failed dependencies w/Mozilla install
 

When I try to install mozilla-1.4-0.beta I get the following:

# rpm -ivh mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk.i586.rpm
error: failed dependencies:
libnspr4 >= 1.4-0.beta.1mdk is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
libnss3 = 1.4-0.beta.1mdk is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(File::Copy) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(File::Glob) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(File::Path) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(POSIX) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk

I understand :

libnspr4 >= 1.4-0.beta.1mdk is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
libnss3 = 1.4-0.beta.1mdk is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk

But what is:

perl(File::Copy) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(File::Glob) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(File::Path) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk
perl(POSIX) is needed by mozilla-1.4-0.beta.1mdk

I have perl installed!

perl has modules akin to c/c++ libraries.

there may be RPMs for them, but the standard way to get them is through CPAN. once the cpan utility is installed (with any luck it was with perl) you can simply (as root) do
# cpan File::Copy File::Glob File::Path POSIX
and each module will be installed

cpan may insist on installing a newer version of perl too.
if you have any other questions, http://startlinux.co.nz/articles/article_34.php is a good resource

I downloaded "cpan2rpm-2.005-2mdk.noarch.rpm" from rpmfind.net and installed it.

Then as root I:

# cpan File::Copy File::Glob File::Path POSIX
bash: cpan: command not found
[root@localhost tmp]# locate cpan
/etc/webmin/cpan
/etc/webmin/cpan/config
/etc/webmin/cpan/admin.acl
/usr/share/services/searchproviders/cpan.desktop
/usr/share/webmin/caldera/cpan
/usr/share/webmin/caldera/cpan/images
/usr/share/webmin/caldera/cpan/images/icon.gif
/usr/share/webmin/cpan
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.ru_RU
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.ca
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.de
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.es
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.hu
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.nl
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.pl
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.zh_TW.Big5
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.ru_SU
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.sv
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/config.info.zh_CN
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/download.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/cpan-lib.pl
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/cpan.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/images
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/images/icon.gif
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/images/cat.gif
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/images/mod.gif
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/ja_JP.euc
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/ca
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/de
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/en
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/es
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/fr
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/hu
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/ko_KR.euc
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/nl
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/pl
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/ru_RU
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/ru_SU
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/sv
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/zh_CN
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/lang/zh_TW.Big5
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/edit_mod.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/uninstall.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/index.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/install.cgi
/usr/share/webmin/cpan/module.info
/usr/share/webmin/mscstyle3/cpan

Why does it say the command "cpan" can't be found?

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.
/usr/share/webmin/mscstyle3/cpan/images
/usr/share/webmin/mscstyle3/cpan/images/icon.gif

rpmfind says
"This script generates an RPM package from a Perl module. It uses the
standard RPM file structure and creates a spec file, a source RPM, and a
binary, leaving these in their respective directories.

The script can operate on local files, urls and CPAN module names.
Install this package if you want to create RPMs out of Perl modules."

this isn't the rpm you want. you need something that provides CPAN.pm

go to the list of perl modules at CPAN.org and scroll down until you reach CPAN ANDK CPAN-1.70.tar.gz 129k 04 Mar 2003
the url I provided earlier has the instructions for manually installing a perl modules. you could also grab the File modules you need there too, but having cpan installed will be better in the long run

to answer you question "Why does it say the command "cpan" can't be found?" the shell is looking through its path (you can see this by "echo $PATH" or "env") for an executable called cpan

For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was update Mozilla, instead I've gotta jump through a million hoops. I'll try to figure all this out, I guess, maybe not!

Sometimes using Linux feels like getting in your car only to find that you have to completely reassemble it using only a hammer and duct tape before you can go anywhere.

I know, lots of users will say, "Use Windows if you want things simple." To me, that's not an adequate answer. I also know that Linux program development is by and large by unpaid and truly dedicated volunteers, and I have nothing but respect for those people. But the problem remains of Linux being to one degree or another UNUSABLE for a vast number of ordinary mortals who want to use their computers but don't want to buy into what they see as a morally devious situation, i. e. MS Windows use. Maybe there will never be a solution to this problem. I'm sure not smart enough to see one.

frankly, a lot depends on your approach to linux.
I find installation easier on a linux box, but its because of the method used. if you're on a Mandrake installation, I don't know of any reason to install RPMs directly. look into urpmi, which will install RPMs and take care of any dependencies along the way.

Nice in practice, but it doesn't work that way. I've used, or attempted to use, urpmi ever since I learned about it (purely by accident, by the way, in an obscure post on the Mandrake site).

When there are failed dependencies with urpmi, they're just as hard to sort out as without. At least that's been my experience. The exception may be if the needed modules are present on the installation disks. But if you have to go out on the Internet for them, lots luck unless you're a pretty advanced user.

And it's not like I haven't tried. I've been on the point of tears and near to wanting to throw my computer away after spending hours trying to figure things out to no avail, even with the excellent help from this board and elsewhere.

well, that sucks. I honestly haven't ever tried it. in the debian world apt-get works pretty flawlessly. there is an apt-rpm mechanism (I was going to recommend it first, but I noticed that urpmi is for Mandrake specifically) which may or may not work well given you're on a system that isn't redhat per se.
jonr - do you have any experience with it (or heard anything)?

No experience with Debian, but I thought about switching to Debian because it sounded really appealing (including apt-get) till a professional computer tech who is familiar with my situation (he's bailed me out of dozens of dilemmas) advised me to stick to Mandrake: Debian is too tricky for me to set up, apparently.

I hope I can make it clear I'm not BLAMING anybody for the difficulties I, or any other simple home user of Linux, experience: I am fully aware that it's a miracle that Linux even exists. But it's just a crying shame that it can't be simpler, for those who haven't the resources or the time to tweak and dig endlessly. It means a lot of people who for moral, ethical reasons would like to flee the Microsoft camp, either can't or dare not. That's the big shame.

Listen, I really, really, really enjoy Linux. I don't want anyone to get me wrong. In fact, I use it exclusively (Redhat 8) on a laptop. I got the linmodem working! It runs flawlessly and is very, very reliable. I haven't had one problem with it as I did with 98se! I wouldn't go back to my Windows days again.

I have Mandrake 9.1 on the box I'm trying to update Mozilla on. It should be one of the most user friendly. The reason I'm trying to update to Mozilla 1.4 is because the one that came with 9.1 is full of bugs for me. Now, I know 1.4 is beta and who knows what I'm asking for but . . .

By the way, I have had a lot of problems with the box I'm using (Emachine with Intel 845gl motherboard). Mandrake 9.1 is the only distro that supports the sound card. I know it's an Emachine, but that's what fit the family budget, if you know what I mean.

Let me review: I'm not going back to Windows. I use RH 8 on my work computer. I use MDK 9.1 on my home computer. I have had to learn a lot and I have, but sometimes it just gets frustrating . . . I mean I just wanted to update Mozilla! Geesh!

However, and I repeat as I did in frustration above, all I wanted to do was update Mozilla!

You're in exactly the same boat I'm in. We've got good intentions, we want to get completely free from Windows--but we're not full-time computer technicians and we do have other things in our lives besides sitting here knocking our heads against our monitors trying to do a simple update.

Mozilla 1.2 was MUCH less buggy than 1.3. I'm afraid to even try 1.4, and after reading about your experience I certainly won't try!

Also, re: eMachines--I used one exclusively from spring 1998 to this past December, and it did everything I needed. It's a long story--but my experience has been that eMachines despite their bad reputation among computer afficionados, do serve a purpose and allow many with limited resources, such as myself, to get into personal computing that never could do it otherwise. For that I'm grateful.

OK all is not lost. I installed Mozilla 1.4b on Mandrake 9.1 and followed the mozilla.org instructions here:

http://www.mozilla.org/releases/mozi.../#linuxinstall

The instructions say to install in a new directory if you already have an existing version of Mozilla installed. I didn't know what would happen with the system and /home directories so I removed Mozilla 1.3 with Mandrake Control Centre. Make a copy of /home/you/.mozilla somewhere else just in case.

It's important to install as root, in a Konsole - Super User Mode. The instructions also say to run the program at least once as the user who installed this (ie, root), as this automatically sets up files for other users subsequently.

The only trouble I had was with my knowledge of KDE and setting up icons to run Mozilla. I had no trouble with the desktop icon, but with Mandrake Control Centre->System->MenuDrake, you need to configure the System Menu, navigate to Networking->WWW and click on Add Entry. You have to insert '/usr/local/mozilla/mozilla' in the place where the command for your new entry goes.

Removing Mozilla 1.3 also removed KDE's nice Mozilla icons, but equally nice ones are available in /usr/share/icons/crystalsvg. Symlinks of the mozilla.png images in subdirectories '16x16', '32x32', and '48x48' need to be copied to /usr/share/icons/mini, /usr/share/icons and /usr/share/icons/large respectively. This will allow Mandrake Control Centre to allocate the icons in MenuDrake.

HTH,

Geoff.

<edit> removed ref to soundwrapper (was rubbish).