install package - help requested
 

Hello -
I tried to ask this question on a Linux forum about 5 years ago and received pretty scornful answers or answers that did not understand that I truly am someone who is starting from the very beginning. So I let it go. I am going to try again. I am trying to learn how to install software in Linux.

I put "install package" in the search window for tutorials just now and did not find a tutorial for how to install packages, so here goes: Once you've downloaded a program and it is in your download file, what do you do to execute the file (Windows terminology, I know), ie make it so I am in the program and can use it? I have ubuntu 10.10 and downloaded gramps_3.3.1-1 -- a geanealogy program. But it just sits there and I can't do anything with it. I found some instructions online for installing linux packages, but in my menus I see none of the commands it tells you to click on. What do I do to start being able to use this software which it looks like I successfully downloaded? Please refrain from giving me a jargon-y answer that presupposes a lot of technical knowledge, 'cause I won't understand it.

Thanks --

You launch one of the following applications: Add/Remove Software, Ubuntu Software Center, Synaptic Package Manager (your choice), search for 'gramps', and click Install Package, OK.

If you are a nerd like me, you can open the Terminal and type:

If you are looking for an unintimidating "how to install software in Ubuntu" tutorial: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installingsoftware

And don't forget that 10.10 reaches its "end of support" in April; you will not be able to install new applications or updates after that date.

Thanks for replying, snowpine. I appreciate that. There are things in your reply that I don't understand, however. Such as what you mean by "launching an application."

I went to the tutorial and it says to click on "install". There is nothing like that in the dropdown menus on the Download folder.

Actually, before writing to Linux Questions I did get to a place through Ubuntu Software Center where there was a button that said "install" and I clicked on it, but the package is not showing up as a program under Applications, so therefore I think it is not installed. So I do not know what to do to get this package installed. So if anyone can tell me how to do that I would appreciate it. Please pretend that I am from another planet and do not know anything about this other than having downloaded the file and knowing how to get dropdown menus to come down and I can click on the options that show in those menus. Thank you.

OK, I will pretend you are from another planet (or maybe you are from earth and I am from another planet, Planet Linux).

Forget the file you downloaded.
Forget the tutorial.
I think that my way is easier. :)

Go to the Ubuntu Software Center and install your app with a few mouse clicks: http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/feature...oftware-centre

That is my complete tutorial on how to install gramps in Ubuntu, wasn't too confusing I hope? If you have problems here are some tips:

If you are having trouble finding the application 'gramps' in your menus, then you can "launch" it by pressing Alt+F2 and typing 'gramps' (without the quotes).

If you need documentation and support for gramps you can find it here: http://gramps-project.org/

OK, can we come back to Earth now? :)

Hi, snowpine. I went to the Ubuntu Software Center by clicking on the link you provided. In order to find the program I did alt-f2. A box came up labeled "Run application" and I typed in gramps. Nothing happened. I tried hitting return to see if that would make the program come up. That did not do anything. The box also said "Run with file" "run in terminal" "help" "cancel" "run" but I do not know what these mean, if I want any of these things to happen to make the program install or how to make those things happen.

To help you further, we must use the Terminal, are you OK with that? Here's a hint: you can use Edit, Copy and Edit, Paste instead of typing the commands, that way you don't make any typos (you just have to worry if I made any typos ;)). And then when the terminal tells you something, you can Edit, Copy and Edit, Paste what it says back here for the egghead martians to translate.

Ready, set, go... the Terminal is under Applications, Accessories, Terminal (or you can press Alt+F2 and type "gnome-terminal" without the quotes and press Enter).

Here is the first terminal command (press Enter when done):

Hopefully it will tell you "/usr/bin/gramps" and then you can tell it

right back to launch gramps!

But if you see something like:

That means gramps did not properly install through the Software Center. If that is the case then we can install it using the Terminal.

It will ask for your password; you should type it and press Enter. The password will not appear on-screen while you are typing it, but that's normal.

If there are errors, copy & paste them back here for me. :)

I got to the terminal and pasted in "which gramps" *no quote marks) and hit enter. Nothing happened.

Interesting. Try (in the Terminal, each line is a separate command with Enter after each):

Thank you, snowpine. I appreciate your patience.
Just now I put in the first line of text you suggested and immediately a line came up (I didn't even hit enter), which seemed to be a prompt to put in my password. (It said "[sudo] password for [my username on my computer]". I input the password and about 50 lines of text came up in quick succession. When it said "Done" I put in the second line of text you suggested. About 25 or so lines of text came up, and then:
The following NEW packages will be installed:
gramps graphviz libcdt4 libcgraph5 libgraph4 libgvc5 libgvpr1 libpathplan4
libxdot4 python-gtkmozembed ttf-liberation
0 upgraded, 11 newly installed, 3 to remove and 64 not upgraded.
Need to get 8,488kB of archives.
After this operation, 23.5MB of additional disk space will be used.
23.5mb

When I was trying to install this myself I had seen a place that told me that 3 files would need to be removed and that it would take up 23.5MB, so since this matched with that I felt OK about it. Otherwise I might have felt really freaked about things coming in to my computer that I wasn't sure about. As it was, it was a bit daunting to see that big rush of lines of code that came up when I had only put in half of what you said to input. Then I got the following:

Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

I put in y because it seemed OK. And then another rush of code came up. The last two lines said:

ldconfig deferred processing now taking place
Processing triggers for python-support ...

and then just a blank prompt with my computer's name.

And now it looks like the program is installed. I found it under applications/open office. And I clicked on it and it looks like I can start working with it. I am psyched! This is my first linux program I have been able to download. Thank you so much, snowpine!

I know there is a whole universe of programs out there. I'd like to be able to apply this experience to other programs.
Should I just type in:
sudo apt-get update

and then

sudo apt-get install [name of program I want to install]

in order to install a program?

Congratulations, it appears you have successfully installed gramps using the Terminal! :)

I do not understand why the install with Software Center failed. To be honest I have zero experience with the Software Center; because I am a nerd (or maybe a geek) I prefer using the terminal. A third option that's kind of in-between is the Synaptic Package Manager, which is a graphical software manager (like Software Center) but is less "shiny" I guess you could say.

99% of the applications you'll ever need are available in the Ubuntu software "repositories." These can be easily installed with a few mouse clicks or terminal commands (like you did with "sudo apt-get install gramps").

On the rare occasions you must install from outside the official repositories, this Psychocats tutorial will be useful: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installingsoftware

Thank you, snowpine. I really appreciate your help and I'll give those other approaches a try when I am looking to install other programs.

You have helped one user to overcome a significant linux barrier. I think that's important, not just for the two of us who have been having this conversation but because linux has the potential to be so much more for this world of ours.

One of the main reasons I have linux as my operating system, despite not being a geek or nerd, is that I believe it's wrong for one or two companies to dominate computers so thoroughly. There should be choices. On top of that, I believe that collaboration could deliver many more benefits to our world, and linux is a prime example of that. If more people could use it that would be positive for our world. Thank you for helping to achieve that.

You're welcome, and I agree 100% with your last statement.

Furthermore our conversation will be archived for years; maybe at some point in the future, a new user will have the same question and will find this solution, all because you took the time to ask the question and didn't give up. :)