[kde-linux] Trying to build a Help Search Index in KDE

[Drachen Birch]

Hello.

     I have an ancient, 500 MHz Compaq running Slackware 10.2, and KDE 
3.4.2 (bundled with the Slack distro).  When I press the button to build 
a Help search index so that the KDE Help can actually help, I get this 
message:

     INDEXDIR: /home/drak/.kde/share/apps/khelpcenter/index/
FINDCMD: find /opt/kde/share/doc/HTML/en/ -name index.docbook
Creating index for 'kde_application_manuals'
htdig failed

     On the screen with the "build index" button, opposite the checkbox 
for the Help application manuals, it says: "missing".
Is it possible that the distro simply didn't load the help files?  Would 
any distro builder be that mental?  Or does this happen all the time?
As you may have guessed, I'm a newbie, CLI skills very rudimentary, and 
patience wearing thin.  I assume that htdig is one of the zillion or so 
tiny programs within the OS?  I have run across a few posts on the KDE 
site and elsewhere that quote exactly the same error message, on other 
distros and on Slack.  Unfortunately, the discussions of how to fix the 
problem were old, and sufficiently complex as to blow my little newbie 
doors off.  One guy that already knew a dozen programming languages was 
talking about having to learn yet another in order to kluge a fix for 
the problem.  Problem was never solved on that thread.  Problem was 
declared "unconfirmed" on the KDE site thread (also old).  If 
confirmation is really needed, I apparently can re-create this problem 
reliably and infinitely.  Any ideas?  Thanks!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
-drak