Ok! I have another obnoxious problem that is perhaps super simple to fix.. Yet I am stumped..

I installed Simple-Scan. I'm using the Gnome desktop. None of the key commands worked that I tried. So I did some googles and found a work around that worked! It was to type the following into the command prompt:

XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=XFCE simple-scan

I did this and simple scan worked like a champ! I scanned a zillion files at work and went home. Since I've done that, all my icons are different (don't care about that - just seemed relevant to note) and many of my other applications refuse to load! Google Chrome is one, it gives the following error when I try to launch it from the command line:

[5069:5069:1004/152411.901468:ERROR:zygote_host_impl_linux.cc(89)] Running as root without --no-sandbox is not supported. See https://crbug.com/638180.

Now, if I try running it as a standard user:

No protocol specified

(google-chrome-stable:5089): Gtk-WARNING **: 15:25:09.066: cannot open display: :1

I get similar messages with other applications. Firefox works just fine and so does the file explorer, the terminal obviously, kate and a few other things.

I tried to fix this myself by typing in:

XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME simple-scan

No idea why that occurred to me to be a good idea.. But that's what I did. Icons still different (again, don't care - just thought it's worth mentioning) and all of the problems loading applications.

Any ideas where I went horribly wrong guys/girls? And what I can do about it?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

What are you trying to do? What does this mean: "None of the key commands worked that I tried." If you are trying to run simple-scan, just use the provided application icon.

Try this Then, It should output 'GNOME'. Then log out and back in again. After that you can mess around with 'simple scan'.

Simple Scan works from the icon or the terminal. That's not the issue. What I mean is that the key commands to begin scanning, start new, save, etc.. Where not working. This almost doubles the amount of time that it takes to scan documents. I have nearly 50k client charts to scan. (no b.s.)

Awesome! I will try that as soon as I get back to the office and I'll post a reply with the results. Thank you both so much for your help thus far!

Gave that a go, then tried to open google chrome (one of the apps that quit working). Got this:

No protocol specified

(google-chrome-stable:6778): Gtk-WARNING **: 14:56:20.765: cannot open display: :1

Not sure what it's all about, but that's where I'm at. Now, with simple scan:

Same issue as before. The only key command that works is the save feature..

Thank you though!

Did you run the echo command I gave you to check if XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP has the correct value, GNOME? I only say that because you might need to put quotes around GNOME to get it to stick.

seriously, "no b.s."?
fifty thousand pieces of paper to scan in individually, manually, clicking icons?
let's do the math... 1 minute per scan... ok, optimistic: 30s per scan...
25 thousand minutes == 416 hours.
i think you should take it to a shop.

Output is "GNOME," as expected.

No b.s. I'm out of state until Wednesday, but I'll take a picture when I get back. It's more than 50k piece of paper. It's 50k files (manilla folders). Some of them only have one piece of paper in them. A guess would be that an average is three pieces of paper. Yeah, it's a lot. Good thing is someone else volunteered to help. So it'll be two of us and hopefully more as time goes on. It doesn't need to be done yesterday like most things at my work, fortunately. I'd love to outsource it, but interestingly enough, I work for a spa. So those pieces of paper have people's names and how frequently they get their vaginas waxed. I, personally, wouldn't care if I had a vagina and someone knew I 40 Year Old Virgin'd it every four to six weeks. However, the women around here are kinda funny about it, if that makes sense. I've not asked my boss, but I'd bet a dollar she'd say no and possibly fire me for even bringing it up, lol.

I've been working here about two years or so now. It was a continuous train wreck where each car was filled with cluster f's when I showed up. (I'll link the original post if you want a laugh. -> https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ht-4175619339/ ) It's still a train wreck, but not as bad. It's because of this spa that I first heard the "expression" tl;dr (which was you, ondoho, lol), learned what it meant and was forced to admit that you where right. I've fixed sooooooo many problems since I started here. I had to toss my original project that was in that post I just linked, but that's a whole other story.

Anyway, it's a project in progress, this scanning. I might take one of our "spare" scanners, hook it up to something that will run Lubuntu and set it on top of the filing cabinets. That 'seems' like a solution to the current issue. If it takes us a year to migrate all of the hard copies to PDFs, that's ok. We can still use the physical copies for the time being. Plus, the whole reason I was asked to make this happen is because the others I work with either can't alphabetize (much like I can't spell) or they just keep loosing them. So, the problem might be actively fixing itself. If that makes sense. I've lost a lot of the vigor I had in the beginning, so that's how I'm looking at it. On the other hand.. One of the problems I was asked to fix recently, before this, was of the personel kind. Long story short of that is we "lost" (I think "flushed" is more accurate) 75% of our staff. The ones that remain seem to really be trying to sit up and fly right. Maybe the mysterious disappearances of hard copy files has ceased? Imho, some bowel movements just require two flushes. But I'm just the maintenance guy, what do I know?

Thanks so much for the constant input to this problem! I really apreciate it. It is a daunting task ahead of me and this is a little glitch that could turn into a heck of a headache. Glad all of you are here for noobs like me.

hey, i remember your first thread.

it makes sense to not take the sensitive info to a third party, didn't think of that.

so it's 2 of you; still, you're going to be doing this for a while.
i have no experience with scanning, but if i was you i'd think about scripting it to at least replace the point-and-click part with something quicker (hitting the spacebar? automatically move on to the next scan after a beep?)...
just thinking out loud.

good luck, sounds like a good place to work all things considered!

That is a good idea. I could write a bash script and google how to slave it to the space bar. That's a dang good idea, actually. Thanks

Well, I didn't specify what was in the files, so there's no way you would have known. Outsourcing that would definitely have been the way to go.

The scanner I set up to do all this has a feeder on top where you can just lay a stack of papers on it and it'll pull em one at a time and scan both sides simultaneously. Which is nice.

All in all, it's not bad, no. I've worked in factories and fast food before. Definitely way better than that. The boss treats me well and the clients that I run into are classy. (I actually got a tip the other day, believe it or not.) That's why I'm still there and don't mind the insane workload. I may not like 90% of the people I work with, don't care for the industry as a whole now that I've been in it a little while and I certainly don't understand anything that goes on in that place unless it runs on electricity. But, all I have to do to get paid and keep my job is work hard.

It's nice chatting with you again, ondoho

if monty python still were doing their thing, they would've done a nice outsourcing sketch.

how cool is that.
maybe you can automate the whole thing completely?
because it sounds like there's no real need for you to stand there and always give the OK for the next scan?
like i said, i know nothing about scanners, but you should check that out.
if you stitch some script yourself, also look at xdotool.

i magine the IT guy getting a tip from a beauty salon lady. funny.

Yikes! That pic almost cost me a pair of pants! lol. I wonder if that's what Hagrid would look like in drag?

I feel like I should have "subjects" that I can point at and say "you! Go stand there and push buttons. I HAVE SPOKEN!!" (In full Monty Python fashion)

The thing that stumps me about automating the whole process is assigning the names of the files. The best idea I could come up with to make them easily/quickly searchable is to name them with the client's first, middle and last name, then their date of birth. A while back, I was looking at all kinds of open source options for scanning hand written things to text. But the issue is that some people's handwriting is so terrible I have to show it to a few of my co-workers, ask their opinion of what they think the name at the top is and sort of decide by vote. Most of our clients are military, so you see the craziest names too. Well, they're not crazy, just not the wonder bread names I'm used to. (John, Bill, Suzy, etc..)

At some point, no idea when I'll have three consecutive seconds to make it happen, I'd like to have a few cheap tablets we can keep around for the new clients to fill their paperwork out on. They could sign at the bottom with a stylus. That could be completely automated as far as archival purposes.

I had big ideas for this place..

I'm definitely checking out xdotool. If the name is any indication, it seems right up my alley.

Yeah, I got a tip. And in the Bella Derma hall of fame for it. I'm the first male "guest services" person to ever get a tip. I'm also in the hall of fame for being the first male "guest services" person. lol Since the "Great Flushing of 2018" where 75% of the employees "left." I've had to pick up the slack. During the day, I sit at the front desk, answer the phone, take appointments, process payments, etc etc etc.. Secretary work. (Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly happy to do anything that needs to be done! I like my job and it wouldn't exist without the company, so what the company needs the company shall get.) As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm not very charming. No-one that I've ever met who does what I do for a living has ever said "I was the most popular kid in school." But, I understand I'm the face of the business at the moment until *fingers crossed* a replacement is found for me. So I try to compensate by remembering my training at IHOP back in the day. Every person that comes in, I try to be polite and I make them a cup of tea if they want one. The only times I have issues is when a feminist comes in. If I open a door, pull out a chair or offer to show them to a location they soil their hemp rope panties. (You can practically hear the static electricity crackling in the hair on their knuckles.) But 99% of the customers are super cool. Anyway, one chick I made a cup of tea for dropped it and broke the cup. I probably said "your fired!" or something like that to let her know it wasn't a big deal and she misheard me.