A Linux distro that still offers LIRC 0.9.0 in its reposiitory and runs Kodi well?
#16
(2020-05-18, 08:43)black_eagle Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 00:43)oldtvwatcher Wrote: I have to ask, have you had any issues with either non-responsive buttons, or with buttons registering as double or triple presses since using this?

No, I don't have any issues like that at all.  The 'onkyo' references are to the AVR remote that I use to control Kodi.  The MCE stuff could actually come out as it isn't needed.
(2020-05-18, 00:43)oldtvwatcher Wrote: if it is time to try something else when I am ready to upgrade from 18.04, which is part of the reason I posted in the first place. 

Well, you don't need to rush to upgrade.  18.04 has support for almost another 3 years so it isn't like it's EOL or anything.  I'm still running 16.04 server on one of my machines simply because I don't need to upgrade it.  It does the job I want it to and it's not going to suddenly stop doing that just because 16.04 becomes EOL next year.  It'll probably still be running it in another 5 years time if the hardware is still OK. 
My only concern is that I might have a catastrophic hardware failure, or that a Linux kernel upgrade might go bad and force a re-installation of the OS.  I've experienced both at various times.  As for running Ubuntu after it becomes EOL, my only concern about that is not getting security updates, and possibly leaving a security hole on the system.  That's actually another reason I have given some thought to leaving Ubuntu; I understand some Linux distributions support what are called "rolling releases" which if I understand correctly (and I probably don't) means you never have to do a full reinstall of the OS when upgrading to the next major version.  But those are definitely "not Ubuntu" and therefore I'm not even sure Kodi would run on any of those, also I suspect that if I find Ubuntu difficult at times (and I do) I'd be totally lost in one of those.  But your point is well taken; this is a can that I can safely kick down the road for now, and maybe by the time a couple of years rolls around either the LIRC developers will have come to their senses and restored the install menu, or someone will have forked the 0.9.0 version or come up with something even better that works across multiple applications.  Or maybe some kind soul will come up with a script that does essentially what the install menu did (lets you pick your remote from a list, and then modifies the configuration files accordingly).  We can always hope, anyway.

Thanks for your help; I am definitely going to save a link to this thread in case I do find I need to upgrade at some point.
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#17
LIRC 0.9.x has been deprecated for a reason. A lot has changed in the kernel that supports current LIRC and I strongly urge you to update your configs accordingly. It is and will continue to be far more flexible.

No, I haven't read all the posts in this thread so if you've already done it, good. Or, you could use the BPF decoder, convert your current configure to toml and bypass LIRC complete, using keymaps instead. Yes, I was a LIRC 0.9.x die-hard once upon a time too - then I finally accepted that I would be better off just going through the small & temporary growing pains to get used to the new setup. And I never looked back.
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#18
i am new to the forums but have used xmbc/kodi since 14.04 and i am in the same boat as TheOldTVWatcher.
i have no idea how to get the new versions of lirc to work, and there is no guide og explanations what so ever on any forums that i can find.

it worked flawless in 14.04
it worked flawless in 16.04
In 18.04 it stopped working with the new version of lirc - tried for weeks to get it to work, i then install the old version 0.9 and it worked againg in 18.04
now that i have upgraded to 20.04 i can't get it to work even with the old packages.

The best solution would be to use the new version but i don't know how. and i share the frustration of both the OldTVWatcher and all the other users trying to do the same thing as me. 

My setup is rather simple in use, what i use is a MCE compatible USB reciver from Haupage that are linked to a Logitech Harmony Elite and HUB. where this setup. you can do magic that not any other remote control can.(as i know of)
i have made touch buttons on the remote screen to start Kodi in Alsa=SINK or Steam in big picturemode and mapped some buttons to shellscripts is the secure (no way) But what is awsome with this setup is when kodi crashes or something else happens i click exit on the remote and that links to a script that kill kodi.

Can anyone explain how to enable this with the new version of lirc?
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#19
There _should_ be a tool to enable you to set it up.  Try running lirc-setup from inside a terminal.
Learning Linux the hard way !!
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#20
(2020-05-18, 15:31)oldtvwatcher Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 08:43)black_eagle Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 00:43)oldtvwatcher Wrote: I have to ask, have you had any issues with either non-responsive buttons, or with buttons registering as double or triple presses since using this?

No, I don't have any issues like that at all.  The 'onkyo' references are to the AVR remote that I use to control Kodi.  The MCE stuff could actually come out as it isn't needed.
(2020-05-18, 00:43)oldtvwatcher Wrote: if it is time to try something else when I am ready to upgrade from 18.04, which is part of the reason I posted in the first place. 

Well, you don't need to rush to upgrade.  18.04 has support for almost another 3 years so it isn't like it's EOL or anything.  I'm still running 16.04 server on one of my machines simply because I don't need to upgrade it.  It does the job I want it to and it's not going to suddenly stop doing that just because 16.04 becomes EOL next year.  It'll probably still be running it in another 5 years time if the hardware is still OK. 
My only concern is that I might have a catastrophic hardware failure, or that a Linux kernel upgrade might go bad and force a re-installation of the OS.  I've experienced both at various times.  As for running Ubuntu after it becomes EOL, my only concern about that is not getting security updates, and possibly leaving a security hole on the system.  That's actually another reason I have given some thought to leaving Ubuntu; I understand some Linux distributions support what are called "rolling releases" which if I understand correctly (and I probably don't) means you never have to do a full reinstall of the OS when upgrading to the next major version.  But those are definitely "not Ubuntu" and therefore I'm not even sure Kodi would run on any of those, also I suspect that if I find Ubuntu difficult at times (and I do) I'd be totally lost in one of those.  But your point is well taken; this is a can that I can safely kick down the road for now, and maybe by the time a couple of years rolls around either the LIRC developers will have come to their senses and restored the install menu, or someone will have forked the 0.9.0 version or come up with something even better that works across multiple applications.  Or maybe some kind soul will come up with a script that does essentially what the install menu did (lets you pick your remote from a list, and then modifies the configuration files accordingly).  We can always hope, anyway.

Thanks for your help; I am definitely going to save a link to this thread in case I do find I need to upgrade at some point.
Are you using desktop linux, or is this just to run Kodi on.  If the latter, maybe consider libreELEC as an OS which is designed to just run Kodi.
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#21
(2020-07-22, 19:13)pauljw Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 15:31)oldtvwatcher Wrote:
(2020-05-18, 08:43)black_eagle Wrote: No, I don't have any issues like that at all.  The 'onkyo' references are to the AVR remote that I use to control Kodi.  The MCE stuff could actually come out as it isn't needed.

Well, you don't need to rush to upgrade.  18.04 has support for almost another 3 years so it isn't like it's EOL or anything.  I'm still running 16.04 server on one of my machines simply because I don't need to upgrade it.  It does the job I want it to and it's not going to suddenly stop doing that just because 16.04 becomes EOL next year.  It'll probably still be running it in another 5 years time if the hardware is still OK. 
My only concern is that I might have a catastrophic hardware failure, or that a Linux kernel upgrade might go bad and force a re-installation of the OS.  I've experienced both at various times.  As for running Ubuntu after it becomes EOL, my only concern about that is not getting security updates, and possibly leaving a security hole on the system.  That's actually another reason I have given some thought to leaving Ubuntu; I understand some Linux distributions support what are called "rolling releases" which if I understand correctly (and I probably don't) means you never have to do a full reinstall of the OS when upgrading to the next major version.  But those are definitely "not Ubuntu" and therefore I'm not even sure Kodi would run on any of those, also I suspect that if I find Ubuntu difficult at times (and I do) I'd be totally lost in one of those.  But your point is well taken; this is a can that I can safely kick down the road for now, and maybe by the time a couple of years rolls around either the LIRC developers will have come to their senses and restored the install menu, or someone will have forked the 0.9.0 version or come up with something even better that works across multiple applications.  Or maybe some kind soul will come up with a script that does essentially what the install menu did (lets you pick your remote from a list, and then modifies the configuration files accordingly).  We can always hope, anyway.

Thanks for your help; I am definitely going to save a link to this thread in case I do find I need to upgrade at some point.
Are you using desktop linux, or is this just to run Kodi on.  If the latter, maybe consider libreELEC as an OS which is designed to just run Kodi.
I've been away for a while but two points to make.  First I am running Kodi on what is a desktop style computer that doubles as my HTPC.  Running Ubuntu (or some full desktop version of Linux) is important to me because it gives me an alternate way to get online if my primary computer fails, and anythingELEC doesn't give you enough of an operating system to do anything.

Second, the main reason I am so determined to keep running the old version of LIRC is because I also use it to control things other than Kodi by using a .lircrc file.  Basically I can have it so pressing a particular button on the remote will run a script.  If you have ONLY ever used LIRC to control Kodi from within Kodi then you won't understand why this is so important.  I have a lot of different things I control using LIRC and while Kodi is the main thing, it's by no means the only thing.  And one of them is starting up Kodi, which you obviously can't do with a solution that only works from inside Kodi.
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#22
(2020-05-17, 20:06)oldtvwatcher Wrote: In Ubuntu 18.04 you could follow the instructions in a blog post that's been mentioned several times in this forum but apparently that no longer works in Ubuntu 20.04 (EDIT:  Well at least not for some users, though after I posted this I saw that one guy reported success).
I just did an install of Kodi on Ubuntu 20.04 today and was able to install the older version of lirc by following the instructions in the article "Make LIRC work in Ubuntu 18.04, so that you can use your infrared remote in Kodi" with complete success.  Why they changed it to make the new version so terrible is a mystery that no one but the lirc developers will ever understand, but I agree with the OP, the older version is super easy to install and configure but the new one is just the opposite.  I'd also like to see the old version forked and maintained as he suggested, but I don't have any programmers working for me so can't help with that.

For those who keep saying that it's possible to make the new version of lirc work, why not make a video where you show us how it is done, using the typical Windows MCE style remote that so many of us use?  Because what has been given for "instructions" so far leaves a lot to be desired.  The thing the old version had going for it was its simplicity. You picked your remote from a menu screen, and then it all just worked.  Now it's find this file and copy only certain settings from it to another file and change this other thing and make sure this path is right and it's all turned into a major headache Sad .  Never mind the fact that no one seems to be able to get the new version to work correctly except for maybe one or two guys who are quite vocal about claiming to have done it, why would anyone think that method is better than just picking your remote from a list?

If you have found a way to make the new version of lirc work reliably, without having issues with certain buttons not working or alternately sending double or triple button presses, please consider making a video walkthrough, or at least make a post with every step detailed and lots of screenshots so we can figure out how on earth you are doing it, because the instructions posted so far aren't cutting it.  Copying your configuration from an older version won't work if you didn't know you had to copy and save those files, or exactly which files to copy and save, before you started the upgrade and did a clean install of Ubuntu.  If you think it's too hard to make a video showing how to install and configure the new version, that's exactly the problem, because with the old version you could have made a video showing how to install and configure it that lasted well under a minute and that still showed all the necessary steps.

Without some VERY clear and simple instructions for installing the new version, I'll just keep following the instructions in that article to install the older version for as long as I can.
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#23
(2020-08-17, 10:36)birdwatcher Wrote: I just did an install of Kodi on Ubuntu 20.04 today and was able to install the older version of lirc by following the instructions in the article "Make LIRC work in Ubuntu 18.04, so that you can use your infrared remote in Kodi" with complete success.  Why they changed it to make the new version so terrible is a mystery that no one but the lirc developers will ever understand, but I agree with the OP, the older version is super easy to install and configure but the new one is just the opposite.  I'd also like to see the old version forked and maintained as he suggested, but I don't have any programmers working for me so can't help with that.

For those who keep saying that it's possible to make the new version of lirc work, why not make a video where you show us how it is done, using the typical Windows MCE style remote that so many of us use?  Because what has been given for "instructions" so far leaves a lot to be desired.  The thing the old version had going for it was its simplicity. You picked your remote from a menu screen, and then it all just Without some VERY clear and simple instructions for installing the new version, I'll just keep following the instructions in that article to install the older version for as long as I can.

I felt the same when lircd 0.9x went to the next version and initially held back upgrading lircd, but I think I've just found a simple way (it worked for me) to configure my remote. I use to use the "Windows MCE style remote" setting when lircd 0.9x was first installed. My remote *specifically* is an HP remote. Looking at earlier responses in this thread I decided to look at /etc/lirc/lircd.conf. At the top of this config file in comments is mention of irdb-get and lirc-setup. I found lirc-setup spouted errors for me, but irdb-get worked fine. To get a list of all the remotes supported type:

Code:
irdb-get list | more

You'll need more to prevent it scrolling by. There are hundreds of remotes in this list. I opened up my remote's battery compartment and noted the model RC1804905/06. It's worth mentioning that this particular remote is NOT in the list, however I found one that looked identical (other than the colour on the top buttons) in HP RC1804912/06. Then I used irdb-get download to download it:

Code:
irdb-get download hp/RC180491206.lircd.conf

Looking at /etc/lirc/lircd.conf I noticed that any *.conf file in /etc/lirc/lircd.conf.d gets read, so I just moved the config file there:

Code:
sudo mv RC180491206.lircd.conf /etc/lirc/lircd.conf.d/

Now either start the lircd service or restart it if you've already started

Code:
sudo systemctl start lircd

This seems to have worked for my particular remote. Really it's just 2 steps, download the file with irdb-get and put it in the right spot. I tried all the keys I use and it worked (for example: in my movie collection I pressed 5, which corresponds to j, k, l, and it jumped to movies starting with j, k, and then l as I continued to press the key). Pressing the Music key brought up the music menu, ditto for Pictures and Videos (Movies), more info key brings up more info about a movie.

I hope this helps someone. It doesn't seem difficult, but it does take a tiny bit more effort.
Current KODI box:  Corsair Spec-01, Gigabyte H67MA-D2H-B3, Intel Core i7-2600, Corsair H60 (2018) AIO Water Cooler, 16GB RAM, 120GB Samsung SSD 840 + 8TB Seagate ST8000VN22-2EL, GeForce GTX 970 Video Card, running Xubuntu 20.04 and connected to a Samsung LN40A330 TV.
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A Linux distro that still offers LIRC 0.9.0 in its reposiitory and runs Kodi well?0