aMsn

aMsn is the most complete clone of Windows Live Messenger, available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux: custom emoticon, animoticon, webcam, nudges and vocal messages. We’ll compile the SVN version of aMsn on Debian Lenny and Sid, activating font antialiasing and installing the whole thing under /opt.

… and solving, finally, the TLS problem! :D


Before every command, I use a symbol:

  • $: you have to run the command as a normal user
  • #: you have to run the command as a super user

If you see an error, please post a comment! :wink:

Index
  1. Dependencies
  2. Compiling and installing TCL/TK with antialiasing support
    1. TCL
    2. TK
    3. TclTLS
  3. Compiling and installing aMsn SVN
  4. Configuring and Executing aMsn SVN

Dependencies

Open a terminal emulator and type:

$ su
# apt-get install build-essential libx11-dev libc6-dev imagemagick libjpeg-dev libpng12-dev libpng3-dev tcltls fakeroot debhelper
# apt-get install libxft-dev msttcorefonts checkinstall subversion
# apt-get install libssl-dev

If you’re using Debian Etch (the current Stable) you have to install checkinstall manually.

You’ll need openssl too; if you don’t have it:

# apt-get install openssl

Now continue typing:

# exit
$ cd
$ mkdir amsn_temp
$ cd amsn_temp

Download libraries’ sources (delete the S)…

$ wSget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/tcl/tcl8.5a6-src.tar.gz
$ wSget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/tcl/tk8.5a6-src.tar.gz
$ wSget http://switch.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/tls/tls1.5.0-src.tar.gz

… and uncompress them:

$ tar zxvf tcl8.5a6-src.tar.gz
$ tar zxvf tk8.5a6-src.tar.gz
$ tar zxvf tls1.5.0-src.tar.gz

Don’t close the terminal.

Compiling and installing TCL/TK with antialiasing support

TCL

Type in the terminal:

$ cd tcl8.5a6/unix
$ ./configure --prefix=/opt --exec-prefix=/opt

(if you have a 64 bit processor, you can add --enable-64bit to configure).

$ make
$ su
# checkinstall -y --pkgversion 8.5a6 --pkgname tcl8.5_antialias

Checkinstall will build a .deb and it will install it.

Before exiting, to avoid the msgcat error, you’ll have to manually copy its directory under /opt (since it’s not a deb package, you’ll have to delete it manually, if you want to remove the whole thing):

# cd ..
# cp -R library/msgcat/ /opt/lib/tcl8.5/
# exit
$ cd ../..

WARNING: don’t delete TCL’s directory, it’s needed by TK!

TK

Type in the terminal:

$ cd tk8.5a6/unix
$ ./configure --prefix=/opt --exec-prefix=/opt --enable-xft

(again, if you have a 64 bit processor, you can add --enable-64bit to configure).

$ make
$ su
# checkinstall -y --pkgversion 8.5a6 --pkgname tk8.5_antialias
# exit
$ cd ../..

TclTLS

To avoid the TLS error, you have to build it using the Tcl/TK packages just installed (the TLS module that aMsn tries to download is compiled against Tcl/TK 8.4).

Type in terminal:

$ cd tls1.5
$ ./configure --prefix=/opt --exec-prefix=/opt --with-tcl=/opt/lib --with-ssl-dir=/usr
$ make
$ su
# checkinstall -y --pkgversion 1.5 --pkgname tlstcl_antialias

There’s a bug in the library; we have to correct manually the pkgIndex.tcl file:

# gedit /opt/lib/tls1.50/pkgIndex.tcl

We have to add a “0″ (zero) to version number, changing this line

package ifneeded tls 1.5

to:

package ifneeded tls 1.50

Save and exit from the editor, and type:

# exit
$ cd ..

Compiling and installing aMsn SVN

We’ll download aMsn with subversion:

$ svn co https://amsn.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/amsn/trunk/amsn amsn
$ cd amsn
$ ./configure --prefix=/opt --exec-prefix=/opt --with-tcl=/opt/lib --with-tk=/opt/lib

Configure’s final message should be:

compile time options summary
============================
X11 : yes
Tcl : 8.5
TK : 8.5
DEBUG : no
STATIC : no

Tcl/TK’s versions must be 8.5 for both. Now type in terminal:

$ make deb
$ su
# dpkg -i distrib/DEB/*.deb

If you haven’t installed TCL, TK and Tls from Debian’s official repositories, the installation will fail, because of dependencies problems; to solve them:

# apt-get -f install

Type exit to exit from the root session.

Configuring and Executing aMsn SVN

We have to type the TclTLS path in aMsn. To execute it, just type:

/opt/bin/wish8.5 /opt/bin/amsn

Probably aMsn will try to download TLS module. Press “abort” and open aMsn options (pressing CTRL+P); go under Advanced tab, and search the TLS text field; insert:

/opt/lib/tls1.50

We have to set a true type font for the Interface. Go under the Interface tab, press Change font and pick a true type font.

Save and close aMsn. Go under ~/.amsn, inside our home directory, and, in the plugins subdirectory, delete TLS directory.

Restarting aMsn, everything should work! Obviously, the executable isn’t “amsn” but

/opt/bin/wish8.5 /opt/bin/amsn

You can make a symbolic link in your desktop.

That’s all, folks!
(and sorry for the bad English)