Linux in general, downloading

Hi everyone. new to the forum
got an acer aspire one for christmas from the wife.
totally new to linux and i dont have a clue. could anybody please help me download the gimp software, exactly how to do it step by step? I also tried to update to firefox 3 but it didnt work. pressed download, extracted some files but nothing has happened. cant even find the files....

not sure if i could also have icons on the front screen as well. is this possible?

Any help would be much appreciated....

Bub

 

The first thing i would recomend to do is the advanced mode Hack.
http://www.aspireoneuser.com/2008/07/09/aspire-one-advance-linpus-mode-hack/

Once youve done that downloading softwares is easy .
When you right click go down to systems,,then add and remove software.
From there youll have to type in your password and wait for your package list to update.

Search for what type of software that your looking for.The package manager has alot to choose from.
If the software your looking for isnt in there,,Search for the type of software your looking for and there might be a Linux version
that will do the job.

If you cant find it,,Just post what you want to install,,And im sure someone here will try to help.

 

Hi bub

Important point, before you start. One which can't be repeated enough, because it causes headaches for so many new users:

In windows, to install software, you download an installer from some webpage (usually a 'setup.exe' file), or run one from a CD.
Two similar procedures exist in Linux:
a)Download a .deb file from somewhere, and run that with the installer. Unlike windows, there is a standard installer which deals with all those files, instead of every software package providing its own installer.
b)Download source files and compile them locally, usually using 'configure', 'make', etc. from the command line.

But both these procedures are not what you should be looking for as a Linux beginner. Those are THE HARD WAY.

The easy way, in most modern Linux distros, is to use the package manager. This amazingly useful tool keeps track of all the thousands of available software packages for your system. Both those you have installed, and those that are available for installation. It also makes sure that all your stuff plays nicely, without one program messing up another. Further, it can update all the software you have installed, plus the OS at once, so you don't have to worry about that. And last, but by no means least, it gets its info from a supported and maintained list of available programs, which are all tested and verified as working and being malware free.

You can find the package manager by clicking on the 'Add and Remove Software' tool in the System menu. Play around with that tool a bit, and I promise, it'll make your linux life a lot easier. You might even end up missing it when you have to work with Windows (I certainly do).

 

Hi,

After making a few "little" mistakes playing around with the package manager i've come across a problem: whenever i try to *apply* the programs selected for download, there is a long list of rather essential software which is in the remove section, which I cannot alter. How do I remove/deselect programs in the package manager? Right clicking seems of little use, and like many others, am a noobe where linux is concerned.

Using AA1 1g 120hd Linux

cheers!

 

To answer the original question....
Go to this site
http://www.acer.com/aspireone/support/files/connect.html
download the packages you want. They will appear in "downloads" in the files section of your desktop. Click on the zip file and in the next box go to extract. Tick the box that indicates "extract with full path" This will give you another file eg gimp.sh open that and click on the file of the same name and it should install itself with the icon. You only need the advanced mode hack for the password if you download an RPM package and install it yourself. Then you have to edit another file to get the icon up.

To answer the previous question. Click on the boxes. if its ticked red it will remove if in green it will install. Sometimes there is a delay in your click registering. All the best.

 

Hi,
I'm a newbie linux user. I have done as stated above but it doesn't do anything when clicking on the file extracted within the folder. If I right click it gives me the option to execute it but then asks for a program to do this! I have got the right mouse click hack but the programs I want aren't there :- hjsplit, vlc or thunderbird.

Thanks!

 

its a shell script you're looking for , file extension .sh
Failing that, altho this is more complex, cut and paste from this page to get thunderbird and vlc.
http://macles.blogspot.com/

 

I'm an Aspire One user for about 24 hours, but have worked with various flavors of Unix (but always through a command line interface) for the past 14 years, and I am just as mystified as Rich.

1. Download firefox3.sh.zip from Acer web site
2. Xarchiver 0.4.9svn-r launches, with firefox3.sh listed. Double-clicking on firefox3.sh does nothing.
3. Clicking on the Open button puts me in a loop, where I get an "Open an archive" window, in which firefox3.sh is listed.
4. Clicking the Extract button leads to the state described originally by Darryl. However, I notice that the Extract to: path is /tmp/firefox3.sh
5. Checking Extract files with full path, then clicking the Extract button at the lower right corner of the window.
6. Following the instructions from the Acer web site, I double-clicked on firefox3.sh, then on the + button in File Manager to create a new folder in the left pane. I was able to open this, but got an error message when I doubleclicked on firefox3.sh with the file displayed in list view. However, when I changed to an icon view, and doubleclicked, it started running the shell script: "Updating firefox3.sh, please wait..." When the shell script finished, I got a message saying that the update had finished, and that the system would reboot. After rebooting, clicking on Browser in the Connect pane of the home menu started FF3.

Weird. There's got to be a better way.

Thank goodness for this forum, as Acer's written documentation is useless. "Opaque" would be charitable. :roll:

I love the machine, and the included software, but I sure hope that someone is writing an LinPlus guide for Dummies, as the Acer folks apparently don't know how to do it.

 

Make that "Linpus" -- I'm still coming up to speed with this version. Some names lose/gain in translation. "Linpus" is right up there with an Atlanta company that has a data product called "Hopper." What were they thinking...

 

with regards ro Gimp and FF 3 go to the Acer support site: http://www.acer.com/aspireone/support/f ... k.html#001

- Install Guide: for gimp
1. Download the file gimp.sh.zip to Aspire one directly.
2. Double click gimp.sh.zip, and uncompress the zip file via “Xarchiver”, there should be a new file named “gimp.sh” in the same folder with gimp.sh.zip.
3. Go to gimp.sh folder and double click gimp.sh.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

- Install Guide: for firefox
1. Download the file firefox3.sh.zip to Aspire one directly.
2. Double click firefox3.sh.zip, and uncompress the zip file via
“Xarchiver”, there should be a new file named “firefox3.sh” in the
same folder with firefox3.sh.zip.
3. Go to firefox3.sh folder and double click firefox3.sh.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

this should do the trick, it worked flawlessly for me

If you want vlc: go the Macles way or if you already did it the Acer way; do it the macles way it will update your current (crippled) vlc
The Acer vlc does not have all the codecs you need included i.e. you will not be able to play all media files

 

I think it's necessary to have a general word of caution at this point in this thread.

While the method of downloading an install script, then giving it root permission and letting it do it's stuff may seem confortable to some, especially those who have dealt with windows for years, it can't be stressed enough, that this is very unsafe practice, and should not become standard procedure when dealing with Linux systems.

Why?

1) By giving a script root access, you're allowing it to change anything it wants to on your machine. This is especially dangerous, if the script executes a binary file, which cannot be checked for malicious content. This being standard practice on windows machines (setup.exe) is one of the main reasons that windows is considered unsafe.
2) Installing from a script often completely bypasses the package manager. This not only means that there's no control over possible incompatibilities, but also that your package manager can't make sure you have the relevant updates later on. It also means that the installed software didn't have to pass the standards of quality control that a maintained repository enforces.
3) If you run into trouble, it's almost impossible to find out where the problem is, or to find support. Nobody except the authors of the script know exactly what it is doing, unlike when you're installing from the package manager, where everything is open and understandable for anyone with enough knowledge of the system. If you end up breaking your system, you may be reduced to the windows solution: format, reinstall.

I'm not saying that these scripts, provided by Acer, pose anyy such threat. Just warning against getting used to installing software this way. As a rule, if anything or anyone asks you to run an obscure script file on your machine, you should be very, very wary.

 

Is this for out of the box Aspire One Linpus? When I click on * Settings, then System, I just get information, with four tabs: System Summary, Multimedia, Networks, Help.

 

I'm still having problems, and suspect a permissions problem. After extracting an archive, doubleclicking on the installer shell file consistently returns:

Can't open file "/tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh/gnomesystemmonitor.sh":
Archive format is not recognized!

If I attempt to delete the selected file, I get this error message:

An error occurred while accessing the archive.
Do you want to view the command line output?

Command line output shows:

2709776 Defl:N 2705617 0% 09-25-08 09:34 825c3d4a gnomesystemmonitor.sh
33756 Defl:X 27428 19% 11-06-08 15:19 dfac44bd 190013_gnomesystemmonitor_ReleaseNote.pdf
Archive: /tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip
inflating: /tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh/gnomesystemmonitor.sh
zip I/O error: Permission denied

zip error: Could not create output file (/tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip)

Poking around in terminal, I noticed that /tmp belongs to root. Is this appropriate? However, these belong to user:

drwxr-xr-- 2 user user 60 2009-01-22 13:19 gnomesystemmonitor.sh
-r-------- 1 user user 2733377 2009-01-22 13:19 gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip

Switching to the gnomesystemmonitor.sh directory, permissions look ok on the shell file as well:

-rwxrwxr-x 1 user user 2709776 2008-09-25 09:34 gnomesystemmonitor.sh

Finally, just in case I feel wild and crazy, how do I change the root password? The administrator password that I set afte pressing F2 during the boot sequence isn't being recognized as root.

 

I'm making progress -- maybe.

Searched the forum for info on how to change root pw.

If I drag a .sh file into the left pane of Xarchive, then from the Linpus desktop open the file manager, I can run the installer shell script.

Still haven't figured out how to add a new program to the Home GUI.

 

I'm still getting error messages, and opened an incident with Acer tech support yesterday, with the following information:

I'm having problems installing software from the Acer software site, and suspect a permissions problem. After extracting an archive, doubleclicking on the installer shell file consistently returns:

Can't open file "/tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh/gnomesystemmonitor.sh":
Archive format is not recognized!
If I attempt to delete the selected file, I get this error message:

An error occurred while accessing the archive.
Do you want to view the command line output?

Command line output shows:

2709776 Defl:N 2705617 0% 09-25-08 09:34 825c3d4a gnomesystemmonitor.sh
33756 Defl:X 27428 19% 11-06-08 15:19 dfac44bd 190013_gnomesystemmonitor_ReleaseNote.pdf
Archive: /tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip
inflating: /tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh/gnomesystemmonitor.sh
zip I/O error: Permission denied

zip error: Could not create output file (/tmp/gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip)

Poking around in terminal, I noticed that /tmp belongs to root. Is this appropriate? However, these belong to user:

drwxr-xr-- 2 user user 60 2009-01-22 13:19 gnomesystemmonitor.sh
-r-------- 1 user user 2733377 2009-01-22 13:19 gnomesystemmonitor.sh.zip

Switching to the gnomesystemmonitor.sh directory, permissions look ok on the shell file as well:

-rwxrwxr-x 1 user user 2709776 2008-09-25 09:34 gnomesystemmonitor.sh

Although I received an automated response from Acer, no actual response yet, and I suspect I will get both a faster and more knowledgeable answer from this forum.

TIA

 

The more of the replies that I read in this thread, the more I want to cob this Linus thing out of the window. I seem to have a different machine? Go into the system folder and find a thing that most certainly is not in mine? Go to this site and ---- , This is supposed to be the learners place, not for people who can hack the MOD system. With that lovely system called Windows you can see everything. If you want a spam fighter or a virus checker you have sites fighting for your business. I managed to download AVG - well I think I did, I haven't seen it since! and I cannot find a simple spam protector that just has a download button. And that is after two hours looking. I have read that when you get used to this kit you like it. I wish I could get used to it and I wish it was Windows!
1. Can someone recommend a spam fighter that has a simple download button and if possible is free
2. Can someone tell me how I can find out if I have in fact downloaded AVG. There were so many strange boxes involved and I was asked so many technical questions that I could not tell! Rant over, I will use this thing for the trip I bought it for and when I come back - unless anything has changed it will be having Windows loaded so that it's a proper PC.

 

There is definitely a learning curve, especially if you have no experience with command line user interfaces. That said, I was forced to use Windows for the past 15 years, and I always hated it.

Re your question about spam, do you mean for e-mail spam filtering? The easiest answer to that is: Use Gmail. I only seriously started playing around with Gmail about 96 hours ago, and it's already my favorite mail client. Microsoft Outlook remains my least favorite mail client, a bloated, slow pig with all sorts of inconsistencies in its UI. FireFox offers good controls for controlling popup windows.

As a newbie, Ten tweaks for a new Acer Aspire One http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/09/05/ten_aspire_one_tips/ is an absolute must-read. My frustration level with the graphic front end that Acer provides dropped immeasurably after I started Terminal (Alt-F2) and typed xfce-setting-show at the command line, and followed Tony Smith's wonderful tips.

Linux/Windows is sort of like stick/automatic transmission for a car. Some people never learn to drive a stick, while others hate the lack of control with an automatic. Drive whatever OS makes you happy.

 

Hi libbsd, If I use gmail can I keep my email address etc? Paul

 

Hey PaulH
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I can only repeat what has been said many many times throughout the forum:

The idea of going to a website, then downloading software from there and installing it on your local machine may be the standard approach for Windows. But, even though it is possible to do something similar in Linux, it is not, and should not be, the standard way of installing software. It is slow, unsafe and leads to incompatibilities, it's one of the main reasons windows is such a mess. Don't do it that way.

As for the software you're trying to install:
AVG: An antivirus tool really isn't needed on a linux machine, unless you want to use it to scan windows files for malware. In that case, I'd recommend clamAV (check repositories, not the web!). If you do want to run AVG, again, install from repo, not from their homepage.
Spamfilter: I'm not quite sure what you're trying to do here, because filtering spam is something that is usually done server-side, and not client-side, nowadays. Again, if you really want one, check out spamassassin. Most mail clients can use it to create filters, although I don't know if the standard AAO one can.

Don't lose hope here. I know it's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get some of the stuff you're used to from windows out of your head, then it'll all start to make sense.

 

Hi Rapax, Thanks for your valued advice, I do get less spam than on my main PC but it still arrives and it's a bit frustrating not being able to press a button to get shut of it, To be honest, I don't even know how to use the spam folder?
Can I take it that Linux is unlikely to attract viruses and the like?
Once again thank you, I am persevering. I asked in Currys today if they had any software for Linux and the chap said that they had just started selling the Acer Aspire but did not yet sell the software, I suppose that means that they will soon so it must be on the up and up. Paul