Comment 19 for bug 149511

Stable Release Update (SRU) Request -- for GUTSY

Impact of the bug

For all non-PostScript HP printers and some non-HP PCL laser printers the driver HPIJS from HP is used. In more recent versions this driver links the libraries from the HPLIP low-level driver:

till@till-laptop:~/ubuntu/hplip/hplip-2.7.7.dfsg.1$ ldd /usr/bin/hpijs | grep hp
        libhpip.so.0 => /usr/lib/libhpip.so.0 (0xb7f53000)
        libhpmud.so.0 => /usr/lib/libhpmud.so.0 (0xb7e75000)
till@till-laptop:~/ubuntu/hplip/hplip-2.7.7.dfsg.1$

This means that even for non-HP printers (which do not use the "hp" CUPS backend) HPLIP must be installed on the system. The weak "Recommends:" dependency in the *-desktop meta-packages allows manual deinstallation of HPLIP, so many users get systems with HPIJS and no HPLIP installed. This does not get fixed by automatic updates.

Fix of the bug

The fix is simply adding the missing dependency in the hpijs package. Now hpijs requires hplip and so users will get an appropriate error message when trying to remove hplip. On already installed systems with uninstalled HPLIP the automatic update including this package will automatically pull in HPLIP and fix the problem this way.

As this is only a change in the packaging (debian/control file) and no change in the code or in config files, there is no risk of regression.

The debdiff

https://www.linux-foundation.org/~till/tmp/ubuntu/gutsy/hplip/hplip_2.7.7.dfsg.1-0ubuntu5.1_2.7.7.dfsg.1-0ubuntu5.2.debdiff

shows the changes which only affect the debian/control file.

Patch on the current stable release:

https://www.linux-foundation.org/~till/tmp/ubuntu/gutsy/hplip/hplip_2.7.7.dfsg.1-0ubuntu5.1_2.7.7.dfsg.1-0ubuntu5.2.debdiff

Source packages are here:

https://www.linux-foundation.org/~till/tmp/ubuntu/gutsy/hplip/

Everyone who is suffering this problem please test and report here. Thanks.