x61 | # 31 | 2009-12-29, 10:30 | Report

I stopped messing around with extra-dev progs since I had memory error message while doing so several weeks ago. Hopefully this makes its way to the main repository.

olighak | # 32 | 2010-01-16, 23:30 | Report

Anything happening as far as printing on wifi/bluetooth printers is concerned?

I know of several N900 people with interest in this.

If someone is going on with this and things are going slowly is there something that could be done to help speed this up, other than putting in non-existant programming skills?

I've converted several people to N900 owners. My coworkers all use Blackberries for work, but if we can get this and MFE working, I'd have them all over to N900's in a jiffy

That's quite a few other consultants flying about with their wonderful N900's, showing them off to our clients while we do our work.

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Last edited by olighak; 2010-01-17 at 18:02.

olighak | # 33 | 2010-01-19, 01:57 | Report

apt-get for this package doesn't work. It returns a "404 Not found" error for the download sites after recognizing which packages to install, which to update and which are ok.

UPDATED:
Nevermind, tonight I learned what the apt-get update command does

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Last edited by olighak; 2010-01-19 at 02:12.

soeiro | # 34 | 2010-01-19, 18:07 | Report

While easy-debian is interesting, I think it would be more interesting if we had cups or something running natively on Maemo 5 so that standard Maemo ports could print directly to network printers.

rebhana | # 35 | 2010-01-23, 12:13 | Report

Encouraged by this account of easy-debian and its actual usefulness:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=41605

and the fact that easy-debian has moved up into Extras, I installed easy-debian (see also
http://wiki.maemo.org/Easy_Debian )

Easy-Debian has gimp and openoffice with printing support, but to my initial disappointment no CUPS, the Unix printing system for network printers. However, it was really easy to install on top of it (in the Debian environment, not the XTerminal, where you wouldn't find cups yet!):
("sudo" is superfluous when done from Debian chroot instead of a terminal within Debian LXDE)

Although a disturbingly long list of packages got installed automatically in the process, it reduced the available space for the Debian system by only 10% or so. There were also some warnings and even "fatal" errors when installing and starting cups, but it came out completely functional.

And it brought the printing (cups) support I was hoping for to openoffice. However, what I was really longing for was the possibility to print things I download in Maemo. Now, with Debian chroot I can do so rather easily, and I don't have to wait any longer for cups appearing within Maemo proper some time in the future.

So to those still waiting for cups, as I did, I can recommend doing the same. Install easy-deb-chroot and then cups within that! Postscript and pdf files downloaded on the N900 can subsequently be printed out by opening the Debian chroot terminal, so no need to start the LXDE (which I found somewhat tedious to use, despite its coolness factor).

In Debian chroot, I just do "su - user" to switch to /home/user and non-root identity. Then "lpstat -a" shows me the list of available network printers, and with "lp -d printername filename" I can send files to the chosen printer. Easy! And Debian!

In XTerminal, one can run single easy-debian commands like the above (as user) by e.g.
Or if it's a word or openoffice document, "debbie ooffice" or
"debbie oowriter /home/user/.../filename" and then print out from openoffice 3 (with due patience, but much quicker than through LXDE, and for me also with correct keyboard).

I guess after my experience with packages from extras-devel that made the update to PR1.1 slightly bumpy (in fact only one package: vpnc), I now feel actually more comfortable to be able to install stuff in the Debian image and use it from there, without having to tamper with Maemo when I don't fully understand the consequences (as was the case with vpnc).

UPDATE: There is one more thing that needs to be done so that cups gets started again after one has powered down and restarted the N900:
Open Debian chroot and add a startup script for cups as follows:
If you want to do this under XTerminal, you have to instead modify or create $CHROOT/var/run/onfirstchroot.rc where $CHROOT is the Debian mountpoint. (Thanks to qole for both easy-debian and telling me about the option of startup scripts!)

UPDATE2: The above startup script is not needed when your printers are handled by another cups server in your network. In that case it's sufficient to do
instead of the full cups package.

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Last edited by rebhana; 2010-02-21 at 21:30.

les_garten | # 36 | 2010-01-23, 21:41 | Report

Thanx Rebhana!

I said WOW when seeing http://localhost:631 on my N900!!

andyph666 | # 37 | 2010-01-24, 05:44 | Report

is there a guide for newbies?

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cups
sudo apt-get clean

(chroot) vi /var/run/onfirstchroot.rc
echo "/etc/init.d/cups restart"
>> /var/run/onfirstchroot.rc
chmod a+x /var/run/onfirstchroot.rc

Anyone?

rebhana | # 38 | 2010-01-24, 10:30 | Report

As I said in my post, those commands have to be typed into a terminal when you have switched to the Debian environment (not the XTerminal!), i.e. either a terminal opened under Debian LXDE or Debian chroot (both can be accessed through application icons). It will be useful only, however, if you have a CUPS server in your network.

qole | # 39 | 2010-01-25, 00:40 | Report

If you also install and configure Samba in Easy Debian, you can print to Windows printers...

nashith | # 40 | 2010-01-25, 01:28 | Report

As rmerren mentioned I would love to see a PDF printing option available system wide. But I am afraid the current system doesn't look like it had any plans what so ever for such a task. Easy Debian is cool for the geeks, but not a solution for the guys in the suits. At least I hope whatever native Maemo office suit with editing capability comes with a print option to PDF.