debcrafters-packages team mailing list archive

[jimav <2129644@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Public bug reported:

Ubuntu 25.04 substituted "papers" for the previous default PDF viewer
(i.e. the program run by /usr/bin/xdg-open FILE.pdf).  I think evince
was the old default.

"papers" has serious usability problems:

1. No "Page Fit" option

There is no "Page Fit" option (that I could find), so pressing page-Down
or page-Up keys displays parts of multiple pages (depending on exactly
how many pixels high the window viewport is).   You can manually scale
(using e.g. control-mousewheel, if you have that on your mouse) to fit,
but the step size is not always a sub-multiple of the window pixel
height, so it may or may not be possible to scale the image to see
exactly one page (if it is not exactly one page, then the page-Up/Down
keys jump to increasingly wrong positions).

And the scale does not seem to be sticky, so you have to fiddle with
this every time.

2. There is a "Continuious" option in the 3-dot menu which is ON by
default.  Turning it off does not make the program let you step through
pages one at a time (like in evince).  Instead, it locks the current
page and prevents moving to any other page.   Since the scaling is not
adjusted to fit the screen, it is unclear what this function is intended
for.

3. The man page refers readers to http://www.gnome.org/projects/papers/
but there is no such page (404 error).


A sample multi-page PDF file is attached.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

1. Log in on a Wayland session (dont' know if that matters, but it's what I used)
2. Run "papers sample.pdf"  # the attached demo file

3. Press page-Down multiple times
(result: Shows parts of two pages at once, or only part of one page)

4. [Do not resize the window]
   Use Control-scrollwheel to try to make exactly one page fit in the window without clipping horizontally.
(result: Only possible if the aspect ratio of the window allows it, which is unknowable and depends on what is in the PDF file; this is why the program has to provide a "Page Fit" function which adds dead space above or below the page image if necessary to allow the page to fit horizontally while displaying exactly one page at a time.)

5. 3-dot-menu->(uncheck 'Continuous')
6. Try to advance to the next or previous page
(result: not possible)


Display: 3840 x 2160 ("4K") with Scale set to 100%

$ lsb_release -rd
Description:	Ubuntu 25.04
Release:	25.04

$ papers --version
Papers 48.0<no newline>

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 25.04
Package: papers 48.0-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.14.0-34.34-generic 6.14.11
Uname: Linux 6.14.0-34-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.32.0-0ubuntu5.3
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Wed Oct 22 15:28:38 2025
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-10-18 (5 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 25.04 "Plucky Puffin" - Release amd64 (20250415.3)
SourcePackage: papers
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

** Affects: papers (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: amd64 apparmor apport-bug plucky wayland-session

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of
Debcrafters packages, which is subscribed to papers in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2129644

Title:
  No single-page option; broken link to online docs

Status in papers package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Ubuntu 25.04 substituted "papers" for the previous default PDF viewer
  (i.e. the program run by /usr/bin/xdg-open FILE.pdf).  I think evince
  was the old default.

  "papers" has serious usability problems:

  1. No "Page Fit" option

  There is no "Page Fit" option (that I could find), so pressing page-
  Down or page-Up keys displays parts of multiple pages (depending on
  exactly how many pixels high the window viewport is).   You can
  manually scale (using e.g. control-mousewheel, if you have that on
  your mouse) to fit, but the step size is not always a sub-multiple of
  the window pixel height, so it may or may not be possible to scale the
  image to see exactly one page (if it is not exactly one page, then the
  page-Up/Down keys jump to increasingly wrong positions).

  And the scale does not seem to be sticky, so you have to fiddle with
  this every time.

  2. There is a "Continuious" option in the 3-dot menu which is ON by
  default.  Turning it off does not make the program let you step
  through pages one at a time (like in evince).  Instead, it locks the
  current page and prevents moving to any other page.   Since the
  scaling is not adjusted to fit the screen, it is unclear what this
  function is intended for.

  3. The man page refers readers to
  http://www.gnome.org/projects/papers/ but there is no such page (404
  error).

  
  A sample multi-page PDF file is attached.

  STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

  1. Log in on a Wayland session (dont' know if that matters, but it's what I used)
  2. Run "papers sample.pdf"  # the attached demo file

  3. Press page-Down multiple times
  (result: Shows parts of two pages at once, or only part of one page)

  4. [Do not resize the window]
     Use Control-scrollwheel to try to make exactly one page fit in the window without clipping horizontally.
  (result: Only possible if the aspect ratio of the window allows it, which is unknowable and depends on what is in the PDF file; this is why the program has to provide a "Page Fit" function which adds dead space above or below the page image if necessary to allow the page to fit horizontally while displaying exactly one page at a time.)

  5. 3-dot-menu->(uncheck 'Continuous')
  6. Try to advance to the next or previous page
  (result: not possible)


  Display: 3840 x 2160 ("4K") with Scale set to 100%

  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 25.04
  Release:	25.04

  $ papers --version
  Papers 48.0<no newline>

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 25.04
  Package: papers 48.0-1ubuntu1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.14.0-34.34-generic 6.14.11
  Uname: Linux 6.14.0-34-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.32.0-0ubuntu5.3
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
  CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
  Date: Wed Oct 22 15:28:38 2025
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-10-18 (5 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 25.04 "Plucky Puffin" - Release amd64 (20250415.3)
  SourcePackage: papers
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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