How to install software on Linux Mint

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angisl

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by angisl »

Thanks a lot xenopeek.

This helps a lot.. :)
Megazell

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by Megazell »

Great thread :) Helped me solve so many issues and questions :)
varunit

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by varunit »

Thanks a lot for this :) Will help newbies like me
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cheZ
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by cheZ »

hmm ...along the lines of what a few others have mentioned in passing ....i have tried to install a few apps & utilities using Software Manager ( im running Mint 15 Cinnamon 64bit ) and on more than one occasion , even though Software Manager shows the app or utility as having been installed ( progress bar in Software Manager completes install )....i do not see the app or utility in my main Mint Menu , anywhere ( in any section ) even under " All Applications ". for instance i installed ; nvidia-settings , hddtemp , kdf , smem ....and subsequently i could not locate any of them. would this possibly be because they will not work on this version of Mint 15 Olivia Cinnamon ? or am i looking in the wrong place ?
shouldn't ( or isn't ) everything installed as far and any apps or utilities shown in the main Mint Menu ? any advice / information appreciated , thanks all :)
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xenopeek
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by xenopeek »

hddtemp and smem both are command line tools, so these won't create a menu entry. You'll use them from the terminal. Run `man hddtemp` or `man smem` to view the manpage with documentation on how to use them (at least, most command line tools will have a manpage). kdf should show up in your menu as KDiskFree. Have you tried searching for it? (And with searching I mean start typing "KDiskFree" in your menu, not being silly and going to scroll through all the menu categories yourself :)).

No clue about nvidia-settings; probably something to ask instead in the Graphics Cards & Monitors forum under Hardware Support.
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cheZ
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by cheZ »

hi ~ thanks much for the reply , yes i understand as i did a bit more research into those ( hddtemp and smem ) and i was able to find some additional more detailed info on other websites / forums that both were indeed command line utilities (wish that was more clearly indicated in Software Manager listings ) , at any rate i removed them both in Software Manager , and they did seem to be completely un-installed ( progress bar ran thru completely ). as far as KDiskFree , why yes ... i did indeed do a thorough search in Mint Menu upon install ( searched again even after re-booting , and then again after a root cleaning with bleachbit and another reboot ) , however nothing showed up ( yes i used the search field too ). i have not really tried to install many items / apps / utilities on this new fresh install of Mint 15 Cinnamon 64bit ...but i have installed an Icon theme which is very buggy that i would like to get rid of now ( [url]http://www.ravefinity.com/p/download-humanity-colors-icon-theme.html[/url] ) , i emailed the creators about instructions on how to un-install over 2 weeks ago but they never responded. as i mentioned i do not have much installed on this new system ....but curiously a couple of things showed up in the Mint Menu after i installed Xscreensaver ( using terminal , and then Synaptic ) ....Akonaditray , Openbox Configuration Manager and Nepomuk all showed up in the " All Applications " list in Mint Menu. i did some research on Akonaditray and saw it was KDE and i was able to remove it ( and it's libraries ) based on some detailed instructions i found on the forum from someone who suddenly had it appear on their system as well. however i have no idea why it ended up on my system. Openbox Configuration Manager and Nepomuk i would like to remove as well as neither serve any purpose for me , and i certainly didn't knowingly install either of those. i did un-install Xscreensaver ( a simple un-install , not a complete un-install in Synaptic ....as i didn't want to break my system by removing any dependencies that might be needed ) ...but removing Xscreensaver didn't remove either Openbox Configuration Manager or Nepomuk , so i am guessing that wasn't the reason they showed up on my system. anywayz ...thanks again for your kind reply , appreciate any constructive advice you can offer. all the best :)
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Linux Mint 20.3 Una 64bit Edge
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Samsung 970 Evo Plus NVMe M.2 SSD 2tb SSD
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chroma601

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by chroma601 »

I am so new to linux it's frightening. Literally.
I have an older laptop I wanted to use to learn Linux. I'm getting miffed with Windows.
Trouble is, after the install my wifi is out. Did some research and apparently I need b43-fwcutter, which I found here: http://community.linuxmint.com/software/view/b43-fwcutter
So I click on the install button in Linux Firefox, and lo: "This link needs to be opened with an application" I click on choose and the list is empty.
sudo get-apt install b43-fwcutter tells me it can't find the package.
Help deeply appreciated.
chroma601

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by chroma601 »

Looking closer at the page referenced above, someone wrote:

If you have a wired connection, make sure you have the universe repositories enabled and install synaptic package manager. Once you have synaptic installed search for firmware-b43-installer, right-click to mark it for installation, then click apply. After the packages have downloaded, open the install terminal, and watch to see if the firmware is installed properly. If the firmware installed properly all you should have to do is reboot, and once at the desktop you should have working wireless.

So, where do I go to find the universe repositories, and how do I enable them once found? After I do that, I apparently need to install synaptic, but as a newbie, I don't know where that would live either.

I just did a Google search and found this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA5JxO-aV1s - but my desktop does not have a software sources icon. So I looked at the menu, found it,and perhaps enabled too many things as there is a lot of downloading going on. I searched for synaptic there, but there was no response.
chroma601

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by chroma601 »

On a separate matter, I am about to attempt my third install of mint-cinnamon from scratch. The first time, I had password issues. The second time, there were frequent hangups and a huge crash that resulted in no booting. This time, I'm giving up on the 64 bit version and trying the 32 bit. It's going on a HP Pavilion laptop which reads x64 processor but came with 32 bit Vista. I really want this to work, as I think Windows has been moving away from a decent computing experience.
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by cheZ »

hi chroma601 ~ quick question , when you do your install ( from a live CD/DVD or a USB Flash Drive ) , are you making sure that you are plugged in to a live LAN ( ethernet connection ) ....im guessing you would be as you have done the installs before , but just wanted to mention that using the latest release version of Mint 15 Cinnamon 64bit , and installing via a Flash Drive ....my install was good without issues , and everything worked right out of the box ( even wifi and Bluetooth ). i ran the update manager immediately and then re-booted and installed bleachbit ( from Software Manager ) and ran it from root , and normal mode. and then re-booted again , and ran update manager again for additional updates. then went into Synaptic to check if there were any upstream / upgrades , and installed those. then i re-booted again , ran bleachbit both ways again , and rebooted again. after that all seemed to be working fine. the reason i mention all of this is that a month ago i did an install of same , and there were some issues ( on 64bit ) , so i did a fresh re-install of 64bit this time around , and the system is running much faster and is way more stable. just thought to mention. all the best with your install :)
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Linux Mint 20.3 Una 64bit Edge
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some clarification?

Post by Spearmint2 »

You wrote;
A archive file, like a tarball or a .zip, that your download and extract to your user's home folder. Unlike the tarball discussed in the previous section, this wouldn't contain the source code by the already compiled program. You extract the contents of the archive to a folder in your user's home folder and start it from there (see the "README" file for instructions). Sometimes it includes a script to install it so all users on your computer can use it.
I was reading through this today and sort of did a double take on it, at first I thought you were saying some program installed into a home folder could be used by everyone other than JUST that user alone. I realized that's probably not what you intended to imply, especially if that user's home folder was encrypted. I do think however a complete newbie might get that impression from the statement.

Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you could expand this sticky to include some defining explanation aimed at program methods and locations of installation which all users on a computer have access to, and those installed so only one particular user will have access to it's use?
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by xenopeek »

Thank you for the feedback Spearmint2. I've clarified that sentence you highlighted a little bit. I think it goes beyond the scope of this tutorial to detail what exactly the "system folders" are and what parts of programs get installed where. For those that are interested in such things there are various places to learn more about filesystem hierarchy on GNU/Linux. The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) is a good resource, though it is quite a read if this is all new to the reader: https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/en/FHS
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by Spearmint2 »

Thanks.

On my main Linux computer I do have Firefox setup for all users, but for my own user account it's installed to my home partition and only available for my use, just for added security. Same with the thunderbird. I just have to remember to use the correct links, which is easy since I maintain those private use just on that user desktop.

Yes, probably better as a separate how-to.
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cdustybk

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by cdustybk »

Xenopeek, this is a well written and thought out thread (as most of your posts are). This has already been a great help to people on this forum, and I will probably use it soon to direct people from IRC to here.

One suggestion: you may want to add that adding an application PPA in LMDE using add-apt-repository or similar is typically a no-no. Of course, I don't know if that's something that belongs here or in a LMDE-related forum.

Keep up the good work!
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by xenopeek »

It was a team effort, but appreciating your feedback. I've added a note to the PPA section. This isn't the support section for LMDE, but I can imagine some LMDE users finding this post also. Thanks :wink:
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ChrisC

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by ChrisC »

I am having a problem using both the Software Manager and the Synaptic Package Manager. When I try to use the Software Manager I get no further than a few seconds of the timer and nothing else. The Synaptic Package Manager asks me for my password but when I enter it it goes no further. As I have a brand new version of Mint 17 (Cinnamon) in a new computer I am keen to download and install various software packages but so far I seem unable to do this. I have used the Terminal to install updates but would like to be able to browse and select the software that I need via one of the Managers. Any suggestions as to why these two programmes should not be working? And how I might fix them?

Chris
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by Spearmint2 »

New install? Check the md5sum of the DVD you burned from the ISO file you downloaded. They get hit up sometimes. Just recently I downloaded Mint17 and the first one was corrupted, but later the same site I received a good one. A corrupted ISO can be burned to a disc and then can seem to install successfully and some programs work, then a glitch happens that seems a bug, but it was due to the download losing some bytes along the way.

You should have started a new thread for this. Maybe a mod will move it over in a bit into it's own thread, so look for it there if you don't find it here.
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by Jeffex »

Thank you for this, it was very helpfull, I have now successfully installed a program. :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :D
Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa, Cinnamon: 4.4.8
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Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by millpond »

Spearmint2 wrote:New install? Check the md5sum of the DVD you burned from the ISO file you downloaded. They get hit up sometimes. Just recently I downloaded Mint17 and the first one was corrupted, but later the same site I received a good one. A corrupted ISO can be burned to a disc and then can seem to install successfully and some programs work, then a glitch happens that seems a bug, but it was due to the download losing some bytes along the way.

You should have started a new thread for this. Maybe a mod will move it over in a bit into it's own thread, so look for it there if you don't find it here.
It should perhaps be noted that DVDs were never really meant for *data* storage. They're mainly designed for media where the loss of a few bytes here and there is inconsequential.

I am certainly not an authority on the subject, but after having some disastrous DVD installs, my general conclusions are:

When possible boot from a CD. If the image is too large, transfer the image over to a USB stick and boot with that. There are usilities to make the stick bootable, but the best I've used involved using the dd command. Google 'dd USB bootable image'.

If using DVD it seems the -R may be more reliable than the +R types.(this point may be arguable!)
Use the SLOWEST recording speed *supported* (too slow may be a problem).
ALWAYS verify the image.
Rewritables are not recommended for long term storage.
Some Linux burners programs are problematic. Brasero seems like junk. Others have had good luck with it.
A newbie probable would have better luck moving the ISO to Win and burning with ImgBurn.
Vergil

Re: How to install software on Linux Mint

Post by Vergil »

Hi. I have a question regarding installation of binary files.

I am new to Linux. I'm running Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon 32bit. I wanted to install the Bitcoin Core wallet (bitcoin-qt). I added the PPA repository (add-apt-repository ppa:bitcoin/bitcoin, apt-get update, apt-get install bitcoin-qt...) but when I went to install the program I got the following error "E: Unable to locate package bitcoin-qt" (I also tried variations like "bitcoin" instead of "bitcoin-qt" etc. It wasn't the name. Even using Software Manager, the source had the bitcoin PPA enabled but any search for something to do with bitcoin didn't pop up any relevant results).
A few forum posts suggested that it's because there is no longer support for 32bit (which is true for Mac, but apparently not for Linux. Maybe the PPA doesn't support 32 bit). So in a last ditch attempt, I decided to try and install from the tar.gz file. That file apparently had 2 folders in it: bin and src, the src folder having its own tarball with the source code. The bin folder had the binaries for both 32bit and 64bit in a folder for each type. So I went to the 32 folder and opened the "bitcoin-qt" file (p.s. not a *.bin file... it had no extention, but I believe that's irrelevant since it was in the bin folder, must have been a binary file type). The first time I ran it, a window came up asking where I want to create the relevant data files (felt like an installation file from that point of view), so I put it in /home/.Bitcoin and then the bitcoin wallet opened up and started syncing. I preferred just running the binary rather than going to the source code and go through the whole ./configure, make, sudo make install...

All well and good. It works, I'm happy. I also moved the binary file to /home/ and deleted the tarball because I didn't need it anymore and everything still works. Running the program isn't the issue as long as I keep going back to the bitcoin-qt binary file. But the thing is, it doesn't feel like it's "installed". There's no link in the menu. Each time I want to open it I have to run this bin file, and when I do it opens a window which says it's an unknown file type and asks me if I want to make an executable and run it. Again, no problem, I say yes, it opens and runs fine. But how do I install it? ~$ chmod +x bitcoin-qt doesn't do anything different from that point of view. Am I making a distinction that's not actually to be made? Is it installed already but because I didn't use Software Manager it's not in the menu and there's nothing to do about that?

Thanks for any advice. Sorry for the long question.
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