Minecraft on Linux Guide

Minecraft on Linux Guide by wacossusca34

Here’s simple guide on how to get minecraft on Linux. I will go through all the possible issues that can happen, that I know of.

1.) You will need Java. Some Linux distributions come with it already, some have special packages for it, some just need a simple download at sun.com – the place to get java.

2.) Download minecraft. I hope by now you know where to download it. Download the .jar version of minecraft under the Linux / Other section.

3.) try to run it by just clicking it. Now we break it down into different issues, if it doesnt work.

3-A.) It opens, then flashes, then closes
This can be due to a number of reasons. The most common mistake is that you do not have your latest drivers. Most distributions of Linux have an interface to get drivers. Ubuntu has one, so does some of the smaller distros, such as Puppy. Launch minecraft from terminal with this code:

java -jar minecraft.jar

It SHOULD run, then crash, with the error report in the terminal. If it says it failed to find an OpenGL or OpenGLX acceleration, then it’s your drivers. Just update them! Linux is not as supported as windows, but there should be some driver for you computer that works. Just search on the internet for Linux drivers for your graphics card.

If it does not work, you have to then complete 3-B, since your path is not set properly. This is pretty uncommon in Linux, however needs to be done in manual Java installations where there is no binary that installs it for you.

3-B.) It says it does not know what to open it with, it does not know what it is, or it doesn’t do anything… at all.
This means one of two things – You don’t have Java, or the “System Path” is not set. A System Path is the path for you Java location in your computer. Ensure that you have java, then continue on;

There’s two ways to get around this. The first is to tell your computer to run Java from a directory you have called to. This essentially means to type this into a blank text file named “start.sh” in the same directory your minecraft.jar download is in.:

cd "*"
java -jar minecraft.jar
pause

Where the * is, fill it with the location of your /Java/jre#.#.#/bin (Where # is, well the numbers of your version, sometimes there is no jre folder though; just the ‘bin’ folder.). For example, in Puppy Linux, it is in “/mnt/home/java/bin”

After you are done making that file, save it, then launch it. Hopefully it works! If it doesn’t, keep moving on.

SOOO, now your reading this, and whatever dimwit who make the installer package for your Java was… well quite a dimwit. Either that, or you have had to manually install Java.

This is where it gets tricky. I can’t really help you, but to tell you what to google:

Setting System Path in &*! Linux

where &*! is, type your version of Linux. Search on the internet on how to set your system path to something. Remember, the path you want to add is the stuff you type after the cd and in between the ” and “.

Hope this helped you Linux guys. Post here any other issues running minecraft on any version of Linux, and / or other tips on getting it to work. Thanks!