How to install packages downloaded from the web, like IceCat?
When I download packages from the web, they dont come with easy install methods like Windows and MacOS, how do I go about installing them? :)
Cheers! (Hope I dont bother the whole community with my noobing)
If you mean .deb packages, you can install it with dpkg. Type "dpkg -i name_of_package.deb" as root or with sudo. As normal user you don't have permissions to install packages.
I hope this will help you using Trisquel!
Okay, cheers.
How do install "as root or with sudo"? Do I do that by typing "sudo apt" or something just before the rest of the line?
type "sudo dpkg -i name-of-your.program.deb"
"sudo" means your giving yourself the power of "root" or system administrator.
"dpkg" is the name of the program that can install ".deb" programs for you.
"-i" is an parameter or attribute that gets enabled in the "dpkg" program for installing programs. You cauld also use "--install", which is the long form option.
Enjoy your journey to learning GNU/Linux , I am almost 2 years in and use Trisquel as my main operating system. Cheers!
Exactly :)
Thanks a lot :D
How do I know if its a .deb package though?
The file has DEB as extension.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_(file_format)
You shouldn't confuse tarballs with deb packages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(computing)
Yeah, I think I just did.
Where do I find .deb packages?
I just download stuff from the websites which gives me this pack I have to extract, and then I get a folder which there is a run-this-thing inside.
So currently I am running IceCat and Tor from inside a folder,
Shout out if you got something more convenient! lol :P
I don't think you should be on the look for deb packages to install. Use the package repositories that are official and available in the distro.
Sometimes, a developer has made his/her software available as a deb package you can download. Mostly, when you see tarballs, they either contain source code or precompiled binaries but no installer, so you can run the software from the extracted folder if all dependencies are satisfied. Sometimes there's a script (install.sh) you should run to put everything in place. If there's source code inside, you can usually compile it './configure' and 'make install'.
https://www.maketecheasier.com/install-software-from-a-tarball-in-linux/
Why dont you think I "should be on the look for deb packages to install"?
You’re free to do and install anything. It’s your machine.
However, the recommended way is to use the official repositories. The other way is the Windows way — search frantically everywhere and install any old exe file you can possibly find. Then, have problems with malware infestation.
The GNU/Linux way is supposed to be more secure.
If you absolutely need some other program not included in the repos, be sure to check hash sums, if provided. Use with discretion and avoid places like Cnet that wrap installers with adware.
Gotcha, thanks for the tips!
Also, I tried to sudo spkg a .deb package and I get an error with "No such file or directory"
I have triple checked the spelling.
Do you any ideas?
It's 'dpkg', not 'spkg'. Maybe quadruple check. :)
You can also use Gdebi Package Installer if you'd prefer a GUI.
Hah! The irony, I misspelled in a comment about triple checking. But yeah, I checked and wrote dpkg.
Nice! :) The Gdebi worked smoothly, tyvm
Most of packages are in Trisquel repo. You don't need to searching internet for .deb package. Just search for package with Synaptic, or via command "apt-cache search name_of_package". Of course you can't find packages which is not free software becouse they are removed from repo. To get IceCat you can execute "sudo apt-get install icecat".
I cant find either Tor nor IceCat, and Thunderbird doesnt want to be installed via rep either. Maybe its because of my hardware?
Can you paste here your sources.list ? How did you try to search for IceCat?
What's "sources.list"?
I went: "start-menu" -> preferences -> add/remove applications, then I made sure it showed all available applications and searched in the search bar.
IceCat doesn't show up under 'Add/Remove Applications' but is in the repository. You can install it from Synaptic Package Manager, or in a terminal$ sudo apt install icecat
If you are using Trisquel 7, Thunderbird is called Icedove. Again, it can be installed from Synaptic Package Manager, or in a terminal$ sudo apt install icedove
In general, if you don't see something in 'Add/Remove Applications' that you suspect should be there, check Synaptic Package Manager.
If by Tor you mean Tor Browser, it is indeed not in the repository. Users of Tor Browser need to receive updates immediately and simultaneously, regardless of which distro they use, to ensure that they have identical browser configurations, preserving anonymity. Download Tor Browser directly from
https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en
After downloading the tar.xz file, find a good place to extract it. I have a directory in my home folder called Applications for applications like these. After extracting, you now have ~/Applications/tor-browser_en-US (~ is your home folder, equivalent to /home/[your username]). You can delete the tar.xz file now.
Enter ~/Applications/tor-browser_en-US, double click 'Tor Browser Setup', and it will turn into 'Tor Browser'. You can now double click that to launch Tor Browser, no need to install.
If you would like Tor Browser to show up in menus alongside your other applications, you'll need to create a desktop file$ sudo nano ~/.local/share/applications/tor-browser.desktopcontaining[Desktop Entry]In the paths following 'Exec=' and 'Icon=' replace '/home/mason/Applications' with wherever you extracted the tar.xz file. You might have to logout and login again before Tor Browser starts showing up in menus.
Name=Tor Browser
Exec=/home/[your username]/Applications/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/start-tor-browser
Icon=/home/[your username]/Applications/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/browser/icons/mozicon128.png
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;GTK;Network;WebBrowser;
Woah, you are a saint, thx!
Very good answer. But he don't need to use sudo for writing .desktop file.
Alternatively, the launcher can be created through the "New Item" button of "Main Menu" (in the "System Settings").
... Yeah, that's way easier. Thanks, Magic Banana.
GrevenGull, you can get the 'command' for the menu entry by right clicking 'Tor Browser' in tor-browser_en-US, selecting 'Properties', and copying what's in the 'command' field. For me it looks like this.
sh -c '"/home/mason/Applications/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/start-tor-browser" --detach || ([ ! -x "/home/mason/Applications/tor-browser_en-US/Browser/start-tor-browser" ] && "$(dirname "$*")"/Browser/start-tor-browser --detach)' dummy %k
Yeah, someone lead me to gdebi in another thread (I think) and it was great! :)