From: Robert Wohlhueter (bobwohlhueter_at_earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Nov 26 2013 - 16:15:53 CST

Using Ubuntu 13.10 on an AMD64 computer with NVIDIA GTX275 and NVIDIA
driver 319.32:
vmd-1.9.1 binary distribution is broken. The same binary on same the
hardware (with NVIDIA 304 driver)
under Ubuntu 12.10 worked fine.

Using the original installed vmd.csh script, startup seems to hang
because of inability to set
rlwrap (though in fact the file "vmd_completion.dat" is present):

############################################################################
bobw_at_winter-linux: ...lib/vmd [56]> /usr/local/bin/vmd
/usr/local/bin/vmd.wrap
rlwrap: No match.
############################################################################

If I comment out the lines relevant to loading vmd_completion.dat, then
run the script, the "rlwrap"-error is avoided, but I get no output at all:

###########################################################################
obw_at_winter-linux: ...lib/vmd [59]> /usr/local/bin/vmd.nowrap
/usr/local/bin/vmd
bobw_at_winter-linux: ...lib/vmd [60]>
###########################################################################

But these are probably minor problems. If I by pass the script entirely
(but with VMDDIR and
MASTERVMDDIR envvars set manually), I get a little further, before
dumping core:

############################################################################
bobw_at_winter-linux: ...vmd/vmd-1.9.1 [60]>./vmd_LINUXAMD64
./vmd_LINUXAMD64
Info) VMD for LINUXAMD64, version 1.9.1 (February 1, 2012)
Info) http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/
Info) Email questions and bug reports to vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu
Info) Please include this reference in published work using VMD:
Info) Humphrey, W., Dalke, A. and Schulten, K., `VMD - Visual
Info) Molecular Dynamics', J. Molec. Graphics 1996, 14.1, 33-38.
Info) -------------------------------------------------------------
Info) Multithreading available, 4 CPUs detected.
Info) Free system memory: 6482MB (81%)
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
###########################################################################

I would guess the problem lies not with Ubuntu 13.10 per se, but with the
change in video driver between 12.10 and 13.10. I'm reluctant to muck
around
with video drivers, in particular to try to revert to NVIDIA 304.x,
since this
always breaks a lot of programs. Still my hardward/video driver must be
fairly commomplace.

Anyone have clues to what's wrong? I'm grateful for any pointers.

Bob Wohlhueter