mendeley-rpm

Git Repository at: mendeley-rpm.

This is an unofficial package designed for Fedora that packages Mendeley Desktop freely available from the web.

It attempts to maximize the use of system libraries and to adhere to Fedora guidelines.

The only files I wrote were the .spec and a fresh mendeleydesktop executable (that essentially does nothing). Therefore I won't bother putting a license on my files. The license for the files obtained from Mendeley is included as part of this install.

Installation

Easy way (Recommended)

Mendeley Desktop is availabe in rpmfusion repository.

1. Visit RPM Fusion to install the repository when needed.
2. Simply browse for Mendeley on GNOME Software or your favourite frontend package manager.
3. Alternately from a terminal, execute the command sudo dnf install mendeleydesktop or pkcon install mendeleydesktop.

Medium way

1. Download the latest RPM file for your computer architecture from https://github.com/hmaarrfk/mendeley-rpm/releases
2. Open a terminal and navigate to the folder which contains the RPM file, for example: cd ~/Downloads
3. Now, install the RPM file, for example with sudo dnf install mendeleydesktop-VERSION.ARCHITECTURE.rpm (where you have to replace VERSION and ARCHITECTURE).

Hard way: Build the RPM yourself

You need the tool mock that you can read more about here

1. Clone: git clone https://github.com/hmaarrfk/mendeley-rpm.git.
2. make.
3. Run mock with the generated srpm.

Screenshots

Login session

Welcome dialog when opened for the first

Mendeley Desktop in default Library as Table view

Mendeley Desktop in Library as Citation view

Wish official support

The issue of having an RPM has been raised to Mendeley in the past:

• General Linux 2012
• Gentoo 2012
• Fedora 2013

Collaborators

The first version was written by Mark Harfouche (2013.01.21). A few collaborators helped along the way: Chris Fallin, Filipe Manco and Luya Tshimbalanga.

Development Notes

It might be instructive to look at what was done by the Gentoo community. http://gentoo-overlays.zugaina.org/funtoo/sci-misc.html.en#mendeleydesktop

Honestly, I think we might be doing it better since we don't install into /opt. I always feel like installing into /opt is a hack.

Then again, they are not like packaging noobs like we are :D.

Packaging Situation

At one point in time, this package was hosted on COPR. This broke their guidelines so I had to remove it.

I was trying to upload it to rpmfusion but hit a small snag that I don't particularly have time to solve.

https://bugzilla.rpmfusion.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4041

After several revisions to adhere to rpmfusion guideline, Mendeley Desktop finally landed to rpmfusion repository first in devel branch and update-testing for each active Fedora (29 and 30) and Red Hat Enterprise 8 releases.

Other ways to obtain Mendeley

Flathub: https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.elsevier.MendeleyDesktop

AppImage: (Seems a little out of date though) https://bintray.com/probono/AppImages/Mendeley_Desktop/

Known Bugs

None.