I installed mint 19.1 on my Dell Vostro desktop to replace Vista. The problem I have is downloading other apps. When I click download I get a box asking what program to use. I am not a programmer so I always use the default program. The app downloads but I can never open or run it. Do I need another program to make my apps work?

You don't download apps in Linux. Mint has a software center which manages all of the software installs. Linux works very differently than Windows in that whatever distro you are using, provides all of the software via a package manager so you don't have to go out to the Internet and pull in untrusted apps like you do in Windows.

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I'm trying to get Telegram to communicate with IPTV I have. I have no idea what I'm doing if I can't just click on something and have it work. I did a search in package manager and I end up right back at the telegram download page I had. If I click on download for 32 bit Linux it wants to open with Archive Manager. When I do that it won't work for me.

The package manager should install the software for you, not bring you to the app's home page. Are you using 64 bit or 32 bit version of Mint? Is there an "install" button or something when you find Telegram in the package manager?

Welcome to Linux where things are done different then Windows, not all things, just somethings.

if you cannot find what you need in your distros repo(sitory). then you can build it via by source code if you can find it, this requires more knowledge of how to install software in a Linux/GNU system, and (free)BSD.

First you need to learn how to query your repo for the software you're looking for, if it is not there, do not accept that you cannot have this piece of software on your system, too.

see if you can find the same software source code. make sure it is for a linux system. read up on how to install software from source, there is plenty out there to teach you.

you can even make it a rpm or deb to install it that way as well. again there is plenty of information out there to learn yourself on how to do these things.

If you find you cannot figure it out, there is here to ask what do I do now questions, and people that seems to enjoy helping. Because track record shows they do help.

you'd need to add what and where you are trying to get this piece of software too. Just the name of it does not help enough for others to help in some cases.

as you said it is opening up a piece of software to install it and it does not work, you need to be root to install, meaning you need the permissions that root user has, ie sudo.

you're probably in your user account and it is not accessing the privileges you need to install this software, so it fails to do so.

I'm using 32 bit. all I find in package mgr is the telegram website and github. When I search github for telegram all I get is histogram. No install buttons. Just screenshot or homepage buttons.

do you know how to copy paste a web address in here to these two places you're referencing? Because that will be VERY helpful to your situation.

BW..Thanks for the reply but most of what you said makes no sense to me. I'll see if I can find time to research and understand what you're talking about. For now I can log into windows where I have already downloaded the app and communicate with them.

I can copy and paste. https://desktop.telegram.org/ is the site I'm trying to download.

This is the link you are looking for : https://telegram.org/dl/desktop/linux32

So from what you are saying, it appears Mint does not have Telegram in their software center/repositories. The download link above points to a compressed archive. If I remember correctly, once you unpack this archive, there is a set up executable or something similar available which will install Telegram. It's a funky install and not typical of how things get installed in Linux. It does work though.

Go to your Applications menu and launch the Software Manager application.
It has a Search bar. Search for "telegram" and (assuming it is found, I think it will be) you can simply click to install.

Or if you prefer using text commands in the Terminal:

Thank you everyone. I think I can get something to work for me from here. Right now I have to go to work. Thanks again.

it just shows you've got a lot to learn...

start here.

Using apt-get Commands In Linux [Complete Beginners Guide]

I'm running 64 bit Mint 19.1. Telegram is in my Software Manager. Telegram has a number of dependencies that the Software Manager will install, too. The Install button is colored green and is near the top, on the right side of the Software Manager window. It may take a few seconds for the Software Manager to finish downloading the Telegram information before the Install button appears.