vlc can't start the GUI on GNOME 2.12

[fixi0n]

Hello!

I've upgraded my system from GNOME 2.10 to GNOME 2.12. This implied
some library changes, including glib, gtk+, pango etc. and wxGTK from
2.4.x to 2.6.x as well. Then vlc suddenly could not start its GUI which
means it is now rather unusable:

$ vlc -vvv
VLC media player 0.8.4-test1 Janus
[00000001] main vlc debug: opening config file /home/xxx/.vlc/vlcrc
[00000001] main vlc debug: checking builtin modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: checking plugin modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: loading plugins cache file /home/xxx/.vlc/cache/plugins-04041e.dat
[00000001] main vlc warning: This doesn't look like a valid plugins cache
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `modules'
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `/usr/lib/vlc'
[00000001] main vlc warning: cannot load module `/usr/lib/vlc/gui/libwxwidgets_plugin.so' (/usr/lib/libwx_gtk2u_core-2.6.so.0: undefined symbol: pango_x_get_context)
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `plugins'
[00000001] main vlc debug: module bank initialized, found 204 modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: opening config file /home/xxx/.vlc/vlcrc
[00000000] main root debug: VLC media player - version 0.8.4-test1 Janus - (c) 1996-2005 the VideoLAN team
[00000000] main root debug: libvlc was configured with ./configure --prefix=/usr --host=i686-pc-linux-gnu --mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info --datadir=/usr/share --sysconfdir=/etc --localstatedir=/var/lib --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu --disable-altivec --enable-utf8 --enable-sout --disable-httpd --disable-vlm --disable-gnutls --enable-v4l --disable-cdda --disable-cddax --enable-vcd --enable-vcdx --disable-dvb --disable-pvr --enable-ogg --enable-mkv --enable-flac --enable-vorbis --disable-theora --enable-x11 --enable-xvideo --enable-glx --enable-opengl --enable-freetype --disable-fribidi --enable-dvdread --enable-dvdplay --enable-dvdnav --disable-fb --enable-svgalib --disable-glide --disable-aa --disable-caca --enable-oss --enable-esd --enable-arts --enable-alsa --enable-wxwidgets --enable-ncurses --disable-xosd --disable-lirc --disable-joystick --disable-livedotcom --without-livedotcom-tree --enable-mad --enable-faad --enable-a52 --enable-dts --enable-libmpeg2 --disable-ggi --disable-glide --enable-sdl --enable-png --enable-libxml2 --enable-smb --disable-daap --disable-corba --disable-mod --disable-speex --disable-mozilla --disable-shout --enable-real --enable-realrtsp --enable-loader --disable-pth --disable-portaudio --disable-slp --disable-hal --disable-skins2 --with-wx-config=gtk2-unicode-release-2.6 --with-wx-config-path=/usr/lib/wx/config --enable-ffmpeg --with-ffmpeg-aac --with-ffmpeg-dts --with-ffmpeg-zlib --with-ffmpeg-mp3lame
[00000001] main vlc debug: translation test: code is "C"
[00000001] main vlc debug: opening config file /home/xxx/.vlc/vlcrc
[00000001] main vlc debug: checking builtin modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: checking plugin modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: loading plugins cache file /home/xxx/.vlc/cache/plugins-04041e.dat
[00000001] main vlc warning: This doesn't look like a valid plugins cache
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `modules'
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `/usr/lib/vlc'
[00000001] main vlc warning: cannot load module `/usr/lib/vlc/gui/libwxwidgets_plugin.so' (/usr/lib/libwx_gtk2u_core-2.6.so.0: undefined symbol: pango_x_get_context)
[00000001] main vlc debug: recursively browsing `plugins'
[00000001] main vlc debug: module bank initialized, found 204 modules
[00000001] main vlc debug: opening config file /home/xxx/.vlc/vlcrc
[00000001] main vlc debug: CPU has capabilities 486 586 MMX 3DNow! MMXEXT SSE FPU
[00000001] main vlc debug: looking for memcpy module: 4 candidates
[00000010] main module debug: using memcpy module "memcpymmxext"
[00000253] main playlist debug: waiting for thread completion
[00000253] main playlist debug: thread 3049360304 (playlist) created at priority 0 (src/playlist/playlist.c:183)
[00000254] main private debug: waiting for thread completion
[00000254] main private debug: thread 3040967600 (preparser) created at priority 0 (src/playlist/playlist.c:205)
[00000255] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 1 candidate
[00000125] main module debug: using interface module "hotkeys"
[00000255] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000255] main interface debug: thread 3032574896 (interface) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:211)
[00000256] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 3 candidates
[00000183] main module debug: using interface module "screensaver"
[00000256] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000256] main interface debug: thread 3024182192 (interface) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:211)
[00000257] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 2 candidates
Remote control interface initialized, `h' for help
[00000122] main module debug: using interface module "rc"
[00000257] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000257] main interface debug: thread 3015785392 (manager) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:196)
signal 2 received, terminating vlc - do it again in case it gets stuck
status change: ( stop state: 0 )
status change: ( quit )
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all interfaces
[00000257] main interface debug: thread 3015785392 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000122] main module debug: unlocking module "rc"
[00000256] main interface debug: thread 3024182192 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000183] main module debug: unlocking module "screensaver"
[00000255] main interface debug: thread 3032574896 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000125] main module debug: unlocking module "hotkeys"
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all playlists
[00000254] main private debug: thread 3040967600 joined (src/playlist/playlist.c:237)
[00000253] main playlist debug: thread 3049360304 joined (src/playlist/playlist.c:238)
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all video outputs
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all audio outputs
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing announce handler
[00000010] main module debug: unlocking module "memcpymmxext"
[00000001] main vlc debug: saving plugins cache file /home/xxx/.vlc/cache/plugins-04041e.dat
[00000001] main vlc debug: CPU has capabilities 486 586 MMX 3DNow! MMXEXT SSE FPU
[00000001] main vlc debug: looking for memcpy module: 4 candidates
[00000010] main module debug: using memcpy module "memcpymmxext"
[00000253] main playlist debug: waiting for thread completion
[00000253] main playlist debug: thread 3049360304 (playlist) created at priority 0 (src/playlist/playlist.c:183)
[00000254] main private debug: waiting for thread completion
[00000254] main private debug: thread 3040967600 (preparser) created at priority 0 (src/playlist/playlist.c:205)
[00000255] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 1 candidate
[00000125] main module debug: using interface module "hotkeys"
[00000255] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000255] main interface debug: thread 3032574896 (interface) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:211)
[00000256] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 3 candidates
[00000183] main module debug: using interface module "screensaver"
[00000256] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000256] main interface debug: thread 3024182192 (interface) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:211)
[00000257] main interface debug: looking for interface module: 2 candidates
[00000122] main module debug: using interface module "rc"
[00000257] main interface debug: interface initialized
[00000257] main interface debug: thread 3015785392 (manager) created at priority 0 (src/interface/interface.c:196)
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all interfaces
[00000257] main interface debug: thread 3015785392 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000122] main module debug: unlocking module "rc"
[00000256] main interface debug: thread 3024182192 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000183] main module debug: unlocking module "screensaver"
[00000255] main interface debug: thread 3032574896 joined (src/interface/interface.c:238)
[00000125] main module debug: unlocking module "hotkeys"
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all playlists
[00000254] main private debug: thread 3040967600 joined (src/playlist/playlist.c:237)
[00000253] main playlist debug: thread 3049360304 joined (src/playlist/playlist.c:238)
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all video outputs
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing all audio outputs
[00000001] main vlc debug: removing announce handler
[00000010] main module debug: unlocking module "memcpymmxext"
[00000001] main vlc debug: saving plugins cache file /home/xxx/.vlc/cache/plugins-04041e.dat

[fixi0n]

What I could find out so far is that the symbol that it's missing
"pango_x_get_context" is a main method from the old Pango
X font backend which is now deprecated in favor of Xft.
Maybe in the new version of pango that came with GNOME 2.12
they removed that interface completely? The Pango I've got
installed now is 1.10.1. I have tried vlc versions 0.8.1, 0.8.2,
and 0.8.4-test1 and all exhibit the same behaviour.

[fixi0n]

You might want to read this mailing list post that seems to be relevant:

http://www.mail-archive.com/pld-devel-p ... 03385.html

It seems to me that the problem is with wxGTK and not with vlc itself...

[fixi0n]

Bingo!

I upgraded wxGTK from 2.6.1 to 2.6.2 and vlc GUI works again.
Both tested with vlc-0.8.4-test1 and vlc-0.8.2.