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Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:41 am
by bcripps
Ok. Having some real issues with Mint Sarah 18 newbie set-up.

Libre Office sucks. Spell check doesn’t work and theres no thesaurus. Has anyone had luck downloading and running Open Office? I’m a writer and need not one, but several good thesaurus programs. Ones that work without copying and pasting words around. The old Word Web worked, but no more, I’m afraid. But for now, I need a really good word processing program.

And how do I download Adobe Flash Player? There seems to be some great instructional videos for Mint, but I can’t watch them.

Thanks in advance. Appreciate all thoughts and ideas.

Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:51 pm
by 53ri41
I just fired up Libre Writer 5.2, and the spell checker works as I expect it to, and there is definitely a thesaurus function that is accessible in several ways.

Thesaurus can be accessed by:
selecting tools > thesaurus
shortcut ctrl+f7 <-- actually didn't do anything
right-click a word of the text, select synonyms > thesaurus

Regardless of the quality, the spell checker and thesaurus certainly work in the Libre suite.

Adobe flash player? I install chromium browser, which installs the stuff my preferred browser needs for flash playage. I'm sure there's a better way, but that works consistently for me.

-Cyril

PS, your title asks where are your favorite programs, is Adobe flash player all that you are looking for?

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:57 pm
by Moem
If you tell us what your favourite programs are, we can try to help you find them.

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:07 pm
by Flemur
LibreOffice thesaurus doesn't work (greyed out), for some mysterious reason, if the file is read-only.

You might need to add these two creatively named packages:
mythes-en-us (or whatever lingo)
libmythes-1.2-0
(here they were auto-installed).

To install the flash plugin search for "adobe flash" in synaptic or the software-manager.
If using FF, it should show up under "addons - plugins" with yet another creative name: "shockwave flash".

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:00 pm
by jimallyn
bcripps wrote:Libre Office sucks. Spell check doesn’t work and theres no thesaurus.
When a program works for everybody else, as LibreOffice does, but doesn't work for you, rather than assuming that the program sucks, you should consider the possibility that it has something to do with your computer, your install, and/or your settings.

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 10:14 am
by bcripps
Okay: I downloaded DXM (Xtreme) Download Manager. I read that you have to turn it on before opening the Opera Browser or add it to the start menu. I tried to add it to the start menu but it opens on the desktop not in a tool bar which I found troublesome so I open it manually before opening the browser.

Running a video in U-Tube, I see the blue box with arrow telling me the DXM is ready to download, but when I click on the arrow, nothing happens. I right click on the arrow and see Add URL… but clicking on that does nothing.

I have no Thesaurus in Libra. And I can’t set a default for font style. The copy and paste function works sporadically and my cursor jumps all over the place. (A check for an update from Lenovo resulted in a window telling me they don’t support Linux.) No one mentioned Open Office, which works for me right out of the box in Win 7. With two books underway, I really don’t have a lot of time to fuss with this stuff. But I really want Linux to work for me, but maybe Windows is where I need to be.

I have other set up-issues, but this is enough to start with. And help would be most appreciated.

There are a few suggestions here, which I appreciate. Please give me a day to see if I can get any of them to work for me.

Again, thank you...
Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 10:23 am
by Cosmo.
bcripps wrote:No one mentioned Open Office, which works for me right out of the box in Win 7.
It seems, that Apache OpenOffice is dying. (The author is the head of the OpenOffice Project Management Committee.)

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 10:33 am
by atari800
bcripps wrote:Okay: I downloaded DXM (Xtreme) Download Manager. I read that you have to turn it on before opening the Opera Browser or add it to the start menu. I tried to add it to the start menu but it opens on the desktop not in a tool bar which I found troublesome so I open it manually before opening the browser.

Running a video in U-Tube, I see the blue box with arrow telling me the DXM is ready to download, but when I click on the arrow, nothing happens. I right click on the arrow and see Add URL… but clicking on that does nothing
I never heard of DXM however if you want to download youtube, I find slimjet browser (Chrome with all of the Goole-call-home stuff yanked out) has built in youtube dl button which works great. There are some sites that dont work but you can click on the Chrome store and install "Video Download Professional" to get the other sites to download
http://www.slimjet.com/
bcripps wrote:I have no Thesaurus in Libra.
Ctrl-f7 doesnt bring that up?
bcripps wrote:And I can’t set a default for font style
Tools-options-Libre Office Writer-Basic Fonts...this shows DEFAULT FONTS.... is this what you are looking for?
*I am not a LibreOffice person
bcripps wrote:The copy and paste function works sporadically and my cursor jumps all over the place
Not sure what to say about c&p but cursor jumping around sounds like cpu or resource issues. In LibreOffice, Tools-options-Libre Office-advanced...uncheck USE JAVA RUNTIME and see if this helps
bcripps wrote:No one mentioned Open Office, which works for me right out of the box in Win 7.
[/quote]
Nothing wrong with keeping a method that works around


You might want to give us a glimpse of your machine, execute this in a terminal

Code: Select all

inxi -Fxz
Cut and paste results

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:25 am
by bcripps
Here you go, and thank you....


bcripps@bcripps-ThinkPad-11e ~ $ inxi -Fxz
System: Host: bcripps-ThinkPad-11e Kernel: 4.4.0-34-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.3.1)
Desktop: Cinnamon 3.0.7 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1)
Distro: Linux Mint 18 Sarah
Machine: System: LENOVO product: 20ED000EUS v: ThinkPad 11e
Mobo: LENOVO model: 20ED000EUS v: SDK0E50510 WIN
Bios: LENOVO v: JIET17WW (1.02 ) date: 02/03/2015
CPU: Quad core AMD A4-6210 APU with AMD Radeon R3 Graphics (-MCP-) cache: 8192 KB
flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm) bmips: 14373
clock speeds: max: 1800 MHz 1: 1650 MHz 2: 1000 MHz 3: 1200 MHz
4: 1200 MHz
Graphics: Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Mullins [Radeon R3 Graphics]
bus-ID: 00:01.0
Display Server: X.Org 1.18.3 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
Resolution: 1366x768@60.06hz
GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD MULLINS (DRM 2.43.0, LLVM 3.8.0)
GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 11.2.0 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio: Card-1 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller
driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:14.2
Card-2 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Kabini HDMI/DP Audio
driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:01.1
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-34-generic
Network: Card-1: Broadcom BCM4352 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
driver: wl bus-ID: 01:00.0
IF: wlp1s0 state: up mac: <filter>
Card-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: 1000 bus-ID: 03:00.0
IF: enp3s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives: HDD Total Size: 500.1GB (2.1% used)
ID-1: /dev/sda model: ST500LM021 size: 500.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 455G used: 6.7G (2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
ID-2: swap-1 size: 3.68GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
RAID: No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 69.0C mobo: 0.0C gpu: 70.0
Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: 5121
Info: Processes: 187 Uptime: 2:22 Memory: 690.4/3374.9MB
Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
Client: Shell (bash 4.3.421) inxi: 2.2.35
bcripps@bcripps-ThinkPad-11e ~ $

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:41 am
by atari800
For JUMPINESS... run system monitor (set to run ON TOP) the launch libre office ....
When you get choppiness, do you see any cpu spikes? Does system monitor give any hints?
Also, open up a terminal and execute "dmesg".... are there any complaints in there?

Also [Radeon R3 Graphics] might be a little much for Cinnamon DE
I am sure some elders here can confirm.

If you done have too much invested in this setup, you migh try MATE DE instead of Cinnamon.
Actually you gould download Linux MInt Mate and burn to USB stick, boot up as LIVE SESSION on there and see if LibreOffice performs any different
*that why you dont lose what you got setup now

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 12:01 pm
by bcripps
When I search for “adobe flash” in Software manager, nothing happens. Nothing for “shockwave flash” either.

I don’t know how to add packages: “ythes-en-us” or “libmythes-1.2-0”

I tried Chromium… but tried for half-an-hour to come up with an acceptable password for the nerds at Goggle. To hell with that! Opera works fine for browsing and is all I need for research.

DXM downloader is listed in the Repository. And works great in Win 7. Just press the download button!

Open Office still works in Win 7. Not on my machine in Mint. If there’s another program out there, I’m more than willing to give it a try. It needs to work flawlessly and have a great spell-checker and thesaurus. And don’t ask me to download dictionaries. It’s snobbish, I know, but the default should be American English… And I’m not American, but if you write for money, that’s what’s required. Control F7 doesn’t do a thing.

Have disabled Jave in Liber Office. I’ll see if that helps. Thank you.

Please keep throwing suggestion my way. Sorry if I sound a little frustrated, but I've been at this for months: First with Ubuntu, then Lubunu, Leap... and now Mint. Thank goodness I have another machine with Win 7 installed or I'd be out of business.

Again, thank you all,
Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:45 pm
by Moem
bcripps wrote:I tried Chromium… but tried for half-an-hour to come up with an acceptable password for the nerds at Goggle.
You can use Chromium just fine without logging into any Google anything.

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 9:25 am
by bcripps
See someone else on the forum is having problems with Libre Office.

Have disabled Jave in Liber Office. Didn't make a difference.

Thanks, Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 4:33 pm
by atari800
Try LM Mate on a USB....See if choppiness goes away
Outside of that - I am not sure what to offer
I got a Liva Bat Mini that is way less of a machine that yours with no problems that you are encountering

I dont use Opera - so thats as far as I can go here
DMX equivilent is built into SlimJet broswer - so thats as far as I can go here
Ctrl F7 brings up Thesaurus in LibreOffice for me - so thats as far as I can go here
Copy and Paste and cursor jumping sounds like a resource issue like something polling hard on your keyboards/mouse, try a lighter desktop like Mate (on live USB) and see if that helps

If you are determined to keep OpenOffice and/or Win 7, and you want Linux too...you can try VirtualBox

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 6:09 pm
by silvatech
Based off your hardware you might want to try 17.3 instead of 18 with mate or XFCE on it. (for the lag issues.)

Not sure why your not able to install the parts of Libre your missing?

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 9:31 am
by bcripps
Thanks guys. I’ve had the same issues with LibreOffice in Win7 also. No spell check, etc. Never got it to perform straight out of the box. Where Open Office was so easy.

The touchpad issue is really bad. About every three or four clicks, the Menu opens up. It's almost to the point that the computer is not worth using.

I hate to download yet another Operating System. It’s takes four to five hours. (Leap was fifteen hours!) And to have two Operating Systems on one computer seeks silly to me. I know people do it but one, up and working, should be enough.

Maybe I’m just not a Linux guy, but Windows is beginning to look awfully good.
Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:41 pm
by atari800
Yeah - stick with what works for you. Why have an OS that doesnt cooperate with you, right?

Maybe try Zorin Linux (I am messing with it now)
Here is me using SlimJet and Thesaurus in LibreOffice

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:12 pm
by jimallyn
atari800 wrote:I never heard of DXM
Nor have I. I'm guessing that he means XDM - Xtreme Download Manager, which can be found here:

http://xdman.sourceforge.net/index.html

I'm not sure which repository he's referring to when he says "DXM downloader is listed in the Repository." If he's referring to XDM, It's not in the Mint repositories, however you can download it from their SourceForge page.

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 10:31 am
by bcripps
Okay, thank you guys for looking, but nothing in the way of change. So goodbye Mint, hello Bill Gates...
I didn’t ever think I would be happy to see that “flying Windows logo” again, but truthfully, it’s like coming home after a rainy camping trip.
Thanks again...
Bry

Re: Where are my favorite programs?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 1:19 pm
by Taur10
53ri41 wrote:I just fired up Libre Writer 5.2, and the spell checker works as I expect it to, and there is definitely a thesaurus function that is accessible in several ways.


Regardless of the quality, the spell checker and thesaurus certainly work in the Libre suite.


-Cyril
Pardon a little thread jacking, but since I was going to ask already, is there a way to export the dictionaries, or copy them?