TiddlyDesktop on Linux?

[Vaughn Papenhausen]

I recently (as in past couple of days) switched to Linux (specifically Ubuntu 20.04). I just tried downloading TiddlyDesktop, but couldn't get it to run by following the instructions here. Running

nw

doesn't really do anything, it just gives me some (what appears to be) documentation that I don't understand, and running

TiddlyWiki.app

returns "command not found". What else should I be doing?

More generally, are there any Linux users around here? How do you tend to prefer to use TW on your machines?

[Mark S.]

You're kind of omitting the information we need to understand. What is the message you get when you run ./nw ?

If you literally run "nw" by itself, you will get an error message because you always have to specify the path for executables that aren't in your PATH variable on linux. So, ./nw  while in the directory.

I can run TD (0.0.13 at the moment) on xubuntu.

Good luck!

[Vaughn Papenhausen]

Thanks! That got it to work. I was literally running nw all by itself (I don't understand what nw really is, I'm just at the level of blindly following instructions at the moment, though I'm happy to learn). Currently I have just unpacked the tiddlydesktop zip into my downloads folder.

Next question: Am I going to have to do that every time I want to start TiddlyDesktop, or is there a way to get it to behave like a normal application (show up on my dock, etc)? Would putting it somewhere else (usr/local/bin maybe? Again, I'm very new to this) achieve this result?

[Mark S.]

The problem with Linux is that there is an infinite number of rabbit holes to go down. Like, you didn't mention what distribution/desktop you're using. Most of them will have some way to set up your own desktop icon or menu item for launching your own programs. Expect to spend a lot of quality time with google and stack exchange.

This time around  (I've used Linux on and off going back to the early 90s) I've opted for the simplest gui possible. So I'm using I3WM and have a shortcut to nw set up in "launcher" on the upper tool bar. The same launcher also lets me start tiddlyserver and a few other favourite self-installed items.

Good luck!

[Dave Parker]

You could put it in a bash script and put the script on your desktop or possibly drag that script to your dock (depending  on the flavor of Ubuntu), something like

#!/bin/bash


cd /home/(username)/Downloads/tiddlywikilocations/ (or wherever you have it)
./nw

or you could use the keyboard launcher Kupfer and do this:

copy the nw file in a file manager, make sure that its executeable

launch Kupfer and paste.

tab until it says "run/execute"  but DON'T enter --> instead do control-enter, then tab, then "T" to add trigger (a shortcut) and then it will ask you to do a keyboard shortcut combination to launch tiddlydesktop whenever you want (although Kupfer has to be set to run on boot so its always on)

(this is from memory as I'm currently upgrading my Ubuntu to 20.04 from 19.10 and things aren't working right now :)

[Vaughn Papenhausen]

Thanks! I'll try the bash script idea (probably tomorrow when I'm more awake) and let you know how it goes!

[Vaughn Papenhausen]

So embarassingly enough, I only just now thought to search through the backlogs about this; turns out there was already a perfectly good tutorial on the subject, which worked pretty well: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/tiddlywiki/linux%7Csort:date/tiddlywiki/JMn7gWd6PeU/hGTNRFh-AQAJ

Thanks both of you for your help