DraftSight and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the new LTS version of Ubuntu and it will be available on its final state later this month. 64-bit  LTS versions are ideal for someone who wants to built a modern CAD workstation but unfortunately DraftSight comes on a 32-bit version only. Ubuntu provides support for running 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS but DraftSight's installer doesn't support this functionality which is known as multiarch support. However the installation of DraftSight on a 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04 LTS system is possible with a few tweaks.
DraftSight actually needs some 32bit libraries to be installed as well, in order to install and run it successfully. This was easy in older versions of Ubuntu. You only had to install ia32-libs with your package manager. However, ia32-libs are no longer available on Ubuntu. So you need to determine which 32bit libraries you need and install them manually. This happens because DraftSight's installer doesn't come with a complete list of dependencies. If its dependencies list was complete you would be able to install it without problems on a 64bit Ubuntu system (that's the point of multiarch support).

So in order to install DraftSight on 64 bit Ubuntu 14.04 LTS you have to do the following:

• Install Synaptic and GDebi:

This step is optional but these two programs will make your life easier. Synaptic is an advanced package manager and GDebi is an application for the installation of standalone .deb files.

• Install the necessary 32bit libraries:

DraftSight needs some 32bit libraries in order to run the installer. That's why you need to install some packages before you run the installer. So open Synaptic and install the following packages.

libgtk2.0-0:i386
libcanberra-gtk-module:i386
libaudio2:i386
libstdc++6:i386
libglu1-mesa:i386
libgl1-mesa-glx:i386

 Without some extra 32bit libraries DraftSight will fail to install

Of course DraftSight needs more 32bit libraries in order to run but these will be installed automatically by installing the above packages. In order to install these libraries with Synaptic you have to use its search tool to find the above packages. Then you have to right click on the package you want to install and select the option "Mark for Installation". Once you have complete this process for all the above packages click on Apply button to proceed with the installation of all the necessary libraries.
Notice for users of binary graphics drivers:
If you install the drivers provided by the official Ubuntu repositories you will not face any problems. However, if you are used to install these drivers manually by downloading them from vendor's website don''t forget to install also the 32-bit compatibility drivers. Usually the installer asks about installing these drivers (This affects mainly Nvidia users).

• Modify DraftSight's installer:

Now you have to remove xdg-utils from the list of DraftSight's dependencies because it causes an error during the installation. Before you start, move draftSight.deb into your Home folder. So you have to:

1.  Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
2. Execute ar x draftSight.deb control.tar.gz
3. Unzip the control.tar.gz compressed archive
4. Move into the control folder and open control file
5. Delete xdg-utils and save the file. Be careful with the syntax of this file. If you don't know how to keep the correct syntax of this file visit this link.
6. Ctrl+A to select all the files inside the control file
7. Right click and select Compress
8. Compress the selected files as control.tar.gz and choose to save it inside your Home folder. You will be prompted to overwrite the existing archive.
9. Go back to the terminal and execute ar r draftSight.deb control.tar.gz

Modifying DraftSight's installer

• Install DraftSight

Now you are ready to install DraftSight on your Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit system. You have to use GDebi or the terminal in order to install DraftSight correctly.

Enjoy!!!

 Finally it works with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit

With a few tweaks you can apply the default desktop's theme.