My Newbie linux .02 worth.
Fix the libraries and repositories!
I want someone to explain to me why I can't for the life of me install 3 critical libraries(libart-2.0-2, libgnomecanvas 2.0,libgnomeprint2.2-0 for certain apps I want (PAN, etc..) and why does Maemo or Nokia even allow these library not to install. I've tried in sudo, I've tried -f install, red pill, cut and paste, chants, prayers, and promises to lead a holy life and abstain from Alpha hacks and ports, etc... with no luck finding out what is causing the conflict. I 've looked all over forums. I tried linux command lines that worked for some and not for others(didn't work for me). Why????? I waited 10 months for OS2008! the library and repository problems should have been fixed with OS2008. Give me a library and repository fix. Give me more control of my machine, fix the USB kernel, the video codex, etc... Now can anyone help me with my library problem? I really enjoy my N800 and I want it to do more things so that it simplifies and enriches my computer/internet/entertainment/business/travel experience. But I can't until these libraries are installable. Just pm me if you can. Dan

I don't know if you've tried dpkg?
AFAIK, dpkg is completely maemo, nokia, and repo independent, so it might be your ticket.

Yeah i just reclaibrated my touch screen and i find typing on the thumb screen a lot better with decreased mistypes.
Please try it.

ok going back, waaay back, to the start of the thread.

My questions are:

- Why are the repositories more messed up in OS2008 than in OS2007. So much so that "temp until things are fixed" reps were made?!?

- Why can't the app mgr have a laundry list style UI instead of that stupid menu? If I need to turn on/off multiple reps, I have to open and close them individually. A laundry list would have simple radio buttons or check boxes next to the rep name so diagnosing what rep is broken is easier. Sure sure I could always go root, change the text file blah blah blah, but come on, I shouldn't have to. And NO, reading the log doesn't always tell you precisely what rep is the showstopper. Mainly it just tells you what problems it had. I have had a perfectly working list with numerous reps with bad errors (pgp key errors, etc) and conversely, a clean log with no rep errors reported, have a showstopper.

- Why will things install in red pill mode that I need but NOT in blue pill mode?!?!? Normally we are in blue pill mode, we try to install something, app mgr balks that it can't install because some lib is missing. So I have to go to red pill mode and get it or use apt-get (which I hate because I never remember the correct name or how apt-get needs the name to be) in terminal. Why can't app mgr, without jumping through all the hoops, just "get it" regardless??!

- Why can't I print to a networked printer? Notes, PDF reader, image tools, none have a "print" option. Sometimes all I want to do is print a simple text file, usually some short list I made in notes. My old Nokia 6230b cell phone can do it over IR and it's a couple years older than my N800! Sure there is probably an arcane method in cli, but regular apps should have a print or "send to printer" menu item.

- Why isn't assigning apps to filetype easier?!?! I just wanted to assign .cbr files to be opened by Comix app, for example, but it is NOT that easy. Sure you can just, again, go as root, edit the text file after installing dbus-switchboard, blah blah blah but seriously, you shouldn't have to. Even after changing .avi to open with Kmplayer, it only opens the app and I still have to use the open file menu and navigate to the file I initially had to find using file mgr to open it. Same goes for most other apps, like assigning .txt to leafpad. It opens the app but not the document in the app.

- why can't the display of desktop icons be standard instead of relying on 3rd part apps like Idea or Simple launcher? I really really miss Idea working properly on OS2008. With such a nice big screen, having to dig through menus and submenues is just , well bad UI.

- Why can't some applets be resized? I used to use the ITT forum icon as the graphic in my Web Shortcut, Now Web Shortcut is a huge ugly box with frazzled borders that can't be resized. Also why can't applets be locked down once situated. For example, just tapping on OMweather moves it a few pixels every damn time.

I really like OS2008 way way more than OS2007 but...

- battery life sucks now. Full one minute, beeping it's empty an hour later. But oddly, I have been on "replace battery alert mode" for the last 45 mins. In OS2007, I got maybe 5 mins before my N800 would auto shut-off but my battery lasted 3 hours.

This is probably not an OS800 thing but why can't the RSS feed just give me the text and NOT open the web browser and show me the web page with all the stupid picts/ads and flash crap? And what the hell does the "keep for later" checkbox do? I have experimented checking the box (which has a laggy response) and now what? There is no obvious "I want to read what I kept for later, now" section?

As much as I love my N800, Nokia really dropped the ball polishing it's core apps. Everything you get from a fresh flash should have a solid fit and finish. It is as if Nokia has no QA dept for their ITT software, just a " good enough" dept. Either Nokia just doesn't care or their UI dept really really bites or doesn't exist.

Uh, because the maemo repositories were basically DDoSed when OS2008 was released? I'm not really sure I understand the question. . . .

To bugzilla! Idealy, this shouldn't be an issue, though, as we should only really have about a half-dozen repositories.

Because sometimes things get messed up and lots of package managers are stupid/lazy.

You can't print to anything, there is no printing framework bundled with maemo. There are community solutions available, though.

Not something Nokia invested any time in, I suppose. I don't recall whether there's an outstanding enhancement request for this, but if not, this is another opportunity to make use of bugzilla.

Because that's not how maemo's desktop works. Another enhancement request to bundle some sort of quick-launch applet wouldn't be unreasonable, though.

Because some applets' sizes are hardcoded.

Obviously you have something eating CPU in the background, find out what it is and fix it—your battery life will improve.

This was on my list of items I don't understand, but inadvertently got left off. Thanks for bringing it up!

For that matter, most or all of your items are head-scratchers on the same order as mine. I'm glad you added them to this thread.

Well, OK, there's no printer framework. That explains why no apps have Print commands.

But that just begs the real question. Why isn't there even a minimal print framework?

It's the answer to that question that I don't understand.

(OK, I haven't explored any community solutions. My attitude about that is evolving — "that" being "what Nokia should be expected to include and what I do to make my tablet life comfortable, if not serene."

Roger

PS: I've never even heard of cli. I hope the Linux natives aren't expecting "Oh, everyone who really needs to print would know they can just use cli" (or something like that).

Because most people don't have network printers? If you've got a print framework, you're developing something which most home users won't be able to use. Your options for connectivity are limited. Developing and integrating it will take developers away from other things.

Perhaps when USB host support gets more mainstream, there'll be print support for USB printers provided in IT OS; but I wouldn't hold my breath. Printer drivers for hundreds of different printers are difficult to write and maintain and take up valuable room on the internal flash.

If printing is necessary for you from your tablet, there are options - but it's not an office tool, so Nokia can't be blamed for not spending money on something which isn't strategic to the tablets' success.

Originally Posted by gigabites:
- battery life sucks now. Full one minute, beeping it's empty an hour later.

One guess is that's it's metalayer-crawler. Lots of us have found battery life improvement by turning it off. I don't know if it existed and acted the same in OS2007.

Yep, it was

CLI is the acronym for Command Line Interface.