RHEL 9 will remove motif packages

[BenWibking]

See https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9-beta/html-single/considerations_in_adopting_rhel_9/index#ref_changes-to-desktop_assembly_desktop

I have tried building motif from source on RHEL 8, and I was not able to get it to build, so I am not optimistic about being able to use Amrvis on new clusters in a few years.

Is there a long-term plan to move to Qt or GTK?

[WeiqunZhang]

We don't have any plans yet.

Have you tried to build with spack?

[BenWibking]

I have, but it doesn't work: spack/spack#29594

[ax3l]

Jup, I also saw this in spack/spack#25794

[ax3l]

Actually I tried it again the other week on my Ubuntu and had no issue to install with spack

[BenWibking]

Hmm, ok. It still fails on our Rocky 8 cluster nodes. I think we're seeing different build failure modes. I get this link error:

 2524    libtool: link: /avatar/bwibking/spack/lib/spack/env/gcc/gcc -g -O2 -Wall -g -fno-strict-aliasing -Wno-unus
             ed -Wno-comment -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libxft-2.3.2-wvjym2
             o5vpob5gqk4r45b6xl4obvpzxs/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/
             xproto-7.0.31-fzhpehcjfcnqqhxze4em5mat76oahpnr/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cas
             cadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libxrender-0.9.10-ezkfovnwlipiuii5tevv756yiu2y2yma/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/op
             t/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/renderproto-0.11.1-x6mipitoyrhjb6nab4acozdpxe2wtluj/include -I
             /avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libx11-1.7.0-b2kuf7i3gremr76ultwodgja
             2n64ezud/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/kbproto-1.0.7-xlnb
             bgerpd5jty7kxs7ul6ta4krt43ar/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.
             0/libxcb-1.14-6k5gwjsruogpmbtku45eqy5n23jdgfsv/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cas
             cadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libxau-1.0.8-ys4zn4iv6gt677pp5mk3ies4iycobame/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spa
             ck/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libxdmcp-1.1.2-rkeafgylth4ibs2qiojriy7z6rk3k5mj/include -I/avatar/b
             wibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/fontconfig-2.13.94-zkbigwopqzbfsbvimtwep3gcvcl
             eblrx/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/freetype-2.11.1-2uvdi
             n4n76b5rph5etvfa4venzzl5i5w/include/freetype2 -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/
             gcc-11.2.0/libpng-1.6.37-l56l3zxwutmhjijy5tmv7legx6c43fjf/include/libpng16 -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/sp
             ack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/zlib-1.2.12-g4u4554dp5pn34z4mi5v2nw6pbo74ewa/include -I/avatar/bwi
             bking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libxml2-2.9.13-waxdjc35d32qf3g3vhclhics5ybw4ouu/
             include/libxml2 -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/libiconv-1.16-vtznr
             gbtd4d5ylfjwrytmiglns57bluh/include -I/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0
             /xbitmaps-1.1.1-xkurjvcyc6olufxcsyu27q6rtnr6qfma/include -o wml wml.o  -L. -lwml -lXp -L/avatar/bwibking/s
             pack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/freetype-2.11.1-2uvdin4n76b5rph5etvfa4venzzl5i5w/lib -L
             /avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc-11.2.0/fontconfig-2.13.94-zkbigwopqzbfsbvimt
             wep3gcvcleblrx/lib -lfontconfig -lfreetype -L/avatar/bwibking/spack/opt/spack/linux-rocky8-cascadelake/gcc
             -11.2.0/libxft-2.3.2-wvjym2o5vpob5gqk4r45b6xl4obvpzxs/lib -lXft -ljpeg -lpng
     2525    /lib/../lib64/crt1.o: In function `_start':
  >> 2526    (.text+0x24): undefined reference to `main'
  >> 2527    collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
  >> 2528    make[2]: *** [Makefile:502: wmluiltok] Error 1