process.
2. Current directory.
3. system32 directory (system on 9x/Me).
4. [2K/XP only] 16-bit system directory (system).
5. Windows directory.
6. PATH environment variable.

On XP SP1 and later (including Server 2003), #2 is moved to second-to-last. If you're setting the GTK directory to current in order to get it to work, that would explain the error on XP SP1 and later, but it doesn't explain the issue existing on 9x. So I'm going to assume you do it by adding the GTK directory to the PATH? If so, that would explain it, as the operating system searches system32 before PATH in all cases.

-
< ExplosivePrincess 1.5 Atomic Bomb Edition >
warning: keep explosiveprincess away from children

August 16, 2006 - 9:27am

(Reply to #12) #13

John T. Haller

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Have To

I short-circuit the path within the launcher so the PATH variable that GIMP Portable is using only has two things in it: GTK\bin and GIMP\bin. Nothing else at all. I also set the gimp data env variable so gimp knows where to keep its settings. Problem is, even while doing that, GIMP still encounters the errors I mentioned in the original post relating to the xmltok and xmlparse files. So, the only option is to disable the ones on the local machine in system32 (system on Win9x). The way it works is that they are renamed to xmlparse.dll.disabled and xmltok.dll.disabled while GIMP is running. When GIMP closes (even if it were to crash), they are renamed back by the launcher. It's unfortunate that it needs to happen this way, but that's the only way to do it. And it is relatively rare that these exist, at least, as they seem to be tied to relatively obscure programs like ancient copies of Yahoo Messenger.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 16, 2006 - 9:30am

(Reply to #13) #14

Bruce Pascoe

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...

Yeah, that's the thing. Windows searches system32 before PATH. So if those DLLs exist in the system32 directory, it's going to load those first.

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warning: keep explosiveprincess away from children

August 16, 2006 - 5:01pm

(Reply to #14) #15

SHADOW-XIII

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actually I maneged to work

actually I maneged to work with previous (stable) release just be copying files around GIMP/GTK directories, some files are doubled there, and thouse doubled files are diffirent in sizes/dates/versions .. maybe the problem is just only here ?

Embrace your dreams

August 18, 2006 - 12:53pm

#16

JamesDavidson

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It loads

Hi - just installed it onto thumb drive. I then checked whether it loaded and (although quite slow in checking plug-ins etc) it loaded fine. I haven't had time to check whether it works yet but will get back to you when I do. Thank you very much.

James

August 18, 2006 - 12:58pm

(Reply to #16) #17

John T. Haller

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Plugin Slowness

Yeah, it rebuilds the plugin list whenever the path/drive letter changes. So the first launch after a change (or the very first launch) will be pretty slow. It can also be slow to load fonts depending on how many are on the system you're using. I'm working on adjusting the plugin paths automatically in the next release to speed loading.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 20, 2006 - 8:18pm

#18

dctrbnsttr

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Won't launch

i get the following error message when i try to load gimp portable prerelease from a usb drive on a win xp-sp2 system. it also occurs if i try to lauch from my hard drive. it occurs while the splash screen is looking for data files fonts.

Pango-error**: file pangofc-fontmap.c:line 1288(pango_fc_font_description_from_pattern):assertion failed:(res==FcResultMatch) aborting..............

August 20, 2006 - 8:33pm

(Reply to #18) #19

John T. Haller

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Questions

1. Are you using the default directory structures (just extract and run). If not, please do this first.

2. Do you have any other GTK-based apps on this PC (Gaim, GIMP, Gnumeric, etc)?

3. Did you get a warning about incompatible files before the splash came up?

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 20, 2006 - 8:44pm

(Reply to #19) #20

dctrbnsttr

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yes...i extracted the

yes...i extracted the program into its default structure and tried to run it.

i have gaim portable 2.0b prerelease 3 on the same usb drive and have run it once.

splash comes up first and is halfway thru the loading process aborts. ... no pre-splash warning....

August 20, 2006 - 8:56pm

(Reply to #20) #21

John T. Haller

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Try this

Try this updated launcher:
GIMPPortableLauncher1202.exe

See if that helps. If not... have you got any oddball fonts on your system?

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 20, 2006 - 9:01pm

(Reply to #21) #22

dctrbnsttr

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tried it...unfortunately, it

tried it...unfortunately, it doesn't help.
i get the same message.
i have alot of fonts on the computer. don't know what would be considered an oddball font..............

August 21, 2006 - 1:14am

(Reply to #22) #23

John T. Haller

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Try copying the GIMPPortable.ini file from the GIMPPortable\Other\GIMPPortableSource directory to your GIMPPortable directory. Edit it and change the AdditionalParameters line to read:

AdditionalParameters=--no-fonts

Let me know if GIMP starts up and works correctly like that (we're not done yet, this is just the next step).

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 21, 2006 - 6:31pm

(Reply to #23) #24

dctrbnsttr

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yes, now gimp starts up and

yes, now gimp starts up and works.
of course cannot use text since no fonts....

August 21, 2006 - 6:41pm

(Reply to #24) #25

John T. Haller

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Ok, one more test

Grab Gimp sans Freetext. Delete your GIMPPortable\App\gimp directory. Then run the self-extractor your just downloaded it and point it at GIMPPortable\App and it should create a new gimp directory. Then try firing it up (being sure to remove that INI file we created the last time we tried it). This should launch GIMP without the Freetext plugin. It should still handle text, though.

If this works, the issue was with Freetext on your system... and... could other people please try replacing the GIMP with this one in their portable version to see if it works ok?

If this fails, then there is some font on your system that GIMP just doesn't like. I'd be willing to bet a local install will fail as well. And there's not much more I can do in this case.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

August 21, 2006 - 7:08pm

(Reply to #25) #26

dctrbnsttr

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sorry this fails

sorry
this fails again......
i'm not likely to use gimp at home on this system
rather i'm likely to use it when on the road and the usb drive is attached to another machine
so i'll give it a try later.....

August 21, 2006 - 11:27pm

#27

cbj0129

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Self extractor

I've just started a fresh install and noticed something that I don't think is right. I was wondering it its me or there is a problem. The progress bar in the self extractor remains at zero, then jumps to 55%, then after a long pause finishes normally. This seems to only happen with Gimp portable pre-release.

EDIT: Something must be screwy with my download, when I try an operation such as a simple "levels" adjust, it doesn't repaint the screens and I have to kill it with Task Manager. I'm giving up for the night. Will try to resolve tomorrow night.

Clair

August 22, 2006 - 6:29pm

(Reply to #27) #28

hello5959us

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Same

I had the same thing happen, but I don't think it matters.

August 22, 2006 - 9:36pm

(Reply to #28) #29

cbj0129

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Latest

I assume your response is to the progress bar issue. I am ignoring that for the present as it doesn't seem to be a problem but more an observation.

Further investigation of the Gimp "hang" appears to be related to the SD card I was using to test the application. I installed the same downloaded application to the harddrive and it worked fine. I then copied the application from the hard drive to the SD card and it failed. I then copied the application to a thumbdrive and it work fine. I also copied it to a different SD card and it worked fine.

Bottom line: It looks like there is a problem with one specific SD card. I am going to reformat the card and try a fresh copy and see if I still have a problem.

Update: Reformating the card worked, I think. I am really suspicious of this card.

Thanks for your time,
Clair

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