Public bug reported: I just upgraded to Ubuntu 20.04 and my first shell command was 'emacs'. The response was:
Command 'emacs' not found, but can be installed with: sudo snap install emacs # version 27.1, or sudo apt install e3 # version 1:2.71-2 sudo apt install emacs-gtk # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install emacs-lucid # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install emacs-nox # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install jove # version 4.17.2.7-1 See 'snap info emacs' for additional versions. So I tried the first command 'sudo snap install emacs'. So I tried it: $ sudo snap install emacs [sudo] password for eggert: error: This revision of snap "emacs" was published using classic confinement and thus may perform arbitrary system changes outside of the security sandbox that snaps are usually confined to, which may put your system at risk. If you understand and want to proceed repeat the command including --classic. That didn't look promising, but I was stubborn, and continued as follows: $ sudo snap install --classic emacs emacs 27.1 from Alex Murray (alexmurray) installed Great! Now I can run Emacs. But the experience was not good at all: $ emacs notes (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.782: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:1521:23: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.786: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:3460:25: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.787: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:3922:23: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 34: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 36: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 36: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' I then did a bit of reading to discover what snaps were and how they're controversial in Ubuntu and perhaps are not ready for prime-time, and thought, OK, I'll use apt instead. I did this: $ sudo snap remove emacs emacs removed $ sudo apt install emacs Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required: dwz gcc-8-base:i386 gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-3.0 libaribb24-0 libavresample3 libbison-dev libbrotli-dev libcamlp4-ocaml-dev libcddb2 libdbusmenu-qt5-2 libdca0 libdrm-dev libdvdread4 libebml4v5 libfaad2 libffi6:i386 libfile-stripnondeterminism-perl libfindlib-ocaml libgfortran4 libglew2.0 libgtkglext1 libixml10 libjavascriptcoregtk-3.0-0 libjavascriptcoregtk-3.0-dev libjbig0:i386 libjpeg8:i386 libkate1 libkf5codecs-data libkf5configwidgets-data libkf5dbusaddons-bin libkf5iconthemes-data libkf5jobwidgets-data libkf5jobwidgets5 libkf5notifications-data libkf5solid5-data libkf5textwidgets-data libkf5wallet-data liblua5.2-0 liblvm2app2.2 libmad0 libmatroska6v5 libmicrodns0 libmysqlclient20 libobjc-7-dev libomp5 libpangox-1.0-0 libpostproc54 libprotobuf-lite10 libproxy-tools libpsl-dev libqgsttools-p1 libsidplay2 libsndio7.0 libsoup2.4-dev libspatialaudio0 libsrt1 libssh2-1 libstdc++-7-dev libsub-override-perl libtagsoup-java libwebp6:i386 libx11-xcb-dev libxcb-dri3-dev libxcb-glx0-dev mesa-common-dev php7.2-common php7.2-readline po-debconf python-cairo python-enum34 python-gobject-2 python-idna python-libxml2 python-urllib3 qemu-efi-arm qemu-system-arm qemu-system-misc qemu-user qtcore4-l10n x11proto-composite-dev Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them. The following additional packages will be installed: emacs-bin-common emacs-common emacs-el emacs-gtk Suggested packages: mailutils emacs-common-non-dfsg The following NEW packages will be installed: emacs emacs-bin-common emacs-common emacs-el emacs-gtk 0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 32.9 MB of archives. After this operation, 128 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y Get:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-common all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [13.3 MB] Get:2 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-bin-common amd64 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [112 kB] Get:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-gtk amd64 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [3,588 kB] Get:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [12.7 kB] Get:5 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-el all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [15.9 MB] Fetched 32.9 MB in 2s (15.4 MB/s) Selecting previously unselected package emacs-common. (Reading database ... 329381 files and directories currently installed.) Preparing to unpack .../emacs-common_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-bin-common. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-bin-common_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb ... Unpacking emacs-bin-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-gtk. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-gtk_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb ... Unpacking emacs-gtk (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs. Preparing to unpack .../emacs_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-el. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-el_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs-el (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-el (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-bin-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/ctags.emacs to provide /usr/bin/ctags (ctags) in auto mode update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/ebrowse.emacs to provide /usr/bin/ebrowse (ebrowse) in auto mode update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/emacsclient.emacs to provide /usr/bin/emacsclient (emacsclient) in auto mode Setting up emacs-gtk (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/emacs-gtk to provide /usr/bin/emacs (emacs) in auto mode Install a2ps for emacs Install cmake-data for emacs Install emacsen-common for emacs emacsen-common: Handling install of emacsen flavor emacs Install dictionaries-common for emacs install/dictionaries-common: Byte-compiling for emacsen flavour emacs Setting up emacs (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Processing triggers for mime-support (3.64ubuntu1) ... Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ... Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-1ubuntu1) ... Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.1-1) ... Processing triggers for install-info (6.7.0.dfsg.2-5) ... Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.24-1ubuntu3) ... Fine. Now I can run Emacs, right? Wrong: $ emacs bash: /snap/bin/emacs: No such file or directory $ type emacs emacs is hashed (/snap/bin/emacs) The fix was to start up a new shell: $ exec bash $ emacs And I finally got a nice Emacs that didn't have so many problems. Yay! Now, the Emacs I'm running is 26.3, whereas the snap version is 27.1. I'd rather be running 27.1, but not if it has that many problems. OK, now I'd like to file a bug report against the Emacs 27.1 snap. There seems to be no way to do it. apport doesn't seem right, since my snap isn't installed. I spent a lot of time Googling for how to file a bug report. I eventually find https://launchpad.net/~alexmurray/+snap/emacs/ which suggests that the Emacs 27.1 snap is maintained by Alex Murray, but there's link from that page to any bug-reporting mechanism. So, my suggestions: 1. Make it clear how to report bugs against snaps. The current bug- reporting mechanism is so vague that I expect you're missing a lot of useful bug reports. People just give up and don't report the bugs. 2. For Emacs, when one types 'emacs' and it's not installed, suggest the snap at the end not at the start, since the snap for Emacs is not ready for ordinary users. 3. Fix the Emacs snap so that it works, without having all the problems that put all those diagnostics on my terminal. ** Affects: emacs (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop Packages, which is subscribed to emacs in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1898083 Title: emacs snap has many errors on startup Status in emacs package in Ubuntu: New Bug description: I just upgraded to Ubuntu 20.04 and my first shell command was 'emacs'. The response was: Command 'emacs' not found, but can be installed with: sudo snap install emacs # version 27.1, or sudo apt install e3 # version 1:2.71-2 sudo apt install emacs-gtk # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install emacs-lucid # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install emacs-nox # version 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 sudo apt install jove # version 4.17.2.7-1 See 'snap info emacs' for additional versions. So I tried the first command 'sudo snap install emacs'. So I tried it: $ sudo snap install emacs [sudo] password for eggert: error: This revision of snap "emacs" was published using classic confinement and thus may perform arbitrary system changes outside of the security sandbox that snaps are usually confined to, which may put your system at risk. If you understand and want to proceed repeat the command including --classic. That didn't look promising, but I was stubborn, and continued as follows: $ sudo snap install --classic emacs emacs 27.1 from Alex Murray (alexmurray) installed Great! Now I can run Emacs. But the experience was not good at all: $ emacs notes (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.782: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:1521:23: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.786: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:3460:25: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name (emacs:5050): Gtk-WARNING **: 09:40:34.787: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:3922:23: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-hinting-slight.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/11-lcdfilter-default.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/20-unhint-small-vera.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/30-metric-aliases.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/40-nonlatin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-generic.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/45-latin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/49-sansserif.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/50-user.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/51-local.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-generic.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/60-latin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 34: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 35: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 36: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-fonts-persian.conf", line 36: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-nonlatin.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/69-unifont.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/70-no-bitmaps.conf", line 8: unknown element "description" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/80-delicious.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 4: unknown element "its:rules" Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: unknown element "its:translateRule" Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'translate' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 5: invalid attribute 'selector' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'xmlns:its' Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/90-synthetic.conf", line 6: invalid attribute 'version' I then did a bit of reading to discover what snaps were and how they're controversial in Ubuntu and perhaps are not ready for prime-time, and thought, OK, I'll use apt instead. I did this: $ sudo snap remove emacs emacs removed $ sudo apt install emacs Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required: dwz gcc-8-base:i386 gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-3.0 libaribb24-0 libavresample3 libbison-dev libbrotli-dev libcamlp4-ocaml-dev libcddb2 libdbusmenu-qt5-2 libdca0 libdrm-dev libdvdread4 libebml4v5 libfaad2 libffi6:i386 libfile-stripnondeterminism-perl libfindlib-ocaml libgfortran4 libglew2.0 libgtkglext1 libixml10 libjavascriptcoregtk-3.0-0 libjavascriptcoregtk-3.0-dev libjbig0:i386 libjpeg8:i386 libkate1 libkf5codecs-data libkf5configwidgets-data libkf5dbusaddons-bin libkf5iconthemes-data libkf5jobwidgets-data libkf5jobwidgets5 libkf5notifications-data libkf5solid5-data libkf5textwidgets-data libkf5wallet-data liblua5.2-0 liblvm2app2.2 libmad0 libmatroska6v5 libmicrodns0 libmysqlclient20 libobjc-7-dev libomp5 libpangox-1.0-0 libpostproc54 libprotobuf-lite10 libproxy-tools libpsl-dev libqgsttools-p1 libsidplay2 libsndio7.0 libsoup2.4-dev libspatialaudio0 libsrt1 libssh2-1 libstdc++-7-dev libsub-override-perl libtagsoup-java libwebp6:i386 libx11-xcb-dev libxcb-dri3-dev libxcb-glx0-dev mesa-common-dev php7.2-common php7.2-readline po-debconf python-cairo python-enum34 python-gobject-2 python-idna python-libxml2 python-urllib3 qemu-efi-arm qemu-system-arm qemu-system-misc qemu-user qtcore4-l10n x11proto-composite-dev Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them. The following additional packages will be installed: emacs-bin-common emacs-common emacs-el emacs-gtk Suggested packages: mailutils emacs-common-non-dfsg The following NEW packages will be installed: emacs emacs-bin-common emacs-common emacs-el emacs-gtk 0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 32.9 MB of archives. After this operation, 128 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y Get:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-common all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [13.3 MB] Get:2 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-bin-common amd64 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [112 kB] Get:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-gtk amd64 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [3,588 kB] Get:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [12.7 kB] Get:5 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 emacs-el all 1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2 [15.9 MB] Fetched 32.9 MB in 2s (15.4 MB/s) Selecting previously unselected package emacs-common. (Reading database ... 329381 files and directories currently installed.) Preparing to unpack .../emacs-common_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-bin-common. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-bin-common_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb ... Unpacking emacs-bin-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-gtk. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-gtk_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb ... Unpacking emacs-gtk (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs. Preparing to unpack .../emacs_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Selecting previously unselected package emacs-el. Preparing to unpack .../emacs-el_1%3a26.3+1-1ubuntu2_all.deb ... Unpacking emacs-el (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-el (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Setting up emacs-bin-common (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/ctags.emacs to provide /usr/bin/ctags (ctags) in auto mode update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/ebrowse.emacs to provide /usr/bin/ebrowse (ebrowse) in auto mode update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/emacsclient.emacs to provide /usr/bin/emacsclient (emacsclient) in auto mode Setting up emacs-gtk (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/emacs-gtk to provide /usr/bin/emacs (emacs) in auto mode Install a2ps for emacs Install cmake-data for emacs Install emacsen-common for emacs emacsen-common: Handling install of emacsen flavor emacs Install dictionaries-common for emacs install/dictionaries-common: Byte-compiling for emacsen flavour emacs Setting up emacs (1:26.3+1-1ubuntu2) ... Processing triggers for mime-support (3.64ubuntu1) ... Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.17-2) ... Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.36.0-1ubuntu1) ... Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.1-1) ... Processing triggers for install-info (6.7.0.dfsg.2-5) ... Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.24-1ubuntu3) ... Fine. Now I can run Emacs, right? Wrong: $ emacs bash: /snap/bin/emacs: No such file or directory $ type emacs emacs is hashed (/snap/bin/emacs) The fix was to start up a new shell: $ exec bash $ emacs And I finally got a nice Emacs that didn't have so many problems. Yay! Now, the Emacs I'm running is 26.3, whereas the snap version is 27.1. I'd rather be running 27.1, but not if it has that many problems. OK, now I'd like to file a bug report against the Emacs 27.1 snap. There seems to be no way to do it. apport doesn't seem right, since my snap isn't installed. I spent a lot of time Googling for how to file a bug report. I eventually find https://launchpad.net/~alexmurray/+snap/emacs/ which suggests that the Emacs 27.1 snap is maintained by Alex Murray, but there's link from that page to any bug-reporting mechanism. So, my suggestions: 1. Make it clear how to report bugs against snaps. The current bug- reporting mechanism is so vague that I expect you're missing a lot of useful bug reports. People just give up and don't report the bugs. 2. For Emacs, when one types 'emacs' and it's not installed, suggest the snap at the end not at the start, since the snap for Emacs is not ready for ordinary users. 3. Fix the Emacs snap so that it works, without having all the problems that put all those diagnostics on my terminal. To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/emacs/+bug/1898083/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages Post to : desktop-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp