On Tue, 8 Nov 2011 18:00:04 +0400 Alexandre Prokoudine <alexandre.prokoudine@...400...> wrote:
On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 5:47 PM, john Culleton wrote:
I would vote against anything that would require additional libraries over and above what I have now. Installing Inkscape on my brand of linux, Slackware, is a real bear because of library x which demands library y which uses a download and compile system different from the usual ones --- well you know the drill.
Mmm... no, I don't know the drill. I just use 'sudo apt-get build-dep PACKAGE' on Ubuntu to install all dependencies required to build PACKAGE from source code. And even so it's just because I'm a retarded translator who is used to building stuff himself. Other people just use the PPA.
In my not so humble opinion people who choose source based distributions automatically enable the "Yes, I hereby confirm readiness to have occasional sex with software dependencies" checkbox. It's part of the game. Or, to put it in a milder wording, "If you don't want the monster, you don't pull the lever" (C) Terry Pratchett
The move to GTK+3 is inevitable, but it isn't likely to happen for 0.49 which won't be released until sometime in 2012. Besides, GTK+3 is likely to improve things for us performance-wise. I can't see people complaining about that :)
Alexandre Prokoudine http://libregraphicsworld.org
So I have a respite until sometime in 2012. Good. I just want to do my work with a reasonably current set of tools. The less work I have to do to keep current the better I like it.
Different apps offer different challenges. For those of us who use Slackware or a Slackware derivative, Inkscape offers real challenges because of the many non-Slackware libraries required. There is a list of about six, and those have to be installed in a certain order. And you have to watch the versions. Sometimes package x requires library version a but package y requires library version b.
Fortunately the Slackware spin-off Salix offers a packaging system called slapt-get, and that in turn contains Inkscape 48.2, which is current or almost current. So I don't compile Inkscape from source but use a package manager.
But repositories, like distributions, don't always offer all the required packages or the current versions. If there is a major change of the libraries required for Inkscape Salix may not keep up. So I worry.
Scribus offers a different set of opportunities and problems. Salix repository doesn't contain Scribus at all. So compile from source is my only option. Fortunately it is relatively easy.
There are other apps that are available in source form only. I use whatever form is available and easiest.