No software Manager

bscho · 01-03-2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lennie

The first two commands you can just copy-paste (ctrl + shift + v to paste in terminal)

Code:

cd /usr/share/applications 
ls | grep software

The third command depends on the output of the second command. You will get the name of one or more file(s).cd /usr/share/applications The command should be like:

Code:

cat filename

The first line cd /usr/share/applications changes the directory, the second does not appear to do anything and the third line shows no file name or directory.

273 · 01-03-2013, 02:00 PM

I'd also be interested how you run Software Manager as your normal user account? Do you run it from the terminal, or a modified menu entry?

bscho · 01-03-2013, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

I'd also be interested how you run Software Manager as your normal user account? Do you run it from the terminal, or a modified menu entry?

I do not run the software manager that is the point. I just click on the star the pointer bounces for 5 seconds then stops nothing comes up.

273 · 01-03-2013, 02:14 PM

My apologies if I am being rude, but I don't think you are telling the full story, or perhaps I misunderstand your posts.
If you click the menu item for Software Manager you should then see a dialogue asking for your password in order that it can run as root.
If you can log on as root and start an X session (use Cinnamon, Gnome, KDE or whatever) then you must have made changes to your system.
Your problem may be unrelated to anything you have done regarding root login but from your posts it's difficult to know what you have done and tried.

Edit: This just occurred, are you running from a live CD or DVD?

xenopeek · 01-03-2013, 03:29 PM

@273: Linux Mint 14 is the one that asks you for a password before you can start Software Manager. Unless OP has enabled the backports repository, on Linux Mint 13 OP would still be using the old Software Manager which you can start without needing to give a password (you are only asked for your password as you click to install or remove a package).

@bscho: try running from the terminal:

Code:

mintinstall

and share its output here if you get any errors.

273 · 01-03-2013, 03:32 PM

My Mint installs never were standard. Can you log in to X as root also?

xenopeek · 01-03-2013, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

My Mint installs never were standard. Can you log in to X as root also?

Sure, by default you can not log in as root in MDM but you can enable that with one click in the Login Window application. The root account is already enabled, and has the initial password as you gave for the user created during installation of Linux Mint. As a safety measure, MDM does by default not allow you to login as root.

Edit; MDM = Mint Display Manager.

273 · 01-03-2013, 05:22 PM

Wow, what an odd Distro. I'll butt out then.

bscho · 01-04-2013, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

My apologies if I am being rude, but I don't think you are telling the full story, or perhaps I misunderstand your posts.
If you click the menu item for Software Manager you should then see a dialogue asking for your password in order that it can run as root.

I am using the root so it doesn't need a password

If you can log on as root and start an X session (use Cinnamon, Gnome, KDE or whatever) then you must have made changes to your system.

Not to my knowledge.

Your problem may be unrelated to anything you have done regarding root login but from your posts it's difficult to know what you have done and tried.

Edit: This just occurred, are you running from a live CD or DVD?

I have done both. I received Mint 14 today from Linux Format magazine. If I cannot find an answer I will skip 13.

bscho · 01-04-2013, 07:59 AM

I have found that that the software manager does not work if you are using
root. I tried it as a normal user and found it works.

The clue that you needed a password let me check as none root was the answer.

Thanks everybody. It really is an odd distro. I'll see if it does the same with 14.

bscho · 01-04-2013, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

So you followed something like the following then?
http://www.ehow.com/how_10044870_root-linux-mint.html
I don't mean to label the point but it seems you modified your system from the default, and that may have a bearing on the problems you are having.
Apologies if Mint has changed the policy on root login.

I thought I had checked that. It works as a normal user. Thanks for giving us the clue.

I'll check the 14 which I received today for the bug.

273 · 01-04-2013, 08:25 AM

I apologise for suggesting you'd modified the OS. Last time I installed Mint the root account was disabled and even when enabled wasn't able to log into X (the latter being common to many distros).

bscho · 01-04-2013, 09:45 AM

the root problem existed from 2004. The suggestion that root should be disabled is aborant.

If that is mint attitude then it is not a distro I would recommend, In 2003 Mandrake allowed you to use root. Mint is not a distro that I can recommend. I also have found
another problem, there is no wireless driver for the Realtec chip. I hope it is solved
in Mint 14 which I am about to live installation.

bscho · 01-04-2013, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xenopeek

@273: Linux Mint 14 is the one that asks you for a password before you can start Software Manager. Unless OP has enabled the backports repository, on Linux Mint 13 OP would still be using the old Software Manager which you can start without needing to give a password (you are only asked for your password as you click to install or remove a package).

@bscho: try running from the terminal:

Code:

mintinstall

and share its output here if you get any errors.

That shows 14 has fixed the problem that exists on 13 for root. Hope they have my realtec wireless fixed? I use a HP635 with realtec chip for wireless

273 · 01-04-2013, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bscho

the root problem existed from 2004. The suggestion that root should be disabled is aborant.

If that is mint attitude then it is not a distro I would recommend, In 2003 Mandrake allowed you to use root. Mint is not a distro that I can recommend. I also have found
another problem, there is no wireless driver for the Realtec chip. I hope it is solved
in Mint 14 which I am about to live installation.

It's a recent thing (last 5 years or so) to not allow X login as root I think. Ubuntu started with the disabling of root altogether, I think, and since Mint was based upon it they seemed to be that way too (unless my memory is playing tricks on me).
Personally I only every log in as root in the terminal, and usually because something is broken. Otherwise I've not real need to as a root terminal suffices.