Repositories for SimplyMEPIS 6.0 for newer software packages?

This is all of them to date.

# Automatically generated sources.list
# http://www.ubuntulinux.nl/source-o-matic
#
# If you get errors about missing keys, lookup the key in this file
# and run these commands (replace KEY with the key number)
#
# gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv KEY
# gpg --export --armor KEY | sudo apt-key add -

# MEPIS improvements, overrides and updates--the MEPIS magic
deb http://apt.mepis.org/6.0/ mepis main

# Ubuntu supported packages (packages, GPG key: 437D05B5)
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy main restricted
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-updates main restricted

# Ubuntu community supported packages (packages, GPG key: 437D05B5)
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-updates universe multiverse

# Seveas' packages (packages, GPG key: 1135D466)
deb http://mirror.ubuntulinux.nl breezy-seveas all

# Ubuntu backports project (packages, GPG key: 437D05B5)
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-backports main restricted universe multiverse

# Cipherfunk multimedia packages (packages, GPG key: 33BAC1B3)
deb ftp://cipherfunk.org/pub/packages/ubuntu/ breezy main

# kubuntu.org packages for the latest KDE version (packages, GPG key: DD4D5088)
deb http://kubuntu.org/packages/kde-latest breezy main

# kubuntu.org packages for the latest Koffice version (packages, GPG key: DD4D5088)
deb http://kubuntu.org/packages/koffice-latest breezy main

# Penguin Liberation Front (packages)
deb ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_Linux/plf/ubuntu/plf/ breezy free non-free

# Bleeding edge wine packages (packages)
deb http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt breezy main

# OpenOffice.org 2 final packages (packages)
deb http://people.ubuntu.com/~doko/OOo2/ ./

# The Opera browser (packages)
deb http://deb.opera.com/opera etch non-free

# Bazaar-NG development (packages, GPG key: 1F44842D)
deb http://people.ubuntu.com/~jbailey/snapshot/bzr ./

regards,
Jimmy

INTEL P-IV/HT 3.0GHz - 2X256 DDR3200 - Debian, Etch Beta-3
KDE 3.5.4 - kernel 2.6.16-2-686-smp - My iMAC runs Debian, Sarge

Great.

Thanks.

Jim C.

I don't think I helped you much, it looks like the last version of digiKam is 0.8.2. and don't forget to change those sources to dapper. Also Penguin Liberation Front and Cipherfunk multimedia don't seem to work any more, I don't know why they still have them listed.

regards,
Jimmy

INTEL P-IV/HT 3.0GHz - 2X256 DDR3200 - SimplyMEPIS 6.0-1
KDE 3.5.4 - kernel 2.6.15-23-686-smp - My iMAC runs Debian, Sarge

Darn. I was hoping it would be there.

Thanks for the repositories list anyway. I'm sure I'll find lots of other stuff I'll use.

I guess I'll need to do it the hard way and compile from source (and I have virtually no experience doing that with Linux, although I do it for some Windows stuff I use).

Packages like dcraw.c in Linux are way out of date, too.

I download and compile newer versions of it very often for use with Windows.

I was hoping that some of the repository maintainers would realize that newer packages for something as important as Digital Cameras would be a higher priority.

One of the big drawbacks to Linux versus Windows is that most of the popular image Editing software is limited to 8 bit editing.

If you've done much in thet way of image editing, you'll quickly realize that posterization can be a big problem working in 8 bit mode when making significant corrections to images.

It looks like the beta version of digiKam addresses that issue since all editing functions can now be done in 16 b8 via 0.9.0 Beta 1. Ditto for the plugins (all ported to 16 bit).

Cool (if I could actually try it). I got the latest beta from Debian Experimental to install in Kanotix 2006-easter-rc4.

However, I can't get it to render raw files from a number of cameras that were supported in 0.8.2.

I don't think it's the software, since I've seen screen prints of it working from some of these cameras.

It's probably an issue with the package or dependencies (even though it installs via Synaptic if you force the version fron Debian Experimental with Kanotix). It breaks packages if you try it with SimplyMEPIS 6.0.

I think the source is probably fine. It's probably reliant on fuctions in some of it's dependenies that have changed in newer versions, and nobody had caught it yet (that's my best guess).

It appears to have pretty good potential based on my limited experience fooling around with 0.8.2 (except for posterization when trying to make much in the way of changes to raw files with the current plugin for white balance and exposure). 16 Bit editing would probably solve that and 0.9.0 Beta 1 has it.

If I were maintaining a repository for Linux, tools like this would be on my High Priority List to have packages available for, especially given the popularity of Digital Cameras now, with the most requested application for Linux being Photoshop according to Novell's surveys.

The most growing market niche with Digital Cameras now is the Digital SLR category, and more and more users are shooting raw.

So, in addition to fast support of editors that now offer 16 bit editing, it would be a very good idea to try and update related pacakges like Dave Coffin's dcraw.c often, too.

Newer versions of this kind of softwaere need to be in the repositories.

New cameras are added all the time, and structures for raw files change between models. That's why Dave Coffin publishes new versions of dcraw.c often.

You can't just wait until a new camera model has been out for 6 months before adding a newer version of dcraw.c if you want to attract new users to Linux

It looks like Linux is headed in the right direction with image editing tools now.

Another example of this direction is support for 16 bit editing in Krita.

Krita is still a bit "rough around the edges", although it does support features like the abitlity to use ICC Profiles for a color managed workflow via LittleCMS (and lack of a color managed workflow has been another drawback to LInux versus Windows in the past).

No hardware profiling tools for Linux exist yet that I'm aware of. But, progress is being made (at least it's headed in the right direction now with image editors for Linux starting to support 16 bit editing and color management).

Another example is Lightzone (free for Linux, $149.95 for Apple or Windows).

First impressions of this product weren't that good with me.

But, after playing with it a little longer, some things work quite well in it if you can become accustomed to the user interface and workflow and don't mind using other tools for final touchup. I feel confident it will continue to improve, too.

So, I think package maintainers and distro developers should "take note" and try to cater to this need with newer packages to support newer camera models, ss well as supprting beta versions of new image editors that overcome some of the major objections to switching to LInux tools for image editing;

Note that I'm biased since i'm a moderator for a Digital Camera forum, sometimes get access to newer equipment, and shoot almostly exlusively in raw with my personal camera.

So, I need products for my own use since I take lots of photos, and newer versions of some software for Linux looks like they would actually work OK, if I could only install them without needing to compile from source.

Again (sorry to sound like a broken record), according to Novell's surveys, Photoshop is the most requested application for Linux.

Unfortunately, you can't run newer versions of Adobe Camera Raw that support newer camera models with the older versions of Photoshop that run under Wine or products based on that technology like CrossOver Office.

If you want the latest Adobe Camera Raw, you need Photoshop CS2, and it won't run under Linux.

So, better tools are needed for Linux in this area, and they are starting to appear, with newer Linux tools appearing to address some of the issues like the ability to edit in 16 bit mode with a color manged workflow, *if* Linux newbies could only install them using tools like Synaptic.

Ditto for making sure other hardware libraries are more up to date (printers, nonitors, wireless cards, etc.).

These are products that turn over rapidly on store shelves (stores don't keep hanging on to older models, and buyers want newer models of printers, digital cameras, etc).

More rspositories with software that supports newer hardware is really needed, especially since the software is avaiable (just not in the commmonly used repositories).

Yea, I know it's a lot of work and you can't have everything. lol

I'll send in a donation or buy something from the store tonight to help out.

I'm starting to actually use SimplyMEPIS nstead of Windows lately. Cool (I had my doubts that would actually happen).

I've even managed to get around some of the media compatibity problems by running the Windows version of Firefox and Flash Player 9 under Wine.

So, I'll try to help out some, too.

I think a lot of the problem is that resources working on Linux are going in too many different directions.

Imagine how good it would be if resources were more focused.

Warren probably made a good decision going with the Ubuntu base though, since it's very popular, despite some issues.

Progress is being made and that's great.

I guess I'll compile some of this newer stuff from source, since I need to get used to doing with Linux at some point at some point anyway.

I've done this kind of thing for too many years with DOS and Windows. So, I was hoping to avoid it for home use with Linux.

Jim C.