XPDF

[BoDiddley]

Greetings: Knoppix 6.2.1 HD install. I have been doing stable upgrades only for some time now because of OpenOffice.org. However, Debian recently did a major stable update, which broke OpenOffice again. However, I finally wised-up to completely remove it and install Abiword. My problem is that since the Major stable upgrade XPDF has not worked properly. I had loaded a few chess games in between. Did not care for them and removed them. I thought this might have caused a problem with XPDF. However, after completely removing XPDF (apt-get), autoremove, and re-"install" I still cannot open a .pdf file in XPDF. I can however, open it using Abiword. Any suggestions?

[utu]

@ BoDiddley

You might try a Knoppix 6.4.3 or 6.4.4 LiveCD and see how you like LibreOffice 3,
and if that solves your XPDF problem. The XPDF in 6.4.4 is 3.02.
I use LibreOffice 3 interchangeably with OOo, and can't see the difference.

If you like what you see, then you can do your HD thing. And good luck.

[Forester]

Hi Bo,

Have you solved your problem yet ?

I still cannot open a .pdf file in XPDF.

Is that any pdf file and just a specific pdf file ? In the second case, did you create the pdf file and if so, how ?

I have Knoppix 6.4.3 and I have just downloaded a pdf file and it was opened in okular. I tried xpdf and it opened in there too so it is not all broken for everyone everywhere.

However, Debian recently did a major stable update, which broke OpenOffice again.

Is this pertinent ? I mean, is the manipulation of pdf files in Open Office what broke for you and without which OpenOffice is no use to you ?

I have been doing stable upgrades only for some time now because of OpenOffice.org.

What do you mean by this ? To me, this suggests you have been tracking Debian Lenny, which last year did upgrade OpenOffice.org but only to fix 'security' issues. Now Debian Squeeze is Debian Stable. If you upgraded to this, your whole software base, OpenOffice.org included has jumped two years. Very sorry if this 'broke' your OpenOffice again but it's not like the Debian project did anything Jobsian / Gatesian / patronisingly megalomaniac / shut up little user we know what's best for you.

If this is what happened, I suspect the Knoppix way of doing things is to save your personal data, do a HD install of Knoppix 6.4.4 (which near coincided with the release of Debian 6 aka Squeeze), restore your personal data and go from there.

[BoDiddley]

Thannks Guy's, I have just been cruising along on 6.2.1. Now that I understand a little more about Linux. I guess I will try 6.4.4 - This way any questions will be current. Catch you after the upgrade.

[BoDiddley]

I did want to add that it seems many of the "opportunities" i encounter seem to only apply to me. This reminds me that in 2004 I wanted to be slightly different so I purcahsed a top-notch notebook that has an AMD processor (started out 797 MHZ, went to 1.6 GHZ after memory upgrade). Ever so often I do encounter a glitch that I feel may be associated with that deciscion. I changed my mind about going to 6.4.4 - maybe I will upgrade in version 7. I do not fix things that are not broken. Or, I only fix the part which is broken.

[BoDiddley]

.... update. Not sure how or when it happened, but XPDF is working again.