My scanner worked for years with Ubuntu, after a fairly simple procedure of downloading some firmware from the manufacturer's website, and, as far as I remember, simply placing in in a specific directory in Ubuntu.Recently I'd installed Debian Lenny, and yesterday I needed to get the scanner working again. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember exactly what I'd done in Ubuntu or where I'd found the instructions. I tried a Google search. This was the advice from the first link I found:
Did a make menuconfig and added USB-scanner support to the kernelDamn! That sounds hard! I sure I didn't do anything that difficult before.
In fact, installing the scanner in Debian wasn't too difficult in the end. After quite a bit more Googling, I found an installation guide for Debian [Update: the link seems to be dead, but the document is now available at SourceForge.], the "backend" for my scanner and the correct firmware.
The problem with the advice above is that it dates from 2002 and is no longer appropriate. This is illustrative of a pitfall when using Google to look for answers to problems in Linux- a lot of the solutions offered my be out of date, no longer appropriate, and quite simply the wrong thing to do.
Two tips are:
- Limit a wed search to the last year to look for current advice,
- Look for general guides like the Debian NewbieDocs [Now at SourceForge.]guide above, and check it's still current.
Why don't you try upgrade-ing to Squeeze and installing simple-scan. That this, I think this procedure could be the same one as on ubuntu. Squeeze will definitely be the "most simple" Debian so far.
ReplyDeleteHowever I recommend using netinstall instead of using Alpha Squeeze 1 installer.
I intend to upgrade when Squeeze becomes the stable release- my scanner works fine now, as does everything else I've tried so far in Lenny, except for Compiz, but that's something I can live without until Squeeze. A lot of the packages are a little dated, but again. I can live with them for a few months.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about trying Testing but my CD drive seems to be on the way out, and I'm worried that if I wipe my present installation, I might not be able to reinstall anything- it's been touch and go on a few recent "distro-hopping" installs.
With Squeeze coming out soon, the risk didn't seem worth it.