Compiling Abiword 2.8.1 -- and getting collab

[etitor]

My uname -a is Linux ws7113 2.6.31-16-generic #53-Ubuntu SMP Tue Dec 8 04:01:29 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux.

As you all know, the version of Abiword in our Ubuntu repos is rather old. Some nice features of Abiword's last version (2.8.1) convinced me of trying to compile the program.

These are the steps I took:

1. Download the source code:


wget http://www.abisource.com/downloads/abiword/2.8.1/source/abiword-2.8.1.tar.gz

2. Untar it into its own directory.

3. Install some dependencies (you may need others in addition since this is not the first time I compile a program):


sudo apt-get install libfribidi-dev libgsf-1-dev libwv-dev librsvg2-dev libasio-dev libgnomevfs2-dev libgsf-gnome-1-dev libbonobo2-dev

4. Enter the directory created in step 2.

5. Launch the configuring script:


./configure --with-gnomevfs --enable-plugins --enable-builtin-plugins --enable-clipart --enable-templates --enable-collab-backend-service

6. Compile the program:


make

7. Install the program:


sudo make install

8. Create a symlink for a library:


cd /lib && sudo ln -s /usr/local/lib/libabiword-2.8.so

Once these steps are over, I have a working Abiword, version 2.8.1. Since plugins were enabled in step 5, you are supposed to get them.

However, the feature I was most interested in, collab, doesn't appear in the plugin list and so cannot be used. For those not in the know, collab is a new feature of Abiword that lets a team work on the same document at the same time (see https://abicollab.net for details).

Can anyone help me?

[Rodney9]

Thank You for helping me compile the lastest Abiword, I'm sorry I can not help with collab though.

Rodney

[kjano]

hey,

i installed the deb packages for lucid on my 9.10 ubuntu and see the collaboration menu in abiword. hope this helps...

[fwallace99]

I too have problems. I don't care about collab, I can't get Abiword to give me:

1. Insert autotext
2. Scripting

I'm on Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex (i386-i686). So no repositories for me, or even a deb package. I *CAN* get Abiword to build, but don't get the scripting (it's greyed out) AND I don't get auto-text either. Perl scripting is great btw, it's a top-end feature on Mac OSX programs like Write Now Professional. But Abisource has no instructions on how to compile, and their site itself is a crap-shoot if it will work.

I really NEED both scripting and auto-text on Abiword, to avoid Open Office which is slow and bloated. I do have spelling and grammar working.

I have the abiword 2.8.1 tarball, and I've done what the above poster notes, i.e. the dependencies, and also this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1309570

i.e.:

Code:


apt-get build-dep abiword

and here is my (abbreviated) ./configure:



./configure --with-gnomevfs --enable-plugins --enable-builtin-plugins --enable-clipart --enable-templates --enable-collab-backend-service
configure: WARNING: goffice plugin: dependencies not satisfied - libgoffice-0.8 >= 0.7.10
configure: WARNING: psiconv plugin: program psiconv-config not found in path
configure: WARNING: gda plugin: dependencies not satisfied - libgda >= 1.2.0 libgnomedb >= 1.2.0
configure: WARNING: rsvg plugin: not needed with gtk
...
config.status: executing libtool commands

Configuration:
host i686-pc-linux-gnu
dynamic binary no
static binary yes
platform unix (embedded: no)
toolkit gtk
debug no

Optional features:
menubutton no
printing yes
spell checking yes
status bar yes
emacs keybinding yes
vi keybinding yes
clipart yes
templates yes

Optional dependencies:
gtk2 > 2.14 yes
gnome-vfs yes
gio yes
gsf-gio no
goffice no
gucharmap no

Builtin plugins
Plugins loadbindings paint hrtext pdb gimp mif mht applix docbook wikipedia babelfish command garble ots google opendocument wordperfect urldict opml eml pdf wmf t602 mswrite clarisworks freetranslation aiksaurus hancom iscii openxml gdict s5 mathview grammar bmp openwriter latex presentation wml passepartout wpg xslfo kword sdw


My assumption is that the warnings are not what is killing either scripting or insert autotext.

Can anyone give me a hand? Thanks. I really do appreciate it.

[newb85]

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but if Abisource has a repo for Karmic (and others), why doesn't adding that repo to Synaptic give the latest version of Abiword?

[fwallace99]

Sadly it does not for Ibex through IIRC, Jaunty. Only the latest release of Ubuntu has the current stable release (2.8.1) of Abiword.

I'm staying off upgrading as its a pain, and there seems to be stability issues with Jaunty.

[newb85]

Hmm...that's weird. The abisource repo for karmic just updated to 2.8.1 today. Go figure!