Okular does not print

gene heskett gheskett at wdtv.com
Sun Jul 17 16:09:06 BST 2011


On Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:02:42 AM Duncan did opine:

> gene heskett posted on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:54:32 -0400 as excerpted:
> > Hijacking a thread here, but it sure needs help.  When okular is set
> > to auto-scale, it sends to a US letter printer about 9" wide, so the
> > right hand inch is missing. Whomever decided it should be FF's
> > default pdf reader needs a very close examination of their thinker. 
> > Adobe reader Just Works(TM).
> 
> But adobe's reader is not freedomware, so some distributions and/or
> users will choose not to use it.  I couldn't legally install it here,
> for instance, since I can't agree to EULAs, etc, which means I don't
> have permission from the copyright holder to install and use the
> software, making it illegal for me to do so.
> 
> Making servantware the default on an otherwise freedomware distribution
> therefore makes no sense either.
> 
> (Legality:  Among other things, most software including freedomware
> waives the authors responsibility for damages, etc.  If it's
> freedomware, OK, the source code is there for me to examine or if I
> don't read source, to have someone that I trust that can read source
> examine, so I can fairly judge whether I want to take on that
> responsibility or not.  If it's closed source, it's black-box, so I
> can't fairly judge functionality and whether I want to take on the
> responsibility for damages, etc, and thus I cannot agree to take them
> on.  Again, that generally means the copyright holder doesn't give me
> permission to run the program, since I refuse to waive his
> responsibility for damages since I can't fairly judge whether that's a
> reasonable request or not because I can't read the sources in ordered
> to make that judgement.  Since I don't have such permission from the
> copyright holder, US law says I don't have permission period, again
> making it illegal for me to do so.  Of course the fact that the
> author/copyright holder of said black-box software has already
> disregarded the four software freedoms, his motives are already
> suspect, so that gives me all the MORE reason not to simply assume he
> has my interests at heart and take responsibility for something I'm
> unable to fairly examine before I'm asked to take that responsibilty!)

All pretty much true Duncan.  What I was pointing out was that even xpdf in 
its final versions did a much better job than okular.  So did ghostscript 
back about version 5.2, before the pdf interpreter was removed.  I built 
and used that puppy on an amiga 15 years ago.

I guess my point is that when jumping ship for "religious/legal" reasons, 
the ship we jump to should be at least as functional as the one we are 
diving off of.  Here, I'm just me, and while I'd druther have the FOSS 
version, I haven't committed a mortal sin if I use what works.

Cheers, gene
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Lots of people drink from the wrong bottle sometimes.
		-- Edith Keeler, "The City on the Edge of Forever",
		   stardate unknown
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