Ubuntu
abiword package

no png.h for ./configure when installing abiword

Asked by Dave Allen

Trying to install Abiword (the working version before the current one). configure ends with the message 'png.h not found install libpng or specify CPPFLAGS to include custom locations'. What do I do now/
 What am I trying to do? Install a working Abiword (the current one is said to be 'a mess') into my Asus Eee pc 1005p. (I have an archive of some 60 odd .abw files to look at.) I don't want to have to convert them, even if I knew how. I got the previous release from the Abiword site, and am working from the INSTALL file there.

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Warren Hill (warren-hill) said : 		#1

1. Please close all the duplicates of this question

2. Which version of Ubuntu are you running and which type i.e. Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu etc.

3. I am assuming you are compiling from source. How have you obtained the source

4. What's wrong with the version of Abiword in the official repositories? Perhaps you should also be filling a bug.

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Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#2

The file /usr/include/png.h is delivered by the package libpng12-dev

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Dave Allen (davidallen131) said : 		#3

1. Done.
2. standard Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
3. From the Abiword site. The advice from the firm is to 'revert to version 2.8.6' which I am trying to do.
4. See the Ubuntu forums entries under "The complete mess that is called Abiword." and a quote from MartinSevior therein.
  My thanks for your interest, and my apologies for my incompetence.

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Dave Allen (davidallen131) said : 		#4

  Launchpad tells me there is 1 error, but doesn't say where or what. Does this satisfy it?

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Warren Hill (warren-hill) said : 		#5

1. Instead of building it your self you could try to install an earlier version of Ubuntu the deb files are here

http://packages.ubuntu.com/oneiric/abiword

2. How are you building from source? I don't see how Launchpad can be giving an error as you don't appear to have any source code registered with Launchpad.

see here on building from source

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompilingSoftware

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Dave Allen (davidallen131) said : 		#6

Sorry - the comment on an apparent Launchpad problem should not have reached here. It came from my mismanagement.
  The Abiword process has found the png.h in the library libpng12-dev as recommended. However ./configure now says its lackinging jpeg.h. Where can I obtain that?
    As a side issue, should,nt installing programs be easier than this?

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Dave Allen (davidallen131) said : 		#7

- but why is there an error again?

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Warren Hill (warren-hill) said : 		#8

It normally is easier to install software, most people don't install from source its much easier to use a deb file or ppa.

Most programs rely on various libraries and you need to have these installed in order to build from source

I would take a look here
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/maverick/+source/abiword/2.8.6-0ubuntu1

and install from the deb file

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Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#9

In addition to all recommendations from Warren about trying to find a pre-packaged version, the jpeg header that is missing might be provided by libjpeg62-dev

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Dave Allen (davidallen131) said : 		#10

I have given up the unequal struggle. (The last attempt produced another list of 'packages not found' and 'see the pkg-config-mem page for more (!) details.' I've taken uo a Dell laptop that has Abiword running, and will live with that. Thanks for your patience with an 82 yr olf idiot, and au revoir.