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List:       kde-linux
Subject:    Re: [kde-linux] Trying to build a Help Search Index in KDE
From:       Drachen <drak () kalamazoo ! net>
Date:       2006-08-28 6:13:11
Message-ID: 44F28977.50901 () kalamazoo ! net
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Gary L. Greene Jr. wrote:

>On Saturday 26 August 2006 23:22, Drachen Birch wrote:
>  
>
>>Hello.
>>
>>     I have an ancient, 500 MHz Compaq running Slackware 10.2, and KDE
>>3.4.2 (bundled with the Slack distro).  When I press the button to build
>>a Help search index so that the KDE Help can actually help, I get this
>>message:
>>
>>     INDEXDIR: /home/drak/.kde/share/apps/khelpcenter/index/
>>FINDCMD: find /opt/kde/share/doc/HTML/en/ -name index.docbook
>>Creating index for 'kde_application_manuals'
>>htdig failed
>>
>>     On the screen with the "build index" button, opposite the checkbox
>>for the Help application manuals, it says: "missing".
>>Is it possible that the distro simply didn't load the help files?  Would
>>any distro builder be that mental?  Or does this happen all the time?
>>As you may have guessed, I'm a newbie, CLI skills very rudimentary, and
>>patience wearing thin.  I assume that htdig is one of the zillion or so
>>tiny programs within the OS?  I have run across a few posts on the KDE
>>site and elsewhere that quote exactly the same error message, on other
>>distros and on Slack.  Unfortunately, the discussions of how to fix the
>>problem were old, and sufficiently complex as to blow my little newbie
>>doors off.  One guy that already knew a dozen programming languages was
>>talking about having to learn yet another in order to kluge a fix for
>>the problem.  Problem was never solved on that thread.  Problem was
>>declared "unconfirmed" on the KDE site thread (also old).  If
>>confirmation is really needed, I apparently can re-create this problem
>>reliably and infinitely.  Any ideas?  Thanks!
>>
>>
>>-drak
>>    
>>
>
>First, I have to give apologies to any folks on this list that are Slack 
>users. Now that that's out of the way...
>
>Drak, I hate to say it but if you're not comfortable with the command line in 
>some way, Slackware is NOT the distribution for you, as it is far more unixy 
>than many of the other distributions. It along with Gentoo and others of 
>their ilk are not very suitable for beginning users of GNU/Linux. I would 
>really recommend checking out Kubuntu, OpenSuSE, Mandrake, or PCLinuxOS.
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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>More info: http://www.kde.org/faq.html.
>
Howdy, Gary, and thanks for the input, but...

-Here's the skinny.  I am only uncomfortable with CLI _because_ I'm a 
newbie.  I am learning, but this will take time. I hope to learn this 
because I'm fascinated by the FabLab concept, wish ultimately to get 
involved with  it, and FabLabs are being implemented using Linux. 
    I _did_ have a Mandrake distro running before switching to Slack on 
the advice of a minor Linux god of my acquaintance.  I figured from the 
beginning that it would be a slightly steeper learning curve, but I need 
a better than passing understanding of Linux, for my future plans.  What 
I'm hoping to find are specific details, explanations, or instructions 
for getting past this KDE Help issue, and that should make me a lot more 
self-sufficient with the GUI, while I'm learning the CLI.
    I had a hard time getting Mandrake to recognize most of my antique 
hardware, but Slack just did it.  Also, Mandrake had a lot of trouble 
while failing to get me on the net, and Slack got the job done right 
away.  That was the first thing I needed, in order to access the 
boards.  Next, I need help files and man pages.  I really _want_ to do 
it myself, but I need to find and configure some basic tools to do that, 
first.  Then maybe I can start being a little more self-sufficient on 
this issue, and waste fewer and fewer people's time with newbie questions.
   That is my goal.  If you have any suggestions on where to go for that 
sort of basic jump-start help with delinquent help files, I'd appreciate 
it.  I tried SuSe briefly, (live CD I think), and couldn't even get a 
desktop.  Haven't tried Kubuntu or PCLinux yet, but I really need to 
dive into this and really learn it.  I need to get on with learning CLI 
and then Python, ultimately.  Now, if you think that learning Slack will 
slow me down from reaching those goals as oppossed to some other distro, 
I'd love to hear about it.  I was considering loading Debian for a 
while, but that also looks like a distro for Linux veterans.  Maybe I'll 
try creating another set of partitions on the drive, and see if I can't 
get a triple-boot system, and start checking out the other distros in 
more detail.  Of course that would involve more time...  Sigh.
  Anyway, thanks!
                                                         -drak
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