I get my pharo on ubuntu 14 64 bit with cd Ephestos; wget -O- get.pharo.org/alpha+vmLatest | bash looks like startup scripts on ubuntu has been broken StartupPreferencesLoader preferencesGeneralFolder . returns nil, looking inside the method's source if I do FileLocator preferences asFileReference gives me a nice error Cant find the requested origin trying with cd Ephestos; wget -O- get.pharo.org/alpha+vm | bash for getting the stable default vm, same problem, so I assume this is an image problem here is the stack UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>cantFindOriginError [ self cantFindOriginError ] in UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed: in Block: [ self cantFindOriginError ] [ ^ aBlock value ] in UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed:or: in Block: [ ^ aBlock value ] BlockClosure>>cull: Context>>evaluateSignal: Context>>handleSignal: Error(Exception)>>signal Error(Exception)>>signal: Error class(Exception class)>>signal: FFICallout>>loaderForArgNamed: FFICallout>>loaderForArgNamed:indirectIndex: FFICallout>>argName:indirectIndex:type:ptrArity: FFIFunctionParser>>parseArgument FFIFunctionParser>>parseArguments FFIFunctionParser>>parseNamedFunction: FFICalloutMethodBuilder>>parseSignature: FFICalloutMethodBuilder>>generate FFICalloutMethodBuilder>>build: FFICalloutAPI>>function:module: UnixEnvironment(Object)>>ffiCall:module: UnixEnvironment(OSEnvironment)>>getEnv: UnixEnvironment(OSEnvironment)>>at:ifAbsent: [ Smalltalk os environment at: aString ifAbsent: [ nil ] ] in UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed:or: in Block: [ Smalltalk os environment at: aString ifAbsent: [...etc... BlockClosure>>on:do: UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed:or: UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed: UnixResolver>>home [ self home / '.config' ] in UnixResolver>>preferences in Block: [ self home / '.config' ] [ ^ aBlock value ] in UnixResolver(PlatformResolver)>>directoryFromEnvVariableNamed:or: in Block: [ ^ aBlock value ] BlockClosure>>cull: