Intstlling Packages?

[spydie]

I'm trying to get my first download installed.
I'm running Knoppix from the hard drive.
I picked the top .deb file (pacman game) from this site.
http://www.tuxfinder.com/packages/searchdl.php?name=pacman_10-14_i386.deb&country=US

When I click to download it I'm give the option to use KPackage.
KPackage opens and I see pacman downloaded to it.
I click install and it seems to install it under games just fine.
I can find it in under games, the icon looks like a blank page.
I click on the icon to start the game and it can not seem to find anything.

I can find the game in KPackage and it shows

status
install ok installed


So what I'm I doing wrong?

Thanks,

[UltraMega]

Hello...this is my first post here. I mainly work with and use MS software (especially servers and Citrix MetaFrame), but am interested in Linux and I'm trying my hand at exploring Knoppix.

As a test I just installed the same pacman package, and when I try to run it by running a shell and typing "pacman", I get the following:

X Error of failed request: BadName (named color or font does not exist)
Major opcode of failed request: 45 (X_OpenFont)
Serial number of failed request: 27
Current serial number in output stream: 31

Don't know if this is the same problem that you are experiencing but I thought that I would report it here.

[Stephen]

I'm trying to get my first download installed.
I'm running Knoppix from the hard drive.
I picked the top .deb file (pacman game) from this site.
http://www.tuxfinder.com/packages/searchdl.php?name=pacman_10-14_i386.deb&country=US

When I click to download it I'm give the option to use KPackage.
KPackage opens and I see pacman downloaded to it.
I click install and it seems to install it under games just fine.
I can find it in under games, the icon looks like a blank page.
I click on the icon to start the game and it can not seem to find anything.

I can find the game in KPackage and it shows

status
install ok installed


So what I'm I doing wrong?

Thanks,

You should get the package from debian it just installed fine here.



HappyTux:/home/stephen# apt-cache search pacman
hatman - Customizable high-resolution Pacman clone
mangoquest - The Blue Mango Quest, a first person maze game
mangoquest-data - The Blue Mango Quest, a first person maze game
mangoquest-doc - The Blue Mango Quest, a first person maze game
xpacman - Basic Pacman
apple2 - Apple ][ Emulator
xapple2 - Apple ][ Emulator
gtkboard - Many board games in one program
pacman - Chase Monsters in a Labyrinth
op-kpacman-fb - Pacman clone for Opie
HappyTux:/home/stephen# apt-cache policy pacman
pacman:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 10-14
Version Table:
10-14 0
990 http://ftp2.de.debian.org testing/main Packages
600 http://ftp2.de.debian.org unstable/main Packages
10-13 0
500 http://ftp2.de.debian.org stable/main Packages
HappyTux:/home/stephen# apt-get -s install pacman
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
pacman (10-14)
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
Inst pacman (10-14 Debian:testing)
Conf pacman (10-14 Debian:testing)
HappyTux:/home/stephen# apt-get install pacman
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
pacman (10-14)
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
Need to get 26.8kB of archives.
After unpacking 266kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://ftp2.de.debian.org testing/main pacman 10-14 [26.8kB]
Fetched 26.8kB in 0s (30.7kB/s)
Reading package fields... Done
Reading package status... Done
Retrieving bug reports... Done
Reading changelogs... Done
Selecting previously deselected package pacman.
(Reading database ... 77527 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking pacman (from .../archives/pacman_10-14_i386.deb) ...
Setting up pacman (10-14) ...

HappyTux:/home/stephen# pacman
bash: pacman: command not found
HappyTux:/home/stephen# whereis pacman
pacman: /usr/games/pacman /usr/share/man/man6/pacman.6.gz
HappyTux:/home/stephen# /usr/games/pacman


You have to add it to the menus yourself and choose some icon it does not seem to come with it's own. It starts with the game playing so reading the man page would be a good idea to find out the command line switches if any.

[UltraMega]

I tried all that but I still get the error messages I quoted earlier. Hmmm...

[Stephen]

I tried all that but I still get the error messages I quoted earlier. Hmmm...

Try strace pacman to see where it is failing.

[UltraMega]

The "strace pacman" command spit out a few hundred lines of output, and looks cryptic to me. There's a few lines here and there complaining about "No such file or directory" for "/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", but that might not be related. Want me to cut & paste the entire output, or just the last screen of text?

[Stephen]

The "strace pacman" command spit out a few hundred lines of output, and looks cryptic to me. There's a few lines here and there complaining about "No such file or directory" for "/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", but that might not be related. Want me to cut & paste the entire output, or just the last screen of text?

Even stranger I have no such file:



HappyTux:/home/stephen# ll /etc/ld.so.*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 36K 2003-12-31 04:18 /etc/ld.so.cache
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 96 2003-12-18 21:54 /etc/ld.so.conf


Unless it is looking in the ld.so.conf file for a path here is what is in mine:



/usr/X11R6/lib

/usr/lib/libc5-compat
/lib/libc5-compat
/usr/i486-linuxlibc1/lib
/usr/local/lib


For the output do you have some place where you can put a text file on the web and put a URL here it's probably better than having a huge post.

[UltraMega]

Here ya go...thanks. (http://www.isomedia.com/homes/kpuckett/strace_pacman_output.txt)

[spydie]

When you say I should get the package from debian do you mean download it at debian.com or what?

How do I add it to the menus myself?
Do I add it to the menu well in KPackage?

Thanks for helping me out,

[spydie]

I should maybe add, being a newbie I don't really know what to do with the code that is being posted.

I would like to be able to just click, download and install something simple to see how it works.

Unless you can give me step by step instructions on what I should be doing with the code. :)

Thanks again for taking the time to help this newbie out :)

[sn0wflake]

I've tried for two months now to get GNU Linux/Knoppix working. In the beginning I was optimistic and thought "well, Linux has a steep learning curve, so be patient".
The first days was easy enough, I just browsed around in Linux and eventually felt comfortable as a plain user.
The rest of the time was excruciating. Simple things like getting my Danish keyboard working everywhere was a pain. Installing packages spewed out errors that offered me absolutely no help.
I'm just a simple user. I've read a lot of articles praising Linux. I expected it to be hard at first, but the level of complexity of Linux is just ridiculous.
This is not a M$ pro speech. I'd like to see Linux win over Windows, but if that can is to be expected then users should have a system that works 100% at start. If it doesn't then it should be easy to diagnose and fix the problem.
I expect two things of this post. Either it will be ignored as a stupid user post, or I'll get loads of post with "you should try this" or "read this". Hey, I don't want to read thousands of pages, I just want it to work and be easy!
I'm beginning to doubt installing Linux on my private computers :(

[sn0wflake]

"...but if that can is to be expected then..." - all your base are belong to us :wink:

A sad user of Linux :(

[UltraMega]

Spydie: Note that the "strace pacman" topic here does not necessarily pertain to you. Instead, Stephen is helping me try to identify why the program does not work on my specific setup. Regarding the program icons, the pacman package did not include the files and commands necessary to add it to the KDE desktop menu, as such, one is expected to add it manually using something like Settings --> Menu Editor. This is a task that we typically take for granted in the MS Windows environment, and the person or org that creates and maintains a given Linux package does not have to include the menu items if he/she/they chooses not to. I would imagine that part of the reason for this is that the application package may be coded for the X environment but not necessarily specific to any desktop system such as KDE (which Knoppix uses), GNOME, or others. I would like to think that those packages specific to a desktop system such as KDE will actually be complete enough to include adding itself to the menus. Does this help?

Sn0wflake: Many others out there share your experience and opinions. The general consensus today, while debatable, is that Linux as a "consumer-class" desktop operating system is "not there yet", partly for the reasons you describe. There are some Linux distributions that do aspire to meet that goal of a consumer-class desktop OS, such as Lycoris and Lindows (and I'm curious as to what Ximian will have to offer). Those distributions have great systems in place for the not-as-experienced Linux users to get packages for their system that the engineers of those orgs have spent time testing to ensure that the users can get up & running with as little effort and hassle as possible. In my opinion, Knoppix looks to be a great CD-bootable distribution with excellent hardware detection capabilities, but is not as polished in other areas. As a computer geek type, I am enjoying my time working with Linux and Knoppix and I even wish to offer my help wherever I can. But would I set up my wife's computer with Knoppix? NO. (And before anyone flames me, the main reason for that is she really does not have the time to re-learn tasks that she currently performs in Word, Excel, Publisher, and Windows-based clip-art software.)

[spydie]

Hi UltraMega,
I now understand about there being no icon, thanks!

I can open the Shell and type "man pacman" and read the manual :)

I just learned about typing "man" in the Shell, so it gives you some idea of what I know, not much.

I have a lot of reading and learning to do, but it's all fun.

One more question.
If I don't have a icon to click and start the program like pacman do I have to create one to run the program or should I be able to start the program by typing "pacman" in the Shell?

When I type "pacman" in the Shell I get this


X Error of failed request: BadName (named color or font does not exist)
Major opcode of failed request: 45 (X_OpenFont)
Serial number of failed request: 27
Current serial number in output stream: 31


Thanks for the help,

Edited to add: Looking back I see this maybe the same problem you posted about.

[turbinater]

I can open the Shell and type "man pacman" and read the manual
You can also type "man:/pacman" in konqueror to read the manual.

[UltraMega]

I had not checked before, but it looks like the install of the pacman package did actually add an entry under Games --> Arcade, but without any icon image. I don't think the pacman package included an icon image for it, so if you really want the icon to be something other than "blank sheet of paper" you may have to make your own (that's another topic) and use Menu Editor to change the properties of the pacman entry in the menu. But, looks like right now the bigger problem is just running the dang thing, since we both seem to be experiencing the same error messages.

Note the the items you see in the menu are nothing more then files ending in ".desktop". I like to think of them as a kind of equivalent to ".lnk" (shortcut) files you see in MS Windows in places such as \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs. For KDE, the main places to look are under /usr/share/applnk (for items that all users can see in the menu), and in one's own home directory under /.kde/share/applnk. Note that any files and directories beginning with "." are "hidden" and do not show up by default when using ls or Konqueror, so you may have to change settings accordingly to see them. You may want to open one of the .desktop files with KEdit and have a look around. They are nothing more than another way to run a program or script, which as you've learned you can do from a shell prompt as well.

(Guys, as I'm trying to learn Linux myself, if I state anything here or in other posts that is incorrect please let me/us know so that I am not misinformed about a particular feature or setting. Thanks!)

[Stephen]

I don't think the pacman package included an icon image for it, so if you really want the icon to be something other than "blank sheet of paper" you may have to make your own (that's another topic) and use Menu Editor to change the properties of the pacman entry in the menu. But, looks like right now the bigger problem is just running the dang thing, since we both seem to be experiencing the same error messages.

I get the same error on the install that I did of the latest knoppix on my spare machine today (had to replace a dead HD) and pacman does not want to work at all whereas it works fine on my Debian SID machine. I made all the font changes I normally make and upgraded the xserver to experimental (what a nightmare on knoppix wouldn't even wish it on Billg) so I would have identical versions and it still comes up with the error so it is something somewhere I can't find in the Knoppix configuration.




Note the the items you see in the menu are nothing more then files ending in ".desktop". I like to think of them as a kind of equivalent to ".lnk" (shortcut) files you see in MS Windows in places such as \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs. For KDE, the main places to look are under /usr/share/applnk (for items that all users can see in the menu), and in one's own home directory under /.kde/share/applnk. Note that any files and directories beginning with "." are "hidden" and do not show up by default when using ls or Konqueror, so you may have to change settings accordingly to see them. You may want to open one of the .desktop files with KEdit and have a look around. They are nothing more than another way to run a program or script, which as you've learned you can do from a shell prompt as well.

(Guys, as I'm trying to learn Linux myself, if I state anything here or in other posts that is incorrect please let me/us know so that I am not misinformed about a particular feature or setting. Thanks!)

Looks like you understand it fairly well.

[spydie]

Well after playing around with trying to get pacman to work and see others were having problems also I decided maybe it's not something I'm doing wrong after all.

So I went searching for a differant game to download.
That's not a easy thing to do for a Linux newbie.
With M$ I would find most of my downloads at download.com

Some of the games I would fine said I had to have other items installed to run the game. I did not know what a lot of these other items were so I kept looking until I found a game that looked preaty simple and did not list any other items I would need for it to run.

Here is the link. They even listed it for debian. :)
http://freshmeat.net/projects/fbg/?branch_id=33722&release_id=107441&topic_id=268

So I click away until I find the file I think I need.
It ask me what to open it with and I pick Kpackage.
It gets downloaded into Kpackage and I click install.

Looks like it installs ok.
I make a note of the file name (fbg) because I don't really know were it put it when I installed it.

I open the Shell. Type "man fbg" and it brings up the manual for fbg :)

Next I type fbg and guess what?
The game come up and worked! :) :) :)

I have done much reading today about Kpackage, install, etc...

It feels good to get something so simple to work :)

[champagnemojo]

I tried installing pacman too for the heck of it...and get the same error all of you get. Spydie, don't be overwhelmed by packages that have alot of dependencies. If you use apt-get or Synaptic to install them it will usually go ahead and install those other necessary programs with it automatically. I'm a newbie too, so I know how overwhelming it can be. But for the most part I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Though I'd have definitely given up long ago if not for this forum. :D

[A. Jorge Garcia]

"...but if that can is to be expected then..." - all your base are belong to us :wink:

A sad user of Linux :(

Marcel Gagne Fans: Please don't give up so fast. You've taken your first steps into becoming part of the Linux Community. You got the book, you booted the CD, and now its time to play! BTW, that's partly what's great about KNOPPIX, in particular this forum and its user base, as well as the Linux Community in general is here to help you. So forget the evil OS M$ Wimpdoze and sending money to Redmond and its various lackies. You can get help here for free. That's what this forum is here for, especially for newbies as well as experienced souls whenever they run into a road block. And look, you didn't even have to send $1 or more per hour on a 1-900 phone call!

Sn0wflake:
OK, OK, hold on a bit longer. Take a deep breath. Its not that bad. I was a noobie once and if I can figure this out, you can too! BTW, I'm still a newbie in many aspects of Linux too....

You are right, of course, to be patient and expect a steep learning curve. So don't expect to figure it all out in one sitting. I know its frustrating at first, but its also exciting and rewarding. Think of it as an adventure - you're an explorer in new, un-charted territory and everyday you find something new that you can use...

Anyway, that pacman game is broken. Lets try something else.

Step0: I'm assuming that you installed KNOPPIX to the hdd using knx-hdinstall or knoppix-installer and you are running from the hdd. If not, you are running from the CD which is a read-only file system so you can't install anything. If you need help installing to the hdd, please post again in this thread.

Step1: On the bottom of your KNOPPIX desktop, click on the big "K" cogwheel. In the "start" menu you get, click <KNOPPIX> and then click <ROOT SHELL>. This gives you superuser access to modify your installation!

Step2: In that shell, type: apt-get update to make sure apt-get is up to date. This may take a little while. Don't worry if you get a few errors, I usually run it once a week because of the errors you sometimes get when some server is down.

Step3: OK, now lets search for a real game. Again, in the root shell, type: apt-cache search battle and you will see a list on games. My favorite is bzflag which is an internet multiplayer realtime game where everyone is a tank (a la old atari battle zone except better than just green on black wire-frame graphics) and there's flags to pick up to give you special abilities (there's even capture the flag team mode). The object of the game is to get the most points on a certain online interactive map by shooting everyone in sight. Yes, its a shoot-em-up, yes it sounds stupid, but try it, its addictive. BTW, its got cool 3D animated graphics if you have nvidia or DRI (even if you don't, but then it runs slowly).

Step4: Now, lets install this game, type: apt-get install bzflag. If you're on a LAN and want to host a local game for your friends you can type: apt-get install bzflag bzflag-server instead.

Step5: Close your root shell (you shouldn't use the root shell for everyday tasks). Open a regular shell by clicking the icon on the bottom of your desktop that looks like a screen with a scallop shell on it. In this shell type: bzflag and enjoy! You could click on the big "K" cogwheel, then "GAMES" and then "ARCADE" and then "BZFLAG" instead, but why?

Step6: If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to post back here in this thread. If your game works but you're stuck playing it, try KONQUEROR man:/bzflag or http://www.bzflag.org

I hope that helps you, Sn0wFlake, and any other "Sad Linux Users" out there!

Good Luck and Happy New Year,

[spydie]

A. Jorse Garcia

The step by step instructions worked great for me.
Finding a game and installing it that way was great!

Much easier then the way I was doing it.

You have been very helpful, thanks!

[A. Jorge Garcia]

You're welcome, Spydie, I'm glad I could be of help.

What I'm wondering, however, is how different is Marcel's remaster of KNOPPIX?

PS: I've been using some form of UNIX or other since 1975 to learn and teach different programming languages (BASIC, Fortran, PL1, Pascal, C, C++, Java, etc).

I've been using Linux for about 10 years now. KNOPPIX has been my one and only OS for over a year now. So if you're new to all this, welcome! Let me encourage you to stick with it, I can say from presonal experience that the ride's well worth it!

BTW, I'd say that Linux is a better UNIX than UNIX. Further, I'd say that KNOPPIX is the best Linux distro I've ever used!

Enjoy!

[UltraMega]

Great info, A.J.G. Some questions for you (or whoever wants to answer/comment):

Re: step 1, to run the root shell: Why would I want to run that ugly thing? Green fonts, and no apparent method to scroll the window back. If I was packaging the distro, I'd yank that menu option and instead just learn to type su then the root password in the regular shell window which is more pleasing to the eye and more controllable in my opinion. (Speaking of yanking menu options, I'd yank quite a few menu options from Knoppix actually to help unclutter things a bit)

Re: steps 2 thru 4: Nevermind the fact that I live less than 15 miles from Redmond, I personally like doing things in "windows" and would much rather use Kpackage to do all this than to visit the command prompt. My take, open for debate of course, is to get Linux newbies comfortable first with the GUI-based tools before getting too involved with shells, where it can be frustrating trying to learn and type the correct commands.

[spydie]

I like using su in the reg. shell
Not only is it easier on the eye's but I can highlight the text, right click, then use the copy and paste.
I can not seem to copy and paste in the root shell.

I also like KPackage.

[A. Jorge Garcia]

The root shell works in all KNOPPIX installs whether it be the CD or knoppix-installer as debian or knoppix-installer as knopix. I can't get su to work in knoppix-installer as debian so I use the root shell as I know it always works.

When I said to drop windows, I meant Mr. Gates' windows in particular, not GUIs in general. If you find a GUI solution that works for you in Linux, more power to ya!

BTW, I seem to remember a script page by Kano that allowed installing apps temporarily while running the CD. Anyone know the address to kano's website and how these scripts work?

Regards,

[UltraMega]

Strange, I have Knoppix (3.3) installed to my hd as well and I can su in the KDE shell just fine, without having to resort to "that green thing".

[champagnemojo]

Kano's scripts are Here (http://kano.mipooh.net/) AJG. I've never used any of the live-install scripts...but I've used a few of the scripts on my hd-install and they've worked without any trouble. You can ask kano questions at the kanotix forum (http://kanotix.mipooh.net/) if you have a specific question about them.

I don't understand what you all are referring to in terms of root shell and such. I'm confused as can be in fact :lol: I just use the clamshell icon'd KDE shell most of the time, using sudo if i need root priviliges...or su if I need to do stuff as root. I also like the application launcher applet you can put onto KDE's panel.

[A. Jorge Garcia]

Thanx, Champ! BTW, the root shell is under the "K" menu, then "KNOPPIX" and then "ROOT SHELL."

Enjoy,
AJG

[CrashedAgain]

>>A.J.G: I can't get su to work in knoppix-installer as debian so I use the root shell as I know it always works.

Have you edited /etc/sudoers to include your username as a sudoer? I have Knoppix > HD 'Debian install' & use su in the regular shell all the time but the HD install will not automatically set up users other thaan 'Knoppix' as sudoer.

>>spydie:When you say I should get the package from debian do you mean download it at debian.com or what?

>> How do I add it to the menus myself?
>> Do I add it to the menu well in KPackage?

Some of this has already been answered so is a bit of a repeat. Debian packages are added using:
1.dpkg (text mode package handler)-works great for some uses but you have to know the name of the pkg you want to add
2.deselect (has a list of packages but still pretty base-level)
3.apt-get text mode package handler which can access any available packages in it's 'sources.list'
4.Kpackage (KDE graphic mode package handler) good & convenient to use (actually a gui front end for apt-get)
5.Synaptic- another gui front end for apt-get. IMHO Kpackage is just as good but sometimes synaptic is a little easier to find things as it uses different sorting
Apt-get actually uses dpkg to do the work of installing the pkg. Kpackage & Synaptic also use dpkg through apt-get

So, for a nOOb (which I still am), first thing to do is (as root) 'apt-get update' which updates your 'sources.list' so you now have a complete list of available packages. Then select & install the package you want using Kpackage or more directly using 'apt-get install'. Knoppix doesn't come with Synaptic so for a practise run try 'apt-get install synaptic'. Most of the time things go OK but sometimes there are dpendency problems or conflicts. Currently I still haven't managed to install Kpat because of dpendency conflicts.Kpat is KDE's solitaire game...actually a much more polished version of the crappy 'ace-of-penguins'game.

To add menu items:
1.use Settings>Kappfinder. KDE will automatically scan for & add new executables
2.use Settings>Menu Editor to add your own
3.create your own desktop links. Right click on bare desktop, the 'add application'.

snOwflake: Stay with it. I could have written your exact same post a few months ago (I fact I did...go to Linux Format forums & do a search for posts by CrashedAgain.)

[gowator]

What's happening ???
Are you still here???

Everyone seems ready to help you...
From a HDD install changing to a Danish keyboard is just a couple of clicks away.
As a matter of some irony I actually have a Danish keyboard on my Knoppix PC. I'm english, living in France and bought the keyboard when I lived in Norway becuase keyboards (and just about everything) is much cheaper in Denmark and becuase if the Norwegians can't even decide on a single keyboard Im damned if Im buying one :D

The US keyboard is available already installed and at least this doesn't have any different letters, just the / is in a different place etc.

To get the Danish just right click the keyboard icon and open it up and then choose Danish as the primary layout... its really that simple.

If you create a new user then copy the working and configured and customised directory from the working user to the new user and they will have all the setitngs too.

Its no easier or harder than Windows, you don't even need to reach for the CD's ... Because of the nature of knoppix it installs a preworking copy and you don't go through the setup routine you would with a traditional linux install where you would set your regional stuff at install.

However changing iot is easy once you know where to look.

[sn0wflake]

I simply changed the default US keyboard setup in /etc/init.d/keymap.sh from "us.kmap.gz" to "dk-latin1.kmap.gz" :)
I've since been able to add Knoppix/Debian to a Windows 2003 domain and connect to it's terminal server. I also manged to shrink the HDD installed size to less than 1.4 GB so it could be ghosted to a bunch of old Pentium PC's :)

[gowator]

Great.... sounds like your rolling...
in a touch of irony I toasted KDE trying to force it to a lter version....
I really had to try hard but I managed to wreck it eventually.

Now Im typing this on a Danish Keyboard but my map is in US.....