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General Support - New to Linux, Kanotix and new laptop
Orinoco - 23.04.2007, 14:50 Uhr
Titel: New to Linux, Kanotix and new laptop
I've just bought a new laptop, which came with Vista, which I hated. So I downloaded the Kanotix LIVE CD.iso, burned it to a CD, and installed Kanotix. So far I've managed to arrange the desktop, put a volume control on the taskbar, and done some other minor housekeeping. The system seems rock solid, and it's very pretty.
I ran into a problem installing new software, however, and I'm sure it's just my lack of familiarity with how to go about things under linux. I'd like to run OpenOffice.org, so I went to their website, clicked on the download button, but I got a message saying I didn't have permission to install the file.
I'm not sure I have the terminology correct: I am logged in as an ordinary user, and when I try to create a new folder to put OpenOffice.org in, I am supposed to do this as root. But I do not know how to become root. I tried restarting and using 'root' as a login instead of my username, but was told I could not log in as root.
When I go to a terminal and type "sudo" I get a message saying I am not an authorized sudoer, and will be reported to the system administrator (myself!).
So I'm stuck. I'd like to be able to do things like install software, set up folders, and so on. I've looked around in the faq and googled a bit, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I'm sure it's something that literally goes without saying (among people familiar with linux) but I am a total noob in that regard, and need things spelled out.
Can anybody help?
ockham23 - 23.04.2007, 15:36 Uhr
Titel: New to Linux, Kanotix and new laptop
Open a shell window and enter these commands:
Code:
sux
wget -NO /etc/apt/sources.list http://kanotix.com/files/fix/debian-etch-kde/sources.list
apt-get update
apt-get install openoffice.org
Orinoco - 23.04.2007, 18:22 Uhr
Titel: RE: New to Linux, Kanotix and new laptop
Ok, thanks, ockham23. That will probably solve the immediate problem of getting OpenOffice.org.
But it doesn't help with my general problem of not knowing what I'm doing or why. I feel like I've been fed a fish. Yum. but can anyone teach me to fish? I'd also like to download Blender, and there may be some other things I'll need as I bring my computer into a fully productive tool. How do I get myself on the sudoer list? How do I set up the administrative report that the system operator gets when a user tries to use sudo without authorization?
I'm perfectly willing to do my homework, but I don't know what I don't know. Where do I look to find out?
ockham23 - 23.04.2007, 19:09 Uhr
Titel: RE: New to Linux, Kanotix and new laptop
Forget about sudo. Use sux instead or Konqueror in superuser mode.
Orinoco - 23.04.2007, 20:41 Uhr
Titel:
OK, Crust, thanks for the info. I downloaded the Preview Release 2006-01-RC4 to make a liveCD, which, btw, worked like a charm.
I am too much of a newbie to understand what you want me to actually do when you say things like
"You need to do this as root"
I understand the root is the system operator, and can do all sorts of things that an ordinary user cannot do, but I don't know how to become "root" so I can do those things.
Also when ockham23 says "use...Konquerer in superuser mode" I would love to, but how? Is there a button somewhere I should look for that says "superuser"? Or something else?
Well, I will check out the Sidux manual, perhaps I will get some of these questions answered.
Crust, I am completely new at this. I have wanted to switch away from Windows to Linux for a long time, as I am a big fan of Open Source, but until I ran the Kanotix LiveCD, I could never get a working installation. So my initial reaction when you tell me to change distros is to shy away from the idea.
I mean, if I have to use apt-get, I'll use apt-get (once I learn how). After I get the stuff I need to use up and running, is there any need for me to stay on the bleeding edge? Is there some reason to keep upgrading my installation once I have a system that works?
gs - 23.04.2007, 21:17 Uhr
Titel:
@orinoco:if you did an install of Kanotix, you have during the installation procedure, created a password for root.
If I need to become root while working with the konsole /terminal, I type
"su" (without the ""s). I will then be asked for the root password, which I type and the konsole will change, showing the "#" sign. Now I can install programs with the commands "apt-get update" and "apt-get install programsuchandsuch"
Konqueror in superuser-mode is found in K-menu - system - . When you open konqueror in superuser-mode you will be asked the root passwd. You are now root and allowed to read-write-execute everything.
What I found helpful in the beginning: apt-get update and apt-get install synaptic.
The program synaptic is a gui (graphical user interface) where you can search for installed programs. You can also see which programs are available for install but not yet installed.
A procedure for more advanced users in my opinion is "dist-upgrade", meaning to bring all installed programs to the latest level. If everything is working properly with your Kanotix-Installation, there is no need to dist-upgrade which can break things....
Crust - 24.04.2007, 00:27 Uhr
Titel:
Orinoco,
There is no need to do anything if you are happy with the system (as gs mentioned).
If you do want to install some programs, you might run into some problems unless your installation is up to date.
To do this, you need to run 'apt-get update' and then 'apt-get dist-upgrade' or 'apt-get upgrade'.
gs explained root (or superuser) very good. Don't make a habit of doing a lot of things in root because of security concerns.
The Kanotix manual explains some of the things. Read up on Linux in general or read up on the good documentation found all over the web about the apt-get system. Once you're hooked on Linux, you'll never go back.
I wish you all the luck.
Best,
-Crust.
Orinoco - 24.04.2007, 02:43 Uhr
Titel:
Thanks, guys, this has been very helpful. Just one more thing. I've got dial up at home, which is really slow, so I've been in the habit of either downloading with bit torrent, which will keep at it until a file is completely downloaded, or downloading somewhere I've got a faster connection, then putting the file on my usb memory stick and carrying the file I need home in my pocket.
Now I've seen bit torrent options for downloading .iso files, which makes sense, because they are big, and are basically all one chunk. But how does it work with apt-get, which, if I understand it correctly, gets small files and a lot of them, and puts them in various folders in the root path?
Is there a way to "apt-get" the files I need for, say, openoffice.org onto a usb memory stick plugged into a fast internet connected computer, and then get my laptop to "apt-get" these files from the memory stick?
Because, happy as I am with the installed system, I still would like to get OpenOffice.org and Blender up and running on it. Those and the Gimp are my main workhorse applications, and the Gimp comes with the installation, but KDE comes with KOffice, which, while I'm sure is quite a capable program, means another learning curve unless I can get the application I'm used to.
gs - 24.04.2007, 08:50 Uhr
Titel:
what I would do - maybe not the simplest way, but working for me with other installs before I had fast internet -
1. go to openoffice-site with fast internet connection
2. download the .deb version for linux - about 124 MB , put it on your stick
3. back home, with the slow internet connection: apt-get install kpackage (no big deal)
4. copy the openoffice.deb file from the stick to your PC
5. right-klick on the .deb and from the options give choose "open with kpackage"
6. kpackage opens and asks for the root-password and
7. should now, with the appropriate command, install openoffice.org
What I do not know: whether there are unmet dependencies which prohibit the installation.
You could then try "apt-get -f install" which could help.....
gs - 24.04.2007, 09:14 Uhr
Titel:
addendum: just had a look an the openoffice-package: its a .tar.gz file which contains, after "unzipping" all needed .debs.
no need to downloade kpackage - do the following:
1. create a new file, may.be on your desktop (right-klick - choose new file), put the openoffice.tar.gz into it
2. right-klick on the .tar.gz-file: choose unpack here
3. unpacking creates a file which contains all .debs of openoffice
4. open this file - you will see many .debs
5. right-klick in an empty space of this folder and from "actions" choose "open terminal"
6. in the terminal type "su" and then the roots password. You are now root and allowed to install
7. in this "root-terminal" type "dpkg -i *.deb*" (always without the ""): This command install the complete openoffice, which you will find with Kmenu - office-programs (or similar)
Just installed openoffice 2.2 myself replacing Koffice if I want this more powerful program
good luck with your ventures using KANOTIX which for me remains the best......
Orinoco - 24.04.2007, 13:59 Uhr
Titel:
gs, you rock! Thank you so much! This is great!
Orinoco - 25.04.2007, 13:42 Uhr
Titel:
I must have gotten the wrong file from OpenOffice.org. When I unzipped it, it was full of rpm files. I also downloaded Blender and unzipped it, and it works. So I'm batting .500 here.
Is there anything I can do with the rpm files? I followed gs's instructions and nothing happened, so I went back to the OpenOffice.org site and found their instructions for rpm installation. I did that, and got this:
Code:
root@Graphire:/home/orinoco/Desktop/OpenOffice/OOF680_m14_native_packed-1_en-US.9134/RPMS# rpm -Uvih *rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
/bin/basename is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/cat is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/cp is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/gawk is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/grep is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/ln is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/ls is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/mkdir is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/mv is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/pwd is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/rm is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/sed is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/sort is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/touch is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/cut is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/dirname is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/expr is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/find is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/tail is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/tr is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/usr/bin/wc is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/sh is needed by jre-1.6.0-fcs.i586
/bin/sh is needed by openoffice.org-core10-2.2.0-9134.i586
When I looked in root/bin, I noticed some of these files weren't there (eg: basename and gawk) but some of them were there (eg: cat, cp, mkdir.)
Where do I go from here?
[PS: the blender install worked fine. All I needed to do was unzip the download to a file on the desktop, and in the unzipped stuff was the Blender application. I also discovered how to put Blender on Kmenu! There was even an icon available for it 
]
gs - 25.04.2007, 14:24 Uhr
Titel:
go back to the openoffice download site. You downlodaded linux 2.2.0 (RPM) which is for other distros, e.g SuSe, but you need, just below, linux 2.2.0 (deb)
Orinoco - 25.04.2007, 21:21 Uhr
Titel:
I don't see it. I am going to http://www.openoffice.org/index.html and clicking on the big green button that says 'getOpen Office.org' which takes me to http://download.openoffice.org/2.2.0/index.html with another big green button labled
Download OpenOffice.org
Select your operating system, and off you go!
I click on that button and get the choice of Windows, Linux, 2 versions of Solaris, Mac OSX, Linux PPC and FreeBSD.
I don't see anything about SuSe or Debian. I already downloaded the "Linux" link, which got me the rpm files, and the "Linux PPC" link is for version 1.1.2.
I'm obviously in the wrong place. Where did you find your files?
gs - 26.04.2007, 08:49 Uhr
Titel:
http://de.openoffice.org/downloads/quick.html - it is a German site which may give you a German language version, but adding other languages should not be difficult (have not needed this yet) - in this case you will have to google
I faintly remember that one should be able to convert RPM to .deb - will try later and post back, if successful
gs - 26.04.2007, 09:11 Uhr
Titel:
addendum:
conversion of RPM to .deb is done by a program called "alien" which is availabe with Kanotix.
You may therefore try:
1. open the folder where you put the openoffic.rpm files
2. right-click in an empty space and from the menu choose actions-open terminal
3. in terminal type su and root password
4. now type, for an example,: alien openoffice.org-core02-2.2.0-9134.i586.rpm ....this will take some time and after that you will find the corresponding .deb-package
5.in order to convert all rpms to debs, type: alien *.rpm*
6. you should now be able to install openoffice as described earlier - but I did not test whether it works as well as using the original .debs from the German site........
Orinoco - 05.05.2007, 15:34 Uhr
Titel:
Sorry for the delay in responding. Alien did the trick. Only took about five minutes to convert the files, which seems like a long time because everything else is so fast.
When my system boots, it automatically opens the KDE desktop. On the desktop are two error messages "Malformed URL" which if I click OK, they go away. I'm wondering what is looking for a URL at all, and how to stop it from doing that. My laptop is not connected to the internet.
I suspect there is a way to see what is going on during a boot, or to capture the messages produced by booting to a file to look at later, how do I go about doing this?
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