Install on Ubuntu

From AbiWiki

Revision as of 22:40, 12 January 2009

Ubuntu Linux and AbiSource Relation

At this time, the latest version available directly from Ubuntu is an Ubuntu-modified 2.4.6 in Hardy (the long term support version) and 2.6.4 in Intrepid. They rejected the AbiWord 2.6.x packages prepared for Hardy (see references below), so if you want to use a recent version (newer than 1.5 years old) of AbiWord on any released version of Ubuntu, you'll need to follow these steps.

If you are using Intrepid, a 2.6.4 package was uploaded, based on the one proposed for Hardy. Improvements have been made since then (by Ryan and Josh K), so you'll want to follow these steps as well, to keep up to date. Or, if you're in a position of power with Ubuntu, take these packages! They're based on the new Debian ones, which were in turn, based on the proposed 2.6.3 ones as modified and uploaded by a Debian developer who hangs out with us upstream.

Installation of AbiSource Packages

Developer Ryan Pavlik maintains Ubuntu packages of AbiWord in a Personal Package Archive. To access them, add the appropriate source below to your repositories, refresh your packages, then install the "abiword" and optionally any abiword-plugin-* packages that add a feature that you want.

Once you've run this process once, AbiWord updates will automatically arrive when available, along with your normal Ubuntu updates.

Adding the source to your repositories and installing AbiWord

• Choose "Synaptic Package Manager" from the Administration menu
• Select Settings > Repositories
• Click the Add button on the "Third-Party Software" tab
• Copy the line that starts with "deb" for your version of Ubuntu (see below) and press the Add Source button
• Press Close and read the message about changed repositories
• Press Close again
• Press the Reload button on the Synaptic toolbar
• If you already had AbiWord installed, click "Mark All Upgrades", otherwise:
• After the package lists are refreshed and downloaded, find "abiword" in the list of packages, and mark for installation "abiword" as well as any plugin packs you would like (grammar, equations, and goffice are available).
• In either case, read the message about not authenticated packages and press the Mark button
• Press the Apply button on the synaptic toolbar to update/install your packages

Troubleshooting

If you get an error about missing files that says you need to re-install AbiWord, go back into Synaptic, search for abiword, and choose to remove all AbiWord-related packages. Click Apply, then install again (starting at the "After the package lists..." step above). This bug is due to an issue with the way Ubuntu is handling the new packages.

Supported (Released) Distributions

• Intrepid (8.10):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu intrepid main

• Hardy (8.04 LTS):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu hardy main

• Gutsy (7.10):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu gutsy main

• Feisty (7.04):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu feisty main

• Edgy (6.10):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu edgy main

• Dapper (6.06 LTS):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/abiword-stable/ubuntu dapper main

References

Launchpad bug for AbiWord 2.6 upload