Mate-desktop

5 replies [Last post]
pafe
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Joined: 06/04/2014

Hi! I'd like to install Mate-desktop. I tried to add the repository. In terminal I typed sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main" command and get the following error message:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/add-apt-repository", line 185, in
sp = SoftwareProperties(options=options)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/softwareproperties/SoftwareProperties.py", line 97, in __init__
self.reload_sourceslist()
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/softwareproperties/SoftwareProperties.py", line 585, in reload_sourceslist
self.distro.get_sources(self.sourceslist)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/aptsources/distro.py", line 87, in get_sources
raise NoDistroTemplateException("Error: could not find a "
aptsources.distro.NoDistroTemplateException: Error: could not find a distribution template

How can I solve this problem?

davidnotcoulthard (not verified)
davidnotcoulthard

add-apt-repository only works for PPAs.

For those lines: Open the terminal,

put "deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main" (without ") as one of the lines in the file caled /etc/apt/sources.list using a text editor

sudo apt-get update

Then install mate-archive-keyring (at this time all packages from the repository are "not authenticated", mate-archive-keyring serves to change that) , then sudo apt-get update again to make the MATE packages not "not authenticated".

pafe
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Joined: 06/04/2014

Thanks! Your advice was very helpful. I was able to solve my problem.

Magic Banana

I am a member!

I am a translator!

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Joined: 07/24/2010

If you like commands, here is one that appends, with administrative privileges, the line "deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main" to /etc/apt/sources.list:
$ echo "deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

Do not forget the "-a"! Without it, the current content of the file is *replaced* by your line.

Legimet
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Joined: 12/10/2013

"add-apt-repository only works for PPAs."

Incorrect, add-apt-repository works for regular repos as well. As lembas said, this is actually a bug in Trisquel's base-files package. Since the upgrade to that package came out around Thursday, 3 people have reported breakage, all caused by that bug.

lembas
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Joined: 05/13/2010