Will Ubuntu repositories get update for Angband?

[strato]

I enjoy playing Angband on windows, but I use Linux (specifically Xubuntu) a lot as well. The version of Angband available in the Ubuntu Software Center is currently 3.3.2...a bit outdated.

I know you can get the latest version by compiling the source code, but I'd like to know: will the Angband versions (X11, SDL, GTK) available in Ubuntu Software Center be updated eventually?

[quarague]

This is clearly not the way you are supposed to do this, but I resolved this issue by downloading the current windows versions of angband. They run perfectly fine in ubuntu using wine.

[krugar]

Originally Posted by strato

I know you can get the latest version by compiling the source code, but I'd like to know: will the Angband versions (X11, SDL, GTK) available in Ubuntu Software Center be updated eventually?

It's up to Ubuntu repository maintainers to decide what and when to update. You won't get a good answer here. Unfortunately, asking them will very likely be also pointless. They are usually deaf to any kind of request. Ubuntu stable repository policies are just plain weird. And not very efective, considering they end up maintaining old and buggy packages, which in fact are often less stable then they claim them to be, due to poor testing on their part.

Meanwhile, there aren't any PPAs for Angband, either. I could probably start one. But I don't want to, because I just know I will do a bad job at maintaining it.

So really, for that linux distro, your best bet is to compile it yourself.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by krugar

So really, for that linux distro, your best bet is to compile it yourself.

Agreed. Just download the source and do the following:

tar xvf angband-4.0.3.tar.gz
cd angband-4.0.3
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install

To use the SDL port (which I highly recommend) use

./configure --enable-sdl

as the configure line - you will have to make sure you have the SDL_ttf and SDL_image library packages installed.

[strato]

Originally Posted by Nick

Agreed. Just download the source and do the following:

tar xvf angband-4.0.3.tar.gz
cd angband-4.0.3
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install

To use the SDL port (which I highly recommend) use

./configure --enable-sdl

as the configure line - you will have to make sure you have the SDL_ttf and SDL_image library packages installed.

I know how to compile the source code. Don't get me wrong, it's useful information and I appreciate it, but I taught myself how to a while ago - with some difficulty.
While I know it probably won't be updated (or if it will be, not very soon), I certainly hope it will be. Linux users trying out Angband might be discouraged to find it so outdated in the Software Center, and less likely to stay interested.

Originally Posted by krugar

Meanwhile, there aren't any PPAs for Angband, either. I could probably start one. But I don't want to, because I just know I will do a bad job at maintaining it.

I would personally find a PPA very useful, but it might not be so useful or widely used to justify making one. People who would go through the trouble of using a PPA would probably already know how to compile it anyway.

Perhaps a simple .deb installer would be a better solution?
It seems simple enough that I might even try it (not to distribute, just for fun).