An Idiot's Guide
 

Is there any chance of someone setting up an Complete Idiot's Section for those of us who are brand new to Linux and know absolutely nothing?

I cannot make head nor tail of some things. I'm desperate to leave Win XP behind but the way Linux gets you do stuff is just beyond me at the moment. Fine for someone who knows their way around but well-intended responses to questions are often too vague to be of much help.

Example?

I'm using SuSe 10.

Trying to run Azureus. I need Java Runtime 1.5.

Azureus is in there but I cannot get Java to install. Tried Yast. Tried Installation Source. All ended in failure. Tried the "How to install Java" from opensuse.org. That also failed. Asked on here how to do it.

Response:

Once your repositories are open you can install it with Yast.

So pleased to get a response at all but Repository?

Example response on another thread: Repositories contain packages for a distro.

This means absolutely nothing to me. I'm used to click, click and a program is installed onto my hard dsik. I know exactly where to look for it and exactly how to get it up and running. SuSe seems to make you jump through way too many hoops. Once it's simply and clearly explained I'm sure it will be no problem.

Right now it appears so impossible to master that I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time.
I'm utterly embarrassed so say how stupid I feel and doubtless there'll be some who'll sneer and tell me I might be better off with an OS that holds my hand every step of the way. But it's in everyone's interest to make Linux as user-friendly as possible simply in order to provide MS haters like me an easy alternative to Windows crap and remove that smug look from Gates's face.

Like I said at the beginning, some of us are total Linux idiots. Idiots who want to learn. There needs to be a thread which pitches advice and responses at the most basic of levels. One which assumes the user knows absolutely nothing (like me).

There is such a section and I believe its Linux Newbie. As for installing java, you need to add the java source to your sources list in yast. Take a look at my post in this thread for a quick guide on how to add extra Suse repos.

Thanks for the speedy reply...

From the thread link you gave...

YAST -> Software -> Software Managment and then search for gaim. If gaim is not on the installation disks then you need to add ftp or http sources to your YAST software sources. Start YAST, go to the software section and there should be a section called Installation Source. Add an ftp or http source e.g. if the url of the source you want to use is http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensus...SS/inst-source/ , then the protocol would be "http", the url would be "ftp.opensuse.org" and the direcory would be "pub/opensuse/distribution/SL-10.0-OSS/inst-source". When you have setup your source, go to Software Managment and then search for gaim.

Redazz this is just what I mean .

Although this answers a q about an entirely different app even this is pitched too high. I searched the newbie forums. I tried exactly this method to install Java. Went to YasT, put in the website URL...put in the name of the Java file I needed. I ended up with nothing but an error message. Reading the manuals leaves me even more confused. I try it all step-by-step and seem to be going around in circles.

Clearly your idea of an idiot's guide is not the same as mine. I mean a TOTAL idiot's guide which assumes - quite rightly in my case - that we know absolutely ZIP! That's not an easy thing to do for someone who knows his/her stuff. It's like teaching someone a foreign language. Even the manuals seem to assume some knowledge that I simply don't have.

In a few weeks/months time I'll, hopefully, be looking back and thinking "was I really that dumb" but right now I really am that dumb. Pains me to say it but it's true.

Hello tivo2004, I'm not sure an idiot's guide would be a good use of time and resources especially in you case because you obviously found this forum and posted your situation.

If you're still trying to install Java:

1. Fire that puppy (YaST) up again and click SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT.

2. Enter JAVA in the search field.

3. (Looking at the results of my search I see) I have:
doxygen and
kdebindings3-javascript
installed. Choose those to for starters. If it turns out they don't enable the functions you wanted give another holler but that's all it took to get Azureus up & running for me.
HTH

Thanks...

Tried it...

Got this.

tivo1xxx@linux:~> cd Azureus/azureus
tivo1xxx@linux:~/Azureus/azureus> ./azureus
Starting Azureus...
Java exec not found in PATH, starting auto-search...
ls: /usr/java: No such file or directory
OOPS, unable to locate java exec in /usr/java/ hierarchy
You need to upgrade to JRE 1.4.x or newer from http://java.sun.com
tivo1xxx@linux:~/Azureus/azureus>

???

The Tutorials section is aimed mostly at people with little experience (although there are some more advanced topics covered for those interested).

--jeremy

Took longer than I want to admit remembering this howto:

Installing Sun's Java

Gosh! Where did you say that Idiot's Guide was located?.

Let's not forget the LQ Wiki and the good old, underappreciated and under-used Search Function. The latter will enable you to find answers to most of your problems.

LQ Wiki has so much :study: I always get distracted from looking for what I originally go there for ...but always learn :D something new!

Tried the opensuse thing too.

Took it line by line. Did it again and again. It still didn't work.

I have been trying to get Java installed since yesterday afternoon. 24 hours later and I'm more confused and frustrated than ever.

I clearly do not have the brain for this. I cannot tell you just how low all of this advice needs to be pitched.

If this is an indication of just how hard it is to master even installing programs in Linux...better to admit defeat here.

Thanks anyway.

Hardly. JRE is straightforward to install - why not tell us what you did and we can then see if we can offer advice.

Since you are having difficulty configuring your Suse repos, try this[list=1][*]Start a terminal emulator e.g. konsole or gnome-terminal[*]Switch to root using the su command e.g.
Enter roots password when prompted to do so[*]Install java from the Suse repo using the rpm command e.g.
This may take a few minutes depending on your net connection speed.[*]When the installation is completed, logout as root (by typing "exit" <enter>) and close the terminal. Log out and in again. java should then be ready for use.[/list=1]

Well I clearly have problems way beyond anything I'd imagined. So much for this being "straightforward". This will be the third day of trying.

Tried Redazz's tip:

Opened Konsole

Entered..

tivo1xxx@linux:~> su
Password:
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # #rpm -Uvh http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensuse..._03-2.i586.rpm
linux:/home/tivo1xxx #
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # su
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # #rpm -Uvh http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensuse..._03-2.i586.rpm
linux:/home/tivo1xxx #

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Tried four times. Waited for a few minutes each time. No response from the system and no sign of my router DLing anything. The router is working properly. I have just DL'd a 210MB file from another site.

Could something have gone wrong during SuSe install? It all seems to be OK. No error messages anywhere.

This is driving me mad.

Try downloading the java file from the url I posted, save it locally and then install it.

That's what I'm suspecting.

I may have missed your reply but have you tried the Install Sun's Java (with YaST) recommendation?