[Digikam-users] where is the user support?

[Peter Mc Donough]

Am 04.08.2013 08:45, schrieb ELLIOT SMITH:
> If I can find some software that does a screen recording, I can upload to
> youtube a video of what I am talking about. ...

 From the length of your email I take that you are more than slightly 
annoyed.

Keep in mind that Digikam is open source, free of charge and a work of 
volunteers who strive to beat commercial programs. Their work is 
dependent on input from users. If the input is unreasonable, why should 
they bother?

> ...
> So I'm looking for information on how this broken software can work.  I go
> here:
> http://www.digikam.org/
>
> wtf?

not wtf but

> FAQ
> ...
> Documentation and Support and FAQ and Wiki are really similar concepts, if
> you ask me.  Maybe these could all be grouped together under a single
> "support" heading.

Different people work on that. There is no master who gets paid to get 
things in line. Suggestions are always welcome, help is appreciated.

> ...
> The wiki.  http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam
> ...
> What am I supposed to do with this?

Read, try, ask !

> ...
> As I mentioned previously, I did find the forum.. It wants a username and
> password...

What is the deal: Shit happens. No idea what's wrong with that forum. 
Your input will probably help addressing that problem.

> ...
> http://www.digikam.org/docs
> Documentation
> "The digiKam documentation comes as a separate package usually called
> digikam-doc) which you have to install for local use."
>
> Well, okay, now we're getting somewhere.  Not.  The documentation that I
> have in my help menu is pretty lame and buggy at that.  How do I know if
> the documentation that comes as a separate package is the documentation
> that I already have?

You are not serious. There is usually an introduction and some 
information on the Digikam version.
You are right in so far that the documentation is not always as complete 
as a user may want it.
As I wrote, DK is the work of volunteers, who sometimes assume more 
knowledge from a user than he/she at present has.

> ...
>      digiKam and image editor plugins
>      Showfoto
>      Kipi-plugins
>      digiKam PDF handbook
>      Showfoto PDF handbook
>      Kipi-plugins PDF handbook
>
> Okay... the decision tree you are sending me down at this point is getting
> to be a bit much.  Wtf is showfoto?

Why not take it one step after the other. With Linux I get all of them 
at once. It doesn't say I have to use them.
Digikam, the Kipi-plugins and the digikam-pdf should be sufficient.
The plugins enhance Digikam.

> ...  Give me some context.

Open source is self service. If you want service you will have to pay 
for it.

> ... You couldn't put this info on a different page?

There is no "You". Think like a computer. Solution step by step.
Procedure is: You describe you computer environment. What you want to. 
Where you get stuck. What you should do next.

> ... source code for libkipi, libkdcraw,
> libkexiv2 AND ALSO libkface, libkgeomap.

You don't need to know about that unless you have a problem with Digikam 
and know where to look. Try:
http://www.digikam.org/download?q=download/binary/

> ...
> You need to enter here the path where you mount the camera, usually
> "/mnt/camera" or "/mnt/removable".
> Um?  I'm using Windows 7?
> ...
> Try and see if digiKam can auto-detect the camera; if not, you can set the
> camera model and port manually. Once you have the camera setup, go to the
> "Cameras" menu in the main interface and you will see the camera listed in
> the menu.
> Right.  If that would have worked, I wouldn't be here in the first place.
> When I try to add my camera, it gives an error with "102CANON The folder
> name is not valid"

It should work. Especially the world of computers is full of "should work".
Digikam as well as other photo management programs gets the information 
on the camera from the EXIF info in photos. So you don't have to connect 
your camera to the computer. If you really want, I' sure there is a way.

The cover for the USB port on my camera doesn’t look very reliable, so I 
prefer putting the memory card in a card reader and download photos with 
a file manager to a directory of my choice. There I set them read only 
before I open any of them with a photo application. Keep in mind that 
"read only" does NOT protect your photos from being deleted.
BTW. I keep the original photos in a separate folder and work only on 
copies.

Have fun
Peter