ubuntu-desktop not getting along with mate-desktop

[mszegedy]

Hi, I have LM 14 Nadia 64-bit MATE edition, and I've installed a variety of desktop environments on my machine, to ease the monotonicity of using just one all the time, and to have lighter DEs to switch to when I want to conserve battery life. However, installing ubuntu-desktop has had some weird consequences for my MATE. Number one, every time I log in to the MATE DE, it tells me that there was a big error starting update-apt-xapian-index, something about there being no module named "linuxmint" (I don't have the error report on hand; the best I can do is the console output:)

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ERROR:root:DebFileApplication import
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/db/__init__.py", line 4, in <module>
    from debfile import DebFileApplication, DebFileOpenError
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/db/debfile.py", line 25, in <module>
    from softwarecenter.db.application import Application, AppDetails
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/db/application.py", line 27, in <module>
    import softwarecenter.distro
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/distro/__init__.py", line 197, in <module>
    distro_instance = _get_distro()
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/distro/__init__.py", line 172, in _get_distro
    module = __import__(distro_module_name, globals(), locals(), [], -1)
ImportError: No module named linuxmint
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/sbin/update-apt-xapian-index", line 101, in <module>
    if not indexer.setupIndexing(force=opts.force, system=opts.pkgfile is None):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/axi/indexer.py", line 466, in setupIndexing
    self.plugins = Plugins(progress=self.progress, system=system)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/axi/indexer.py", line 89, in __init__
    addon = Addon(fullname, **kw)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/axi/indexer.py", line 49, in __init__
    self.module = imp.load_source("axi.plugin_" + self.name, fname)
  File "/usr/share/apt-xapian-index/plugins/software_center.py", line 13, in <module>
    from softwarecenter.db.update import (
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/db/update.py", line 33, in <module>
    from softwarecenter.backend.scagent import SoftwareCenterAgent
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/backend/scagent.py", line 28, in <module>
    from softwarecenter.distro import get_distro, get_current_arch
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/distro/__init__.py", line 197, in <module>
    distro_instance = _get_distro()
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/distro/__init__.py", line 172, in _get_distro
    module = __import__(distro_module_name, globals(), locals(), [], -1)
ImportError: No module named linuxmint

The second thing is that the Mint Menu has the Ubuntu Dashboard type scrollbars on it, which don't even work. They're in both the left and right areas under Applications. The third thing that isn't actually a problem because it looks nicer on my theme is that the icons in the notification area seem to have turned white, whereas they were gray before. This might actually be because I got rid of the notification area and inserted it again, making it refresh and reload the items from my theme, but I'm putting it out there just in case. (I don't count this as a problem.) Also, on the Ubuntu side, it uses the Adwaita pointers for everything except the generic, inactive pointer, which is the DMZ-white one I use for MATE. That's pretty annoying, but I can live with it.

How do I get rid of my problems? Especially the first and second one.

[TheDynamicHamza21]

I don't know how to fix your problems but Mate is a fork of Gnome 2 and Ubuntu is Gnome 3. I could be wrong but I would think there would some instability installing both DE. I recall, early this year, someone made post about ruining his system by installing Xubuntu over his Mint system.

[este.el.paz]

However, installing ubuntu-desktop has had some weird consequences for my MATE. Number one, every time I log in to the MATE DE, it tells me that there was a big error starting update-apt-xapian-index, something about there being no module named "linuxmint" (I don't have the error report on hand; the best I can do is the console output:)

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ImportError: No module named linuxmint

The second thing is that the Mint Menu has the Ubuntu Dashboard type scrollbars on it, which don't even work. They're in both the left and right areas under Applications. Also, on the Ubuntu side, it uses the Adwaita pointers for everything except the generic, inactive pointer, which is the DMZ-white one I use for MATE. That's pretty annoying, but I can live with it.

How do I get rid of my problems? Especially the first and second one.

@mszegedy:

Welcome to Linux, it's a strange and yet interesting experience . . . I also am not a programmer, I've been playing around with LM13 for a year? it's pretty good, but issues do crop up. Anyway, to the first problem, when the console gives you some information, you can use that to try to fix the problem. [Edit: A lot of the expert guys ask for the output of

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lsmod

and then you can look through and see if the linuxmint module is installed, or not. If you don't see it listed there, or, if you want to try your hand at the Terminal, you could try

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sudo apt-get install linuxmint

and see what happens. In terms of the DEs, I also have a number of DEs, and it seems like for each of them you have to re-set your preferences . . . for the type of window manager, for the type of mouse pointer . . . you have to through the various options in "preferences" or "system settings" to get it set up the way you want it--in each DE . . . .

In terms of the other poster talking about "xubuntu" causing problems, I don't think so, I also have XFCE, GNOME, MATE, Ubuntu, DEs and I had Cinnamon, but uninstalled it while trying to solve another problem, it didn't but Cinnamon seemed to use a lot of RAM . . . but if you look at the sources list of LM it's mostly ubuntu sourced . . . meaning it's all in the family . . . . Good hunting.

[mszegedy]

No need for the introduction; I'm a Linux user of ten years or so. Anyway, it's not a package that's missing, it's a Python module/file. I tried the recommended fixes on the Internet: go into the software-manager files, and change LinuxMint.py to linuxmint.py, and make a slight change to __init__.py. However, it still didn't work, so I just uninstalled software-manager (it's not like I needed it anyway), which seems to have fixed the problem. I'm still at a loss for as how to fix the scroll bars. It's a GTK thing, I can feel it in my retinas. I don't know where I could possibly look, though. I'll try replacing some GTK files tomorrow. Could it be a plugin?

[este.el.paz]

@msZ:

OK, ten years, I'm sure your skills exceed mine, I was mainly just posting on your thread hoping to attract some attention to your issue, it seems to be hit or miss here in terms of how to get concise answers . . . questions go unanswered, left for the begging, etc. So, I would have no further insights into the Python thing, one of my tactics is to just run apt-get update/upgrade and see if doing that fixes the problem . . . sometimes it does. : - )

In terms of GTK, does not the Openbox Configuration app have anything to do with scrollbars? I do have a distant memory in some Linux OS picking out my scrollbar setting . . . . I know nothing, nothing. : - 0

e.e.p.

[mszegedy]

I've got it! For the scrollbars, anyway. Go change /etc/X11/Xsession.d/80overlayscrollbars to this:

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if [ "$DESKTOP_SESSION" != 'ubuntu' ]
then
  export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0
fi

This turns that kind of scrollbar off if the desktop session isn't "ubuntu". Long live mate-display-manager! (which keeps track of your desktop session's desktop environment like that)

[este.el.paz]

msZ:

Good work figuring it out . . . . You might have felt you were alone, but actually here it's the power of all the people reading your thread that gets transmitted to your brain, thus helping you with your problem through remote psychic connection, the power of the reader matrix for lack of a better word . . . . : - )

e.e.p.

[catweazel]

I could be wrong

You are.

[TheDynamicHamza21]

so you recommending someone should install one distro on top another instead of installing each distro on it's own partition?