newbie to linux

hi all:

i am a newbie for linux and just installed debian on my laptop (cd1).

now i am wondering how i can install more packages. 30 some CDs seem to be excessive so i am downloading them to my external hard drive. now my question is:

how could i install packages by using external hard drive?

Why not install them from the internet?

Be sure that you have all dependencies required.
Add the package manager.
You will need to create a link between the drive and synaptic.

http://linuxappfinder.com/addrepo

Also look for apt tools which would help and install those while connected.

I didn't even know you could burn them all to CD, thats a very, very strange way to do it. (But the only reason to do that is because you don't know better, so we'll forgive you).

Installing on Linux is very simple; you use a package manager. A package manager installs/uninstalls/reinstalls packages; which seems obvious when I point it out, but there you go.

On debian you're using the synaptic package manager; this has a GUI and CLI. The CLI is less resource intensive and a little more powerful; the downpoint being the fact it is a little less intuitive coming from a Windows background. That in mind, we'll stick to the GUI for now.

The menu bar on the top, the Gnome bar; click System/Admin/Synaptic (shortened, of course). These are the main programs you can install- should be about 25k listed. In here you can search for what you want. Nice and easy.

There are just as easy ways to install things not listed here, but thats another little helper

If you're connected to the internet, and you've not changed anything (You'd know if you had, it takes a concious effort) these will download and install without a lot on effort. Certainly more than you're used to.

I'd suggest you start with live cd's and or live usb devices. Then if you have a newish machine try VM's. Then the last thing I'd try is a full install.

If you had all the packages on an external drive, I'd think a simple boot cd would be able to mount the drive and use the installer features.

I'd at least start with a single cd based install and move up from that. I can't imagine you'd need 30 for any install. Where did you see that? Reminds me of the time we used floppies.

Originally Posted by Mr-Bisquit Be sure that you have all dependencies required. Add the package manager. You will need to create a link between the drive and synaptic. http://linuxappfinder.com/addrepo Also look for apt tools which would help and install those while connected.

thanks. i will try that..

Originally Posted by jamescondron I didn't even know you could burn them all to CD, thats a very, very strange way to do it. (But the only reason to do that is because you don't know better, so we'll forgive you). Installing on Linux is very simple; you use a package manager. A package manager installs/uninstalls/reinstalls packages; which seems obvious when I point it out, but there you go. On debian you're using the synaptic package manager; this has a GUI and CLI. The CLI is less resource intensive and a little more powerful; the downpoint being the fact it is a little less intuitive coming from a Windows background. That in mind, we'll stick to the GUI for now. The menu bar on the top, the Gnome bar; click System/Admin/Synaptic (shortened, of course). These are the main programs you can install- should be about 25k listed. In here you can search for what you want. Nice and easy. There are just as easy ways to install things not listed here, but thats another little helper If you're connected to the internet, and you've not changed anything (You'd know if you had, it takes a concious effort) these will download and install without a lot on effort. Certainly more than you're used to.

thanks. well, i saw 30 some CD listed on the download site.

Originally Posted by jefro I'd suggest you start with live cd's and or live usb devices. Then if you have a newish machine try VM's. Then the last thing I'd try is a full install. If you had all the packages on an external drive, I'd think a simple boot cd would be able to mount the drive and use the installer features. I'd at least start with a single cd based install and move up from that. I can't imagine you'd need 30 for any install. Where did you see that? Reminds me of the time we used floppies.

thanks. yes i have already got the first cd installed. just want to install more packages.

If you have the images (iso files) for the thirty CDs, then you could add them to your sources.list, which will make the programs on them available for you to install. You would need to burn the images to cdroms. Then, having done this, open up a terminal or console (assuming you have x-windows installed -- if not, just use the commandline), and enter the following:

sudo apt-cdrom add

If this doesn't work, then you need to become root. So, assuming you know your root password, enter the following:

su

It will then ask for a password. The sequence will look something like this:

mark@debian:~$ su
Password: ********
debian:/home/mark#

Note, the dollar sign indicates a regular user, whereas the hash mark indicates the root user. Now, enter the "apt-cdrom add" command, and it will tell you what to do. This will add all of your cdroms to your sources.list. At this point, you can install programs from them with synaptic or apt-get or aptitude.

Of course, as others have already said, if you have a high speed internet connection, it may be best to just rely on the internet for getting and installing programs. So, try the following (either prefacing the commands with "sudo", or if that doesn't work, then as root, as described above):

nano /etc/apt/sources.list

This will open up an editor in your terminal. Look and see if you have any repositories there, which will look like the following:

deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.0 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20090214-16:54]/ lenny contrib main
deb http://debian.yorku.ca/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free
deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org stable main non-free

The first one is a cdrom repository, while the second one is an internet repository, and the third one is also an internet repository for multimedia programs. "repository" in this setting means, basically, a collection of programs. If you don't have any internet repositories there, then feel free to add the internet repositories that are listed above. Afterward, exit and save your sources.list file by pressing Ctrl-X (to exit from nano). Now try the following:

aptitude update

At this point, you should be ready to install programs. Still in the terminal, enter the command "aptitude" (as root or prefaced by "sudo") and you will see an ncurses dialogue that list programs available for install. Ctrl-T gives you the menu. The forward slash (/) key is the key for searching for programs that you wish to install. Try finding the program openoffice.org and installing it. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to install.

You could use synaptic rather than aptitude, but I personally think synaptic is shit; so, I generally don't recommend it. However, if you must have a gui, then by all means, use synaptic.

[later edit]
I've never actually set up an external drive as a repository for installing packages, but apparently it can be done. See this site and this site for more information.