How to install libqwt-qt4.so.5

[xhsh]

Dear All,

I want to install scidavis in Centos 7.9. However, when I run "sudo yum install scidavis" or "sudo dnf install scidavis", I got the following error:

libqwt-qt4.so.5()(64bit) needed by scidavis-1.26-2.2.x86_64

I have tried my best to install libqwt-qt4.so.5, but I always failed. Could any one show me how to install it in Centos 7 please?

Or can any one show the correct steps of how to install scidavis in Centos 7, please?

Many many thanks.

[TrevorH]

Nothing provides that file on CentOS 7. Also, you appear to be attempting to install an ancient copy of scidavis - Fedora has 2.9 but the copy you're trying to install is 1.2.6. If this is a new set up then don't use CentOS 7, use something newer to start with. CentOS 7 dies in about 2 months time.

[xhsh]

Nothing provides that file on CentOS 7. Also, you appear to be attempting to install an ancient copy of scidavis - Fedora has 2.9 but the copy you're trying to install is 1.2.6. If this is a new set up then don't use CentOS 7, use something newer to start with. CentOS 7 dies in about 2 months time.

Many thanks. I just run "sudo yum install scidavis" and it comes with 1.2.6. Since CentOS 7 will die soon, then what OS will be the best substitute for a server, Ubuntu or Debian or anything else, please?

[TrevorH]

There are at least two new RHEL rebuilds to replace CentOS - pick either Rocky or Alma. Or if it fits within the terms of usage you could investigate running RHEL using a free Red Hat Developer Subscription - that allows up to 16 instances of RHEL itself but needs renewing every year to continue to receive updates. Those are all similar in management to CentOS 7. Or you can look at Debian or Ubuntu though both those use different package management tools.

[jlehtone]

I just run "sudo yum install scidavis" and it comes with 1.2.6.

Neither CentOS repos nor EPEL has that package, so you must have some additional repository. hpcoder1/opensuse?

While Enterprise Linux (RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, etc) is "stable" as in "updates don't break server",
that does not always mean that one does not have to rebuild some application packages after OS point updates.
The Qt is an example of that. For example, all Qt (5) based packages had to be rebuilt after el9_1 and el9_3 releases.
The "stability" is seen in that rebuilds were trivial.

In other words one would have to get the src.rpm version of the package and rebuild the binary package(s). Then install the binary package.

I point that out, because that scidavis RPM does exist for el8 or el9 either. For those distros one would take the src.rpm from Fedora and rebuild. With `mock` tool that is in EPEL.

what OS will be the best substitute for a server?

Those are all similar in management to CentOS 7.

I'd say there are three things to consider for a server:
* Which distro has easiest access to all the applications that you will use? Least amount of treasure hunt.
* How much effort do you need to manage the distro? How much new to learn?
* How frequently there will be need to "reinstall" distro or applications? The length of support.

These are of course related issues.

[xhsh]

Thank you very much for answering my questions, all friends!