Grace 5.1.7 and 5.1.10 by default run the following command to access help files: "netscape -remote openURL\\\\(%s,new-window\\\\) >>/dev/null 2>&1 || netscape %s" (this can be changed by the configure flag --with-helpviewer). If $GRACE_HELPVIEWER is defined, they run that instead. The ebuilds do not modify this default, and do not set GRACE_HELPVIEWER. This has 2 problems: 1. Most users do not have an executable called netscape in their path. 2. More importantly, Grace looks for its html help files in $GRACE_HOME/doc (/usr/share/grace/doc by default), but the ebuilds put the help files in $PREFIX/share/doc/$PF/html (/usr/share/doc/grace-5.1.*/html by default). Thus, even IF there is netscape, it won't find the help files... The following is a hack to solve it (for mozilla and Grace 5.1.10): ln -s /usr/share/doc/grace-5.1.10/html /usr/share/grace/doc echo 'export GRACE_HELPVIEWER="mozilla -remote openURL\\\\(%s,new-window\\\\) >>/dev/null 2>&1 || mozilla %s" ' >> /etc/profile.env Ideally, the ebuild should be changed to: 1. add the symlink to $GRACE_HOME/doc 2. depend on a simple, lightweight html viewer 3. set GRACE_HELPVIEWER in /etc/profile.env to use that html viewer 4. set configure --with-helpviewer to use mozilla instead of netscape This bug is somewhat important, because the html files are the major documentation for Grace, and memorizing all the features of Grace is insane :) Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. emerge grace 2. xmgrace 3. (click on help->User's Guide) Actual Results: nothing happens :) Expected Results: an html viewer with the user's guide appears...
this is not a gnome or gtk+ app.
Fixed in 5.1.10-r1 and 5.1.12-r1. Thanks for reporting.