LinuxQuestions.org
Download your favorite Linux distribution at LQ ISO.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > LinuxQuestions.org > LQ Suggestions & Feedback
User Name
Password
LQ Suggestions & Feedback Do you have a suggestion for this site or an idea that will make the site better? This forum is for you.
PLEASE READ THIS FORUM - Information and status updates will also be posted here.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 11-20-2005, 08:45 AM   #1
tivo2004
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: England
Distribution: Novell SuSe 10
Posts: 11

Rep: Reputation: 0
An Idiot's Guide


Is there any chance of someone setting up an Complete Idiot's Section for those of us who are brand new to Linux and know absolutely nothing?

I cannot make head nor tail of some things. I'm desperate to leave Win XP behind but the way Linux gets you do stuff is just beyond me at the moment. Fine for someone who knows their way around but well-intended responses to questions are often too vague to be of much help.

Example?

I'm using SuSe 10.

Trying to run Azureus. I need Java Runtime 1.5.

Azureus is in there but I cannot get Java to install. Tried Yast. Tried Installation Source. All ended in failure. Tried the "How to install Java" from opensuse.org. That also failed. Asked on here how to do it.

Response:

Once your repositories are open you can install it with Yast.

So pleased to get a response at all but Repository?

Example response on another thread: Repositories contain packages for a distro.

This means absolutely nothing to me. I'm used to click, click and a program is installed onto my hard dsik. I know exactly where to look for it and exactly how to get it up and running. SuSe seems to make you jump through way too many hoops. Once it's simply and clearly explained I'm sure it will be no problem.

Right now it appears so impossible to master that I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time.
I'm utterly embarrassed so say how stupid I feel and doubtless there'll be some who'll sneer and tell me I might be better off with an OS that holds my hand every step of the way. But it's in everyone's interest to make Linux as user-friendly as possible simply in order to provide MS haters like me an easy alternative to Windows crap and remove that smug look from Gates's face.

Like I said at the beginning, some of us are total Linux idiots. Idiots who want to learn. There needs to be a thread which pitches advice and responses at the most basic of levels. One which assumes the user knows absolutely nothing (like me).
 
Old 11-20-2005, 08:56 AM   #2
reddazz
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: N. E. England
Distribution: Fedora, CentOS, Debian
Posts: 16,298

Rep: Reputation: 77
There is such a section and I believe its Linux Newbie. As for installing java, you need to add the java source to your sources list in yast. Take a look at my post in this thread for a quick guide on how to add extra Suse repos.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 09:17 AM   #3
tivo2004
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: England
Distribution: Novell SuSe 10
Posts: 11

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Thanks for the speedy reply...

From the thread link you gave...

YAST -> Software -> Software Managment and then search for gaim. If gaim is not on the installation disks then you need to add ftp or http sources to your YAST software sources. Start YAST, go to the software section and there should be a section called Installation Source. Add an ftp or http source e.g. if the url of the source you want to use is http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensus...SS/inst-source/ , then the protocol would be "http", the url would be "ftp.opensuse.org" and the direcory would be "pub/opensuse/distribution/SL-10.0-OSS/inst-source". When you have setup your source, go to Software Managment and then search for gaim.

Redazz this is just what I mean .

Although this answers a q about an entirely different app even this is pitched too high. I searched the newbie forums. I tried exactly this method to install Java. Went to YasT, put in the website URL...put in the name of the Java file I needed. I ended up with nothing but an error message. Reading the manuals leaves me even more confused. I try it all step-by-step and seem to be going around in circles.

Clearly your idea of an idiot's guide is not the same as mine. I mean a TOTAL idiot's guide which assumes - quite rightly in my case - that we know absolutely ZIP! That's not an easy thing to do for someone who knows his/her stuff. It's like teaching someone a foreign language. Even the manuals seem to assume some knowledge that I simply don't have.

In a few weeks/months time I'll, hopefully, be looking back and thinking "was I really that dumb" but right now I really am that dumb. Pains me to say it but it's true.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 09:33 AM   #4
KohlInGA
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 28

Rep: Reputation: 15
Lightbulb

Hello tivo2004, I'm not sure an idiot's guide would be a good use of time and resources especially in you case because you obviously found this forum and posted your situation.

If you're still trying to install Java:

1. Fire that puppy (YaST) up again and click SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT.

2. Enter JAVA in the search field.

3. (Looking at the results of my search I see) I have:
doxygen and
kdebindings3-javascript
installed. Choose those to for starters. If it turns out they don't enable the functions you wanted give another holler but that's all it took to get Azureus up & running for me.
HTH
 
Old 11-20-2005, 09:56 AM   #5
tivo2004
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: England
Distribution: Novell SuSe 10
Posts: 11

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Thanks...

Tried it...

Got this.

tivo1xxx@linux:~> cd Azureus/azureus
tivo1xxx@linux:~/Azureus/azureus> ./azureus
Starting Azureus...
Java exec not found in PATH, starting auto-search...
ls: /usr/java: No such file or directory
OOPS, unable to locate java exec in /usr/java/ hierarchy
You need to upgrade to JRE 1.4.x or newer from http://java.sun.com
tivo1xxx@linux:~/Azureus/azureus>

???

Last edited by tivo2004; 11-20-2005 at 09:57 AM.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 10:47 AM   #6
jeremy
root
 
Registered: Jun 2000
Distribution: Debian, Red Hat, Slackware, Fedora, Ubuntu
Posts: 13,597

Rep: Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080Reputation: 4080
The Tutorials section is aimed mostly at people with little experience (although there are some more advanced topics covered for those interested).

--jeremy
 
Old 11-20-2005, 12:01 PM   #7
KohlInGA
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 28

Rep: Reputation: 15
Took longer than I want to admit remembering this howto:

Installing Sun's Java

Gosh! Where did you say that Idiot's Guide was located?.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 12:05 PM   #8
XavierP
Moderator
 
Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Kent, England
Distribution: Debian Testing
Posts: 19,192
Blog Entries: 4

Rep: Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475
Let's not forget the LQ Wiki and the good old, underappreciated and under-used Search Function. The latter will enable you to find answers to most of your problems.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 12:39 PM   #9
KohlInGA
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 28

Rep: Reputation: 15
Talking

LQ Wiki has so much I always get distracted from looking for what I originally go there for ...but always learn something new!
 
Old 11-20-2005, 12:50 PM   #10
tivo2004
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: England
Distribution: Novell SuSe 10
Posts: 11

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Tried the opensuse thing too.

Took it line by line. Did it again and again. It still didn't work.

I have been trying to get Java installed since yesterday afternoon. 24 hours later and I'm more confused and frustrated than ever.

I clearly do not have the brain for this. I cannot tell you just how low all of this advice needs to be pitched.

If this is an indication of just how hard it is to master even installing programs in Linux...better to admit defeat here.

Thanks anyway.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 03:50 PM   #11
XavierP
Moderator
 
Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Kent, England
Distribution: Debian Testing
Posts: 19,192
Blog Entries: 4

Rep: Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475Reputation: 475
Hardly. JRE is straightforward to install - why not tell us what you did and we can then see if we can offer advice.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 04:07 PM   #12
reddazz
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: N. E. England
Distribution: Fedora, CentOS, Debian
Posts: 16,298

Rep: Reputation: 77
Since you are having difficulty configuring your Suse repos, try this[list=1][*]Start a terminal emulator e.g. konsole or gnome-terminal[*]Switch to root using the su command e.g.
Code:
$su <enter>
Enter roots password when prompted to do so[*]Install java from the Suse repo using the rpm command e.g.
Code:
#rpm -Uvh http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensuse/distribution/SL-OSS-stable/inst-source-java/suse/i586/java-1_5_0-sun-1.5.0_03-2.i586.rpm
This may take a few minutes depending on your net connection speed.[*]When the installation is completed, logout as root (by typing "exit" <enter>) and close the terminal. Log out and in again. java should then be ready for use.[/list=1]

Last edited by reddazz; 11-20-2005 at 04:08 PM.
 
Old 11-20-2005, 11:55 PM   #13
tivo2004
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: England
Distribution: Novell SuSe 10
Posts: 11

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Well I clearly have problems way beyond anything I'd imagined. So much for this being "straightforward". This will be the third day of trying.

Tried Redazz's tip:

Opened Konsole

Entered..

tivo1xxx@linux:~> su
Password:
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # #rpm -Uvh http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensuse..._03-2.i586.rpm
linux:/home/tivo1xxx #
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # su
linux:/home/tivo1xxx # #rpm -Uvh http://ftp.opensuse.org/pub/opensuse..._03-2.i586.rpm
linux:/home/tivo1xxx #

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Tried four times. Waited for a few minutes each time. No response from the system and no sign of my router DLing anything. The router is working properly. I have just DL'd a 210MB file from another site.

Could something have gone wrong during SuSe install? It all seems to be OK. No error messages anywhere.

This is driving me mad.
 
Old 11-21-2005, 03:06 AM   #14
reddazz
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: N. E. England
Distribution: Fedora, CentOS, Debian
Posts: 16,298

Rep: Reputation: 77
Try downloading the java file from the url I posted, save it locally and then install it.
 
Old 11-21-2005, 04:20 AM   #15
KohlInGA
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Distribution: SuSE
Posts: 28

Rep: Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally posted by tivo2004
Could something have gone wrong during SuSe install? It all seems to be OK. No error messages anywhere.
That's what I'm suspecting.

I may have missed your reply but have you tried the Install Sun's Java (with YaST) recommendation?

Last edited by KohlInGA; 11-21-2005 at 04:25 AM.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Idiot's guide to installing 'linux-source.src.rpm' in SuSE 9.1 personal needed! ZephyrAnima Linux - Newbie 1 08-12-2004 11:28 AM
Abject idiot's questions. AcolyteRizla Linux - Newbie 5 07-21-2004 07:57 PM
complete Idiot's guide to Nvidia drivers Fingel LinuxQuestions.org Member Success Stories 16 10-17-2003 07:23 AM
How do I install from source... idiot's version... ScrewMicrosoft Linux - General 3 09-29-2003 10:49 AM
Freenet: Idiot's Guide? General_Tso Linux - Software 1 07-17-2003 11:08 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > LinuxQuestions.org > LQ Suggestions & Feedback

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:45 PM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration