New Install Aches & Pains.
 

It was back in '95 that I started with Slackware, but for the last year and a half or so I've been booting between Slackware 11, 12, various releases of Kubuntu, and, ugh, only when necessary, XP.

Running Kubuntu was interesting, but as time passed it became more and more apparent why Slackware is the superior Linux distribution and this last weekend Kubuntu was swiped off the hard drive and I did a fresh install of Slackware 12.2.

Slackware being Slackware I'm having the usual installation "aches and pains" and have been on the 'Net looking for answers.

Found the solution for Firefox not being able to import bookmarks so that is out of the way (and I prefer Opera anyway :) ).

I am very suprised to see that after two years the sound in OpenOffice Impress still doesn't work in Slackware. Does anyone know the fix for this problem?

Another member has said he couldn't get hplip to work with his all-in-one HP product. I've never been able to get hplip to work with my HP Deskjet 940c, but there are ways around it. I can do without hplip, but it would be nice to get that working. BTW, neither Slackware 12 or 12.2 see my printer and I've had to add "modprobe ppdev" to the /etc/rc.d/rc.local file.

Both sound in Impress and hplip worked out of the box in Kubuntu, but,
as I've said, I've learned my lesson and I'm sticking with Slackware (and maybe Slamd64).

Any help getting the sound to work in Impress (Robby's package of OO3.0.1) would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks.
:)

I think that printer should work just fine:
http://openprinting.org/show_printer...P-DeskJet_940C
you can also download the ppd from there if your system doesn't have it.

I would like to know why you are so down on Kubuntu and why you believe Slack is so superior when it seems everything worked for you out of the box with Kubuntu? I find your choice of words interesting and would just like to know what problems you had with Kubuntu. :scratch:

Thanks for the thought. Greatly appreciated, but I've been there, download the ppd, etc., and none of it helped. I've given up on the hplip at this point, but was able to install it using CUPS and it works fine.

Hello. I think you might be reading too much into my comments. :)

First and foremost, I'm a "end user." The type of guy who likes to change his own oil and maybe even adjust the valves, but when it comes to major engine work, I leave that to the professionals. :D

As mentioned I started with Slackware, but along the line have used Red Hat, OpenLinux (Caldera), Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and a few others that don't come to mind at the moment. I've found Slackware to be the most consistent. Slackware continues to use the basic Linux conventions and have not tried to change the file structure (which doesn't need to be changed) or hide the system from the user. It is simple and by that I mean there is nothing included that doesn't need to be included. It is stable. It is secure.
I have no way of accurately measuring "speed," but after one and a half to two years of running various versions of Kubuntu amd_64, I am certain 32 bit Slackware is faster. By faster I mean the time it takes to move (copy) files around, open applications, etc. Not being a Tech I can't give you an example of security, but from everything I've read on the subject, and what little I know, it would appear to this "end user" that Slackware has to be the more secure of the two when compared to Kubuntu.
Kubuntu is not a stable as Slackware and that opinion, is, again, based on daily use. There seems to be a movement by the K/Ubuntu developers to "hide" the system from the user. Sudo was driving me crazy. :)
The major event, so to speak, that change my opinion about Kubuntu was when version 8.10 was released and we, the users, were forced to use KDE 4.1.3. And, don't tell me we weren't forced. If you are a K/Ubuntu user and you want the latest versions of your favorite applications for K/Ubuntu, you have to make the "upgrade." The combination of 8.10 and KDE 4.1.3 wasn't as stable as MS-Windows 98, 2nd Edition.
I couldn't believe someone, i.e., a Linux distribution, would do that to their users. It seemed so very "microsoft" in attitude and I really don't want anything to do with a company that has such contempt for their customers.

After about 4 months of Kubuntu 8.10 and KDE 4.1.x they did finally release a "update" of 8.04 with KDE 3.5.10, saying,

"Kubuntu 8.04.2 Released
Submitted on Sat, 2009-02-21
The Kubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Kubuntu 8.04.2, the
second and final maintenance update to Kubuntu's 8.04 release. This release
includes updated desktop, and alternate installation CDs for the i386 and
amd64 architectures. This update is provided in recognition that the current Kubuntu release (8.10) with its cutting edge KDE 4 desktop is not yet appropriate for all users...."

AND, it would appear they have learned their lesson and will be releasing
9.04, or at least a beta of 9.04, with KDE 3.5.10:

"Kubuntu Jaunty KDE 3 Remix Beta
Submitted on Thu, 2009-04-09
A remix of our Jaunty Beta has been made with KDE 3 packages. The main focus of this remix is to keep the mature, stable, and familiar KDE3.5 desktop environment available for easy installation and use. Along the way, various bugs have been fixed, and small enhancements added, see the release notes page for information and where to download."

Regardless, overall, in my personal opinion (and I'm sure you have yours :) ) Slackware is the better distribution. Not only will I be staying with Slackware and Slamd64, but I'll be staying with KDE 3.5.10. Just a couple of days of once again using 3.5.10, has made me realized just how much has yet to be done to KDE 4.x before it will be as functional as 3.5.10.

What you find in Windows XP that you can't find in Linux? I'm just curious. I stopped to use Windows at all in 2000. In 2009 I started to use it from time to time -- when I need to print some documents -- because I got as a gift Canon PIXMA iP3600 and I was unable to run that printer using my Slackware Linux.

Aren't Slackware users who use KDE (I don't) likely to face the same 4.x problem with the next release? It doesn't seem likely to come with a 3.5 option.

Brian

It seems to me your problem had more to do with KDE's instability than it did with Kubuntu. I imagine you could have just as easily uninstalled the offending KDE 4.X version and installed the more stable release. But, I digress, I was just curious.
Best regards.

Scanning.
I have XP running in VirtualBox to do scanning, something I do daily, as the results done with Sane/Xsane are grossly inferior in both quality of image and size of resulting .pdf files.

Well, given the circumstances I didn't have a choice but to hang on with 8.10 and KDE 4.x. Had I been able to do so I would have gone back to 8.04 and KDE 3.5.10, but that wasn't an option at the time. A long story I'm sure you don't want to hear.
The lack of stability is a problem with KDE 4.x.

Unfortunately, it would appear you are correct. I had thought KDE 4.2.x was just about ready for prime-time, but after once again using 3.5.10 over the last few days, I've come to the conclusion 4.x is NOT ready.

OK, to get back on topic:

Does anyone know how to get the sound working in OpenOffice Impress (Robby's package of OO3.0.1)?

Thanks.

Even if you use the CUPS interface to setup the printer it's still using the HPLIP drivers. hp-setup has NEVER worked for me, so don't bother with it.

As for sound in openoffice, I've never found an answer. But then I never need it.

Well, it should. It is using the hpijs driver which is part of the hplip package.

Another thing that should work out of the box. Without full functionality, e.g., sound in Impress, OpenOffice really can't be considered a replacement for ms-office.

As previously mentioned both hplip and sound in Impress work out of the box in Kubuntu, but as we know,
overall, Slackware is the better distribution. :)
OTOH, these problems have been on going for quite some time and yet there doesn't seem to be an solution to getting them corrected in Slackware. Must not be important to most Slackers. :)