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RABET macOS and Linux Build Notes

These scripts create compact PyInstaller-based desktop application packages. Starting from RABET 1.3.1 the video backend is PyAV (FFmpeg python bindings) instead of python-vlc; PyAV's wheels bundle FFmpeg, so the RABET build is fully self-contained and does not require any system-installed video runtime on the target machine.

Common Rule

Build on the target OS.

  • Create the macOS .app on macOS.
  • Create the Linux package on Linux.
  • Use a clean virtual environment for each platform.
  • No system VLC/FFmpeg install is required on either build or target machines as of 1.3.1.

macOS

Recommended for a borrowed Mac:

cd /path/to/RABET_1.3.2
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python packaging/build_macos_optimized.py

Outputs:

  • dist/RABET.app
  • dist/RABET-macOS.zip containing RABET.app and README.txt
  • dist/README.txt

Useful options:

python packaging/build_macos_optimized.py --target-arch arm64
python packaging/build_macos_optimized.py --target-arch x86_64
python packaging/build_macos_optimized.py --console --verbose
python packaging/build_macos_optimized.py --spec-only

Notes:

  • Apple Silicon Macs normally produce arm64 builds.
  • Intel Macs normally produce x86_64 builds.
  • --target-arch universal2 only works if Python and the installed wheels are universal2-compatible.
  • Unsigned apps may need right-click > Open on first launch.
  • If the app is shared as a zip and macOS blocks it, the receiver may need to remove quarantine with xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine RABET.app.

Linux / Ubuntu

Recommended on Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
# Note: ``vlc`` / ``libvlc-bin`` are no longer required as of 1.3.1.
# Qt's xcb platform plugin depends on system GUI runtime libraries.
sudo apt install -y \
  python3 \
  python3-venv \
  python3-pip \
  libxcb-cursor0 \
  libxcb-icccm4 \
  libxcb-image0 \
  libxcb-keysyms1 \
  libxcb-render-util0 \
  libxcb-xkb1 \
  libxcb-randr0 \
  libxcb-render0 \
  libxcb-shape0 \
  libxcb-shm0 \
  libxcb-sync1 \
  libxcb-xfixes0 \
  libxkbcommon-x11-0 \
  libxrender1 \
  libx11-xcb1 \
  libsm6 \
  libice6 \
  libglib2.0-0 \
  libfontconfig1 \
  libfreetype6
cd /path/to/RABET_1.3.2
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python packaging/build_linux_optimized.py --onefile

Outputs:

  • dist/RABET-linux/
  • dist/RABET-linux-<arch>.tar.gz

Run locally:

cd dist/RABET-linux
./run_rabet.sh

Install a desktop launcher for the current user:

cd dist/RABET-linux
./install_desktop_entry.sh

Useful options:

python packaging/build_linux_optimized.py --console --verbose
python packaging/build_linux_optimized.py
python packaging/build_linux_optimized.py --upx
python packaging/build_linux_optimized.py --spec-only

Notes:

  • Release builds use --onefile, so the archive should not contain a visible _internal/ folder.
  • Running without --onefile is still useful for development/debug builds.
  • --onefile often starts slower because it extracts files at launch.
  • Raw Linux executables do not reliably show custom icons in file managers. Use install_desktop_entry.sh for an icon-bearing application launcher.
  • --upx can reduce size if UPX is installed, but test carefully because compressed Qt binaries can be fragile.
  • Build on the oldest Ubuntu version you plan to support when possible. Newer Linux builds can depend on newer system libraries.