Installing Slackware 13 over 12 - HP nx7400 - driver / package management hints?
 

Hi all! (that's my first post on LQ)

You may consider me a "false beginner"... For a couple of years I've been learning to use Linux for more and more purposes instead of Windows XP, and hope to fully migrate to Slackware to avoid using Vista/7.

In Slackware 12, to be able to use up-to-date versions of apps (e.g. of Firefox, Pidgin, media players) I used gslapt / slapt-get. Unfortunately, in my unprofessional case, it resulted in a dependency hell, so I cannot update my programs, and I think I would like to make a clean install again...

I wonder, which configuration files I may just copy from the old version (x.org.conf - wheelmouse/touchpad configuration, ...)

There are also some things, which I didn't succeed to figure out:

1. integrated video card: Intel 945gma
(HW specification: http://emisca.altervista.org/nx7400/ )
There is a page http://intellinuxgraphics.org/ - I'll try to use their driver, because I'm disappointed with how even simple web fonts look like under linux (I have used the default graphics driver until now)

2. HPLIP - I didn't succeed in forcing the HP 5550 to print with full resolution yet. Here are my logs: https://answers.launchpad.net/hplip/+question/58683
Maybe fersh install of Slackware 13 will resolve this issue.

If you have some hints regarding drivers and dependency/package management, I'll be very grateful, because I am really not willing to do a reinstallation so often ;)

Regards,

My first advice would be to forget slapt-get/gslapt combination. I personally had huge problems with 3rd party repositories. Finally, switched completely to SlackBuilds as 3rd party software source and never looked back. Right now, I would rather build my software from source (by hand) than install from some 3rd party repo. So - learn how to use SlackBuilds. This is just my personal opinion, of course you are free to use your system however you want.;)

http://slackbuilds.org/
http://slackbuilds.org/howto/

Xorg.conf is now configured automatically by HAL. It is still possible to pass parameters manually by adding relevant parts to xorg.conf or to make xorg.conf with complete configuration. Touchpad is configured by using HAL's FDIs (whole process is in copying some example files and removing comment lines). Maybe the best option is to backup your whole /etc, make clean install and then see what are you missing. Later, you can compare it, merge old conf files with new ones or simply add just relevant lines.

Don't have experience with Intel graphics, but I know that there are some Intel drivers in /extra, so you can check them out if you have problems with default one. Someone else will probably be more helpful.

One more thing - whole beauty of Slackware is the lack of dependency tracking. Personally, default Slackware's package tools (installpkg, upgradepkg, removepkg, pkgtools) are just enough. There is also slackpkg which is installed by default. If you decide to use SlackBuilds, check out sbopkg.

Hello,

Beware that Slackware 13.0 ships with KDE4 and no KDE3. So if you're a KDE guy and would prefer to stick to KDE3, install Slackware 12.2.

Also with Slackware 12.2, you won't have any issue with the intel graphic chipset.