I'm having problems installing programs
 

So far I haven't managed to install anything properly and I've been trying for months with many different programs... The latest problem is the newest version of kopete that I need to connect to the MSN network. I'm not using a .rpm file for this, there isn't one available, I'm trying to compile it. However, when I type ./configure I allways seem to get a message that something is missing, no matter what program I'm trying to install. I don't however know what these files are, where to find them or how to install them on my computer?

If anyone can help I'd be very thankful.

What distro are you using? Maybe you didn't install some common applications or header files. Could you post any error messages you get or at least what the configure script complains about missing?

What does it say?

Usually you can use the information from the error to get the right packages and compile Kopete.

Sometimes they are like:
etc.

good to see that im not the only one having trouble installing things lol, linux doesnt make it easy for you does it?

Thanks everyone for your replies. Anyway, I was asking in a more general sense about this problem as it has plagued everything I've tried to install, but here is the error I get when I type ./configure with the new version of kopete:

checking for Qt... configure: error: Qt (>= Qt 3.3) (library qt-mt) not found. Please check your installation!
For more details about this problem, look at the end of config.log.
Make sure that you have compiled Qt with thread support!
[ben@localhost kopete-0.10.1]$

So, I checked the config.log file and after searching I found two references to "qt". One is the exact same message as above, while the other says:

kde_qtver='3'

I think that means I have version 3, not that I know what qt is, where it is or what I need it for...

As for linux making it hard to install programs, I would go as far as saying it makes it impossible for the average user to install anything. I like files called install.exe that I can just double click on. The automated install file is widely accepted as the best way to package programs for every other OS I've encountered (DOS, apple computers, windows, acorn/archimedes), even my commodore 64 had them! If it was that easy in linux I'd be 100% happy with using it, but as things are now, not being able to install new programs is a huge problem as a computer that can't run new programs is useless.

Hi Ben,
This may not help tremendously, but I thought I might add a few comments on your apparent issues with new software that may help explain why you are running into these problems.

All distributions have their 'own' ideas on what software to include in the base installation. These distros also have their own ways of getting new software and upgrading the entire system. This becomes an issue when you download the latest source for a particular pogram and it requires a different version of dependant software than you have installed to compile. This is what you are running into.

There are also different ways you can resolve the issue. I know that Mandrake at times keeps some RPMs up to date and others get lost in the shuffle. Your best bet is to take one at a time and install the dependencies when needed. If you require more 'bleeding edge' software, you may be in for a long haul getting everything updated to the latest and greatest. I know that urpmi is somewhat usefull in these situations, however it doesn't 'always' fix the problem at hand.

I haven't played with Mandrake since 9.1 (I'm running Libranet now), but from other posts, I gather Mandrake can install software from it's Control Center. You may try there to see if you can get the version needed.

When all else fails, search the net for the package required. A good place to start for RPMs is http://www/rpmfind.net.

I searched there for qt3,3 but did not find it for Mandrake (Mandriva?)

Anyone know where Mandriva is keeping their RPM updates??

Hope this helps a little!

Scoot

Qt is a widget toolkit used by KDE, it allows users to write GUI programs. It appears that your version isn't recent enough for the software you are trying to install.

You can get the latest version (3.3.4) at http://www.trolltech.com/download/qt/x11.html

Well, it's making a lot more sense why I need these files now, plus I now know what the mystry qt file does and where to find it... That certainly helps!

I don't really want to run cutting edge software, I just want to install a few new programs. I'm not the kind of person who upgrades existing programs often, until I bought linux and started using open office, I was still using a word processor that came with my original 286 on a new Pentium III... Why fix something that isn't broken? However, since MSN changed the way programs connect with their server the old version of kopete is technically broken.

As for installing programs from the mandrake control centre, that's a challenge in itself. Every time I try to do this it announces that something conflicts and won't let me do anything. Amazingly, it won't even let me install programs from the mandrake disks that came with it. I could accept 3rd party stuff being a problem, but when it rejects it's own software something is definitely weird. I'm considering trying a new version of linux as it may just be mandrake, or even just this version. However, if I can understand compiling programs then everything should be fine, it does seem to be the most effective way to install programs. Many don't have a mandrake .rpm, but they have code you can aparently compile to any distro?

Anyway, I'm compiling this qt thing right now and will hopefully install it... Thanks again for your help and I'll hopefully post again later to say what happens.

I've now compiled the qt thing, taking all of about one and a half hours, then it announced everything was fine. This is a first for linux, not only has it actually provided some legible user feedback, it's also good news! Sadly, it's short lived... I try to install it and after about half an hour, bringing my total time invested up to two hours, it says a whole load of extremely unhelpful cryptic stuff and stops. I make a guess that it has done whatever it was supposed to (linux isn't big on user information, half the time I run something and nothing comes up on the screen to say it's done a thing). Then I go back to trying to ./configure the new version of kopete and it does the exact same thing as before, says that I don't have qt. So, I'm changing my guess that it's installed properly. I now believe that it has, as it allways has, gone wrong because I probably need a package to make the new package work, and I'm betting that package for a package probably needs another package which will complain I'm missing a...package!

I honestly have been quite throughly happy with every other aspect of linux, but the software management is hopeless. I have never encountered any other OS or computer that required months to learn how to do something as basic as installing a new program, particularly not when the user is quite competent and has managed to successfully do the exact same thing on dozens of other computers. It's unfortunate, linux has many clear advantages, but the software management needs major help right now as I'd be amazed if any sizable proportion of the desktop users it does attract stick with it after more than a few adventures with dependencies. After 6 months I've probably been more determind and patient that most users will.

However, I've finally run out of patience. I'm frustrated. I'm bored. I've had enough. I'm buying an apple mac!

But before I go on-line shopping for my new computer (which will use that wonderful invention, the self-contained automated installation file), I would like to thank everyone who has helped. Of all the places I've visited on-line, the people here really do try hard to help.

The reason that you perhaps could not get kopete to complete ./configure may be that you did not compile it with multi threading support ( ./configue -mt or something like that. see ./configure --help of qt for that). Kopete said it couldnt find qt-mt .

Anyways there might be an easiear solution. Do
rpm -qa | grep "qt"

See the result for qt-devel
If there is none then then you just had to rpm -ivh qt-devel-????????? from the distro CD :)