or : how to install latest digiKam on ubuntu side by side with stable version

What I want :

• Stick with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
• Latest digiKam

I don't want to upgrade to Ubuntu 10.10 just to have latest digiKam. There's too much at stake.

The problem is Kubuntu 10.04 LTS  repository only have digiKam 1.2.0 and I need the bugfixes in the latter version.

The solution is to install digiKam not through repository and side by side with stable version. digiKam site already have an easy-to-follow tutorial on how to install latest digiKam alongside stable version here.

I am not going to re-write that tutorial, what I'll do is to list some problems I encountered and their fixes. Reading these fixes alone make it out of context, you should read/follow the digiKam tutorial first.

• error when compiling exiv2:
  
  c++: /LIBPATH:../zlib-1.2.5/$(ConfigurationName): No such file or directory
make[2]: *** [src/libexiv2.so.10.0.0] Error 1
make[1]: *** [src/CMakeFiles/exiv2.dir/all] Error 2
make: *** [all] Error 2

  go to exiv2 folder and run this command:

  svn up -r 2426

  and then re-compile

• can't run digiKam via ./env_svn digikam command
  
  edit the original env_svn.sh script -> change the last script $@ to digikam or showfoto or dngconverter depends on what you need, like this :
  
  #!/bin/bash
  export DIGIKAMDEST=/usr/local
  export KDEDIR=$DIGIKAMDEST
  export KDEDIRS="$DIGIKAMDEST:/usr"
  export KDEHOME="$HOME/.kde-svn"
  export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$DIGIKAMDEST/lib/kde4:$DIGIKAMDEST/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
  export LDPATH="$DIGIKAMDEST/lib/kde4:$DIGIKAMDEST/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
  # update KDE's system configuration cache
  kbuildsycoca4
  # start app
  digikam
  
  and then create a new launcher with /home/your-user-name/trunk/env_svn.sh command
  
• Where's my old digiKam go?
  this tutorial is written to enable dual-version-digiKam running side by side, so if your old digiKam is not launched when you launch it via its launcher (or shortcut) you must change your old digiKam launcher command to :
  
  /usr/bin/digikam -caption "%c" %i

Ubuntuku.org listed other problems and their fixes (read on comment section), you may want to go there.

As of this writing the latest digiKam is 1.9.0 which proudly running in Ubuntu 10.04 :)

Apply on your own risk.