Linux install requires root access to run

[VikOlliver]

Installing github-hosted PancakePainter_1.3.0_amd64.deb, installing on Ubuntu 18.04 and, as a normal user, running PancakePainter results in:

vik@Condor:~/Downloads$ PancakePainter
A JavaScript error occurred in the main process
Uncaught Exception:
Error: EACCES: permission denied, open '/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/settings.json'
at Error (native)
at Object.fs.openSync (fs.js:584:18)
at Object.module.(anonymous function) [as openSync] (ELECTRON_ASAR.js:158:20)
at Object.fs.writeFileSync (fs.js:1234:33)
at Object.fsPlus.writeFileSync (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/node_modules/fs-plus/lib/fs-plus.js:288:17)
at Object.app.settings.save (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/src/main.js:108:10)
at Object.app.settings.load (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/src/main.js:125:12)
at settingsInit (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/src/main.js:133:16)
at start (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/src/main.js:33:3)
at Object. (/usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/src/main.js:216:1)

and no PancakePainter GUI .

This can be worked around by changing ownership of the settings file to the current user (in this case vik):

sudo chown vik /usr/share/PancakePainter/resources/app/settings.json

but this is not a recommended security practice. I would suggest creating new a new directory in the user home called .PancakePainter and putting the settings file there. There may be other practices, but this is one I'm familiar with.