Three days ago, there was a massive update to Slackware’s development tree. More than 50% of all packages in Slackware have either been rebuilt, upgraded or added new.

The result of these massive (core) library updates was to be expected: all kinds of 3rd party packages stopped working because the libraries they were dynamically linking to, have disappeared. My KDE 5 packages definitely need a big make-over, but since those packages are considered “testing” anyway, even for Slackware’s development standards, I thought it was more important to concentrate first on a package which to many is a productive tool for every day use: LibreOffice.

Three weeks ago, a version of LibreOffice was released which I had not yet packaged: LibreOffice 4.4.2. For some time now, my LibreOffice packages which I am compiling on Slackware 14.1 would not run in combination with my Ktown packages of KDE 4.14.3 for Slackware-current – thanks to the updated harfbuzz package that I shipped together with my KDE packages. Users of LibreOffice could simply downgrade to the harfbuzz package of Slackware-current and LibreOffice would work again. A simple enouigh fix without serious consequences to their KDE desktop.

And now finally, all those KDE packages, including the latest harfbuzz, have been added by Patrick to Slackware-current itself… causing permanent breakage for LibreOffice. A libreoffice package compiled on Slackware-current was the only option to fix this.

I wanted to grab that LibreOffice 4.4.2 source I just mentioned, but noticed that the mirror carried 4.4.3 “prerelease” sources too. Since we are all happily beta-testing Slackware here, I thought that I should grab these 4.4.3 sources instead. And so I did, and built packages out of them. People on LQ have already confirmed that they work like a charm.

My LibreOffice 4.4.3 packages for Slackware-current are ready for download from the usual mirror locations (mirrors should be fully sync-ed in 24 hours, taper is already uptodate):

New packages for Slackware 14.1 will arrive too, eventually. But my first priority now, is to fix KDE 5 and whatever else is no longer working… not looking forward to compiling Qt 5.4.1 for two architectures. But, I may not wait until I have compiled all packages (both 64-bit and 32-bit). If the 64-bit packages for KDE 5 are done and I am satisfied that they run without issues, I will upload those right away. I don’t think there are that many people running Slackware-current with my Plasma desktop on 32-bit.

Have fun! Eric