Fixing Silent EDMC-ModernOverlay Install Fails On Pop!_OS

Hey there, fellow Elite Dangerous Commanders! Ever been in that super frustrating spot where you're trying to install a cool tool, like EDMC-ModernOverlay, on your Linux rig—specifically Pop!_OS—and the installation script just… runs? No errors, no completion, just silence? You know the drill: you hit enter, it spits out some seemingly positive messages, and then drops you back to the prompt, leaving you wondering what just happened. If that sounds familiar, especially with EDMC-ModernOverlay on a Pop!_OS system using Wayland and a Flatpak installation of EDMC, then you're definitely in the right place. We're going to unravel this mystery together, dig into why it happens, and arm you with the knowledge to conquer those stubborn silent failures. This isn't just about fixing one problem; it's about understanding the Linux ecosystem a bit better, so next time, you'll be a debugging pro! We'll tackle everything from script logic to the nuances of Flatpak and Wayland, ensuring you get your awesome overlay up and running smoothly.

Unraveling the EDMC-ModernOverlay Linux Install Mystery on Pop!_OS

So, you’re trying to get EDMC-ModernOverlay working on your trusty Pop!_OS setup, but the install_linux.sh script is just... quitting without actually finishing the job or giving you any error messages. This particular silent script failure is one of the most maddening things a Linux user can encounter. It’s like your computer is shrugging and saying, “Dunno, looks fine to me!” when clearly, it’s not. Many of you, especially those running Pop!_OS, a Debian-based distro, on a Wayland session, and using a Flatpak installation of EDMarketConnector (EDMC), have likely faced this exact scenario. You kick off the bash ./install_linux.sh command, and it correctly detects your EDMC plugins directory within the Flatpak sandbox, usually at /home/user/.var/app/io.edcd.EDMarketConnector/data/EDMarketConnector/plugins. Then, it confirms you want to use that directory, detects your Wayland session, and lists a bunch of required packages for Debian/Ubuntu: python3, python3-venv, python3-pip, rsync, curl, libxcb-cursor0, libxkbcommon-x11-0, wmctrl, and x11-utils. All looks good on paper, right? But then, instead of doing anything else—like actually installing the overlay or providing further prompts—it just returns you to the command prompt. No EDMC-ModernOverlay to be found in your EDMC plugins, and no helpful error message to guide you. This lack of explicit error feedback is a major hurdle in troubleshooting, as it leaves you guessing about where the process actually broke down. The script's output suggests a successful initial assessment, but the absence of subsequent installation steps or any indication of completion is a clear red flag. It implies that the script either successfully checked for packages but failed to install or configure them, or that a critical part of the installation process was silently skipped or failed without propagating an error. This is a common pitfall with scripts that don't have robust error handling or set -e directives throughout, which would force the script to exit immediately upon any command failure. The frustration builds when you’ve meticulously checked that each listed package is already installed, only to find the script still doesn’t proceed, implying a deeper, more subtle issue than just missing dependencies. This is often where the nuances of package versions, environment configurations, or even the script's own internal logic can play a significant role in causing such deceptive silent failures.

When we compare this behavior to what happens if you force a Fedora profile, the plot thickens considerably. In that scenario, the script correctly identifies that package status checks are unsupported for dnf (Fedora's package manager) and proceeds to prompt you to install a list of missing packages. This is a crucial piece of evidence, folks! It strongly suggests that while the Debian/Ubuntu package detection might appear successful, the subsequent installation or verification steps for Debian-based systems might be flawed or simply not executed as intended. The script should be trying to use apt or apt-get to install these dependencies if they're missing, or at least confirm their presence and then move on to creating virtual environments, installing Python dependencies, and copying the overlay files. The fact that it doesn't prompt for sudo to install system packages on Debian/Ubuntu is another major clue, indicating that the apt installation phase might not even be initiated. So, our journey to a solution begins by understanding that the problem isn't necessarily that the packages aren't installed, but that the script itself isn't correctly executing the full installation workflow on Pop!_OS, potentially due to how it handles dependency checks or the commands it issues for installation within the Debian/Ubuntu context. This leads us to suspect issues with the script's internal logic, environmental assumptions, or even permissions, especially when dealing with Flatpak applications.

Diving Deep into the install_linux.sh Script's Logic

Alright, guys, let’s peel back the layers of this install_linux.sh script and figure out why it's playing coy with us. Generally speaking, a well-behaved Linux installation script for something like EDMC-ModernOverlay follows a predictable pattern. First, it tries to detect your operating system and package manager (like apt for Debian/Ubuntu or dnf for Fedora). Then, it identifies the correct plugin directory, often asking for your confirmation. After that, it usually checks for core dependencies—think Python, virtual environment tools, pip, and various system utilities. If these are missing, it should either prompt you for sudo to install them via your package manager or explicitly tell you what to install manually. Once system dependencies are sorted, it typically sets up a Python virtual environment to isolate its own Python dependencies, then uses pip to install any Python packages specified in a requirements.txt file. Finally, it copies the actual application files (in this case, the ModernOverlay directory) into the identified plugin location. So, when our script exits silently after listing packages, it suggests a breakdown somewhere after the initial detection but before the actual overlay files are copied or its Python dependencies are installed. The core of our EDMC-ModernOverlay installation issues likely lies within this sequence.

One major speculation is that the script's Debian/Ubuntu package check is flawed, or the execution of apt commands is failing silently without propagating an error. The output 📦 Modern Overlay requires the following packages on 'Debian / Ubuntu': ... implies it knows what to do, but it doesn't actually do it or confirm if they're present and usable. It’s possible the script has a check that only verifies if a command exists (like python3 or apt), but not if it's the correct version or if apt install would actually succeed. Even if you manually verified all packages were installed, the script might be expecting a specific response from an apt command that it's not getting, or perhaps it's not even attempting the installation if it thinks they're already there, but then fails to move to the next stage. Another point of failure could be the virtual environment creation (python3-venv). If python3 -m venv fails for some reason—permissions, an unexpected Python setup (like python3.13 you mentioned), or issues with the environment—the script might just abort without an error message, especially if it's not designed to handle venv failures gracefully. This is particularly crucial as many Python-based tools rely heavily on isolated virtual environments to manage their dependencies without clashing with your system's global Python packages. If the venv creation fails, then any subsequent pip install commands would also fail or target the wrong environment, effectively halting the installation process for the Python components of the overlay. The user’s system information—Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS, Kernel 6.17.4, GNOME 42.9, Wayland, specific CPU/GPU—suggests a relatively modern and standard Linux environment, which should theoretically handle these dependencies. However, the interplay between the install_linux.sh script, your specific Python configuration, and the target Flatpak directory is where the complexity truly lies. The lack of sudo prompts for apt commands in the Debian output, contrasted with the Fedora profile explicitly asking to install packages, is a strong indicator that the script’s flow for apt-based systems isn't correctly engaging the package manager to either verify or install dependencies. This means the script is likely moving past the dependency stage without fully ensuring they are met or installed, leading to subsequent failures further down the line, which then exit silently. We need to focus on this gap in the script's execution to resolve the EDMC-ModernOverlay installation issues you're experiencing. Understanding this internal logic is key to providing targeted fixes rather than just guessing. This often involves either inspecting the script's source code if available, or carefully tracing its execution through manual commands to pinpoint the exact step where it deviates from the expected successful path.

The Flatpak Conundrum: A Sandbox Safari

One of the biggest puzzle pieces in this EDMC-ModernOverlay installation mystery is the use of Flatpak for EDMarketConnector. For those unfamiliar, Flatpak is an amazing technology for sandboxing applications, providing them with their own isolated environments. This is great for security and stability, but it can be a real headache when an external script tries to interact with it. Your install_linux.sh script is running directly on your host system, outside the Flatpak container. However, it's trying to install EDMC-ModernOverlay into the Flatpak's plugin directory: /home/user/.var/app/io.edcd.EDMarketConnector/data/EDMarketConnector/plugins. This path is specific to the Flatpak application's sandbox. The script needs correct permissions to write to this location from outside the sandbox. While ~/.var/app is usually user-writable, the Flatpak runtime sometimes has stricter rules, or the script itself might encounter environment issues when trying to resolve paths or permissions into this sandboxed space. It's not uncommon for external scripts to struggle with Flatpak integration, especially when they are designed for traditional, system-wide installations. The isolation means that tools and dependencies available on your host system aren't necessarily available inside the Flatpak, and vice-versa, creating a complex interaction layer that can easily lead to silent failures if not explicitly handled by the script.

Wayland vs. X11: Display Server Shenanigans

Let's also briefly touch upon the Wayland session detection. Wayland is the modern display server protocol, slowly replacing the older X11. While your install_linux.sh script correctly detected Wayland and included