Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.os.linux.misc > #32746 > unrolled thread

Beginner's question.

Back to article view | Back to comp.os.linux.misc

Contents

  Beginner's question. Jane <J@home.com> - 2021-08-07 09:09 +1000
    Re: Beginner's question. "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> - 2021-08-06 20:31 -0400
      Re: Beginner's question. Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-08-08 06:11 -0400
        Re: Beginner's question. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2021-08-10 06:33 +0100
      Re: Beginner's question. Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> - 2021-08-11 17:19 +1000
        Re: Beginner's question. Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-09-07 07:36 -0400
          Re: Beginner's question. Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> - 2021-09-08 22:54 +1000
            Re: Beginner's question. "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2021-09-08 23:54 +0200
            Re: Beginner's question. Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-09-12 05:24 -0400
    Re: Beginner's question. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2021-08-07 09:38 +0100
    Re: Beginner's question. Jim Jackson <jj@franjam.org.uk> - 2021-08-08 17:01 +0000
      Re: Beginner's question. John-Paul Stewart <jpstewart@personalprojects.net> - 2021-08-08 15:46 -0400
        Re: Beginner's question. "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2021-08-08 22:42 +0200
        Re: Beginner's question. Jim Jackson <jj@franjam.org.uk> - 2021-08-09 17:16 +0000
      Re: Beginner's question. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2021-08-10 06:33 +0100
      Re: Beginner's question. Jane <jane@home.com> - 2021-09-06 20:32 +1000
        Re: Beginner's question. "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2021-09-06 12:46 +0200
          Re: Beginner's question. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2021-09-06 12:33 +0100
        Re: Beginner's question. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2021-09-06 12:31 +0100
        Re: Beginner's question. Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-09-07 07:34 -0400

#32746 — Beginner's question.

I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across 
this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.

After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.

One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the 
first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a 
mention. Why not?

I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#32747

On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:

> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.

I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.

> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.

Some package managers allow filtering the list of available packages to only show
the packages that have a gui interface. Without such a filter, many of the packages
shown will be packages that include nothing but library modules, that are needed
for other packages to work. There are also many that only include commands that
run from the command line, like grep.

I've never encountered a package that shows a gui icon on the desktop or opens,
simply by installing it. Such a package would not seem appropriate in a multi user
system like linux. Being added to the menu is normal, not the desktop.

> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
> mention. Why not?
> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.

I'm using Mageia. The packages are in the rpm format. The rpm command has an
option to show the list of files in the package. Filtering that through grep, it's
easy to find the command or menu file. For example ...
$ rpm -q -l thunderbird|grep bin/
/usr/bin/thunderbird
[dave@x3 ~]$ rpm -q -l thunderbird|grep desktop
/usr/share/applications/thunderbird.desktop
$ grep ^Categories /usr/share/applications/thunderbird.desktop
Categories=GTK;Network;News;Email;X-Mageia-CrossDesktop;

The above shows that thunderbird can be started either from the command line,
or from the menu in one (or more depending on how the menu has been setup) of
the listed categories. That menu entry can be used to add an icon to start the
program to the desktop or panel.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

-- 
Change dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org to davidwhodgins@teksavvy.com for
email replies.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32752

"David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> writes:

> On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>
> I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.
>

Most Mint versions are Ubuntu-based, and thus Debian-based, so they use
dpkg/apt.


>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>
> Some package managers allow filtering the list of available packages to only show
> the packages that have a gui interface. Without such a filter, many of the packages
> shown will be packages that include nothing but library modules, that are needed
> for other packages to work. There are also many that only include commands that
> run from the command line, like grep.
>
> I've never encountered a package that shows a gui icon on the desktop or opens,
> simply by installing it. Such a package would not seem appropriate in a multi user
> system like linux. Being added to the menu is normal, not the desktop.
>

I don't think I've ever seen a package on Linux that opens as a result
of having installed it either.

I could see one perhaps putting an icon on the desktop or icon bar
though, depending upon the desktop environment. I use Mint MATE and it
doesn't do that though. Perhaps Cinnamon does?

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32766

On 08/08/2021 11:11, Bud Frede wrote:
> I don't think I've ever seen a package on Linux that opens as a result
> of having installed it either.
> 
> I could see one perhaps putting an icon on the desktop or icon bar
> though, depending upon the desktop environment. I use Mint MATE and it
> doesn't do that though. Perhaps Cinnamon does?

Mint MATE almost always puts a *user level GUI* based package in the 
mint menu system.

 From there is is trivial to add a desk-top icon or custom menu item.
But I have never known it add an icon to the desktop by default

Only the initial installation does that.

-- 
"Women actually are capable of being far more than the feminists will 
let them."

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32794

Groovy hepcat David W. Hodgins was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Sat,
7 Aug 2021 10:31 am. It's a cool scene! Dig it.

> On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:

  This is to the OP. (Sorry, I don't see your post; only other people's
followups.)

>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come
>> across this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation
>> anywhere.
> 
> I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.
> 
>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.

  Software Manager is just a front end to the apt package management
system. You could use tools provided by apt and dpkg (a backend used by
apt) to find information on installed packages.
  If you know the actual package name (not the name/description in
Software Manager), you can use the dpkg-query command to find out more
about it, including what files are installed. You can then find out the
names of an installed program. Try this:

sudo dpkg-query -L packagename

  If you don't know the package name, you can try looking at history.*
files in /var/log/apt/ to see what was recently installed. Or, if you
have a general idea but don't know exactly, you could try the apt-cache
command to search for a package:

sudo apt-cache search softwarename

  Another option is to run synaptic and use it to search for the name of
the software you've installed. It has a tab that shows installed files.

-- 


----- Dig the NEW and IMPROVED news sig!! -----


-------------- Shaggy was here! ---------------
              Ain't I'm a dawg!!

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33175

Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> writes:

> Groovy hepcat David W. Hodgins was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Sat,
> 7 Aug 2021 10:31 am. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
>
>> On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>
>   This is to the OP. (Sorry, I don't see your post; only other people's
> followups.)
>
>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come
>>> across this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation
>>> anywhere.
>> 
>> I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.
>> 
>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>
>   Software Manager is just a front end to the apt package management
> system. You could use tools provided by apt and dpkg (a backend used by
> apt) to find information on installed packages.
>   If you know the actual package name (not the name/description in
> Software Manager), you can use the dpkg-query command to find out more
> about it, including what files are installed. You can then find out the
> names of an installed program. Try this:
>
> sudo dpkg-query -L packagename
>
>   If you don't know the package name, you can try looking at history.*
> files in /var/log/apt/ to see what was recently installed. Or, if you
> have a general idea but don't know exactly, you could try the apt-cache
> command to search for a package:
>
> sudo apt-cache search softwarename
>
>   Another option is to run synaptic and use it to search for the name of
> the software you've installed. It has a tab that shows installed files.

Ok, so I was ninja'd on this. :-) I'm not sure sudo is required for
these though. In fact, I don't think I've ever needed sudo to run them.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33190

Groovy hepcat Bud Frede was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Tue, 7 Sep
2021 09:36 pm. It's a cool scene! Dig it.

> Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> writes:
> 
>> Groovy hepcat David W. Hodgins was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on
>> Sat, 7 Aug 2021 10:31 am. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
>>
>>> On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>
>>   This is to the OP. (Sorry, I don't see your post; only other
>>   people's
>> followups.)
>>
>>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come
>>>> across this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation
>>>> anywhere.
>>> 
>>> I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.
>>> 
>>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem
>>>> to disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to
>>>> run them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>
>>   Software Manager is just a front end to the apt package management
>> system. You could use tools provided by apt and dpkg (a backend used
>> by apt) to find information on installed packages.
>>   If you know the actual package name (not the name/description in
>> Software Manager), you can use the dpkg-query command to find out
>> more about it, including what files are installed. You can then find
>> out the names of an installed program. Try this:
>>
>> sudo dpkg-query -L packagename
>>
>>   If you don't know the package name, you can try looking at
>>   history.*
>> files in /var/log/apt/ to see what was recently installed. Or, if you
>> have a general idea but don't know exactly, you could try the
>> apt-cache command to search for a package:
>>
>> sudo apt-cache search softwarename
>>
>>   Another option is to run synaptic and use it to search for the name
>>   of
>> the software you've installed. It has a tab that shows installed
>> files.
> 
> Ok, so I was ninja'd on this. :-) I'm not sure sudo is required for
> these though. In fact, I don't think I've ever needed sudo to run
> them.

  It seems you're right. I'm flabberghasted! My ghast has never been so
flabbered! (Frankie Howerd in Carry On Up the Jungle) This makes me
shudder. It should require root privileges to do things like this. I
could've sworn it (Debian, which I'm using, at least) used to. Why this
changed I cannot begin to fathom.

-- 


----- Dig the NEW and IMPROVED news sig!! -----


-------------- Shaggy was here! ---------------
              Ain't I'm a dawg!!

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33191

On 08/09/2021 14.54, Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood wrote:
> Groovy hepcat Bud Frede was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Tue, 7 Sep
> 2021 09:36 pm. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
> 
>> Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> writes:
>>
>>> Groovy hepcat David W. Hodgins was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on
>>> Sat, 7 Aug 2021 10:31 am. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:09:43 -0400, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>   This is to the OP. (Sorry, I don't see your post; only other
>>>   people's
>>> followups.)
>>>
>>>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come
>>>>> across this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation
>>>>> anywhere.
>>>>
>>>> I don't use mint, so don't know which package manager it uses.
>>>>
>>>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem
>>>>> to disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to
>>>>> run them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>>
>>>   Software Manager is just a front end to the apt package management
>>> system. You could use tools provided by apt and dpkg (a backend used
>>> by apt) to find information on installed packages.
>>>   If you know the actual package name (not the name/description in
>>> Software Manager), you can use the dpkg-query command to find out
>>> more about it, including what files are installed. You can then find
>>> out the names of an installed program. Try this:
>>>
>>> sudo dpkg-query -L packagename
>>>
>>>   If you don't know the package name, you can try looking at
>>>   history.*
>>> files in /var/log/apt/ to see what was recently installed. Or, if you
>>> have a general idea but don't know exactly, you could try the
>>> apt-cache command to search for a package:
>>>
>>> sudo apt-cache search softwarename
>>>
>>>   Another option is to run synaptic and use it to search for the name
>>>   of
>>> the software you've installed. It has a tab that shows installed
>>> files.
>>
>> Ok, so I was ninja'd on this. :-) I'm not sure sudo is required for
>> these though. In fact, I don't think I've ever needed sudo to run
>> them.
> 
>   It seems you're right. I'm flabberghasted! My ghast has never been so
> flabbered! (Frankie Howerd in Carry On Up the Jungle) This makes me
> shudder. It should require root privileges to do things like this. I
> could've sworn it (Debian, which I'm using, at least) used to. Why this
> changed I cannot begin to fathom.

You should not need to be root to make queries, only to install or
remove things.

And there are ways to allow a certain normal user to install things.

-- 
Cheers,
       Carlos E.R.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33206

Peter 'Shaggy' Haywood <phaywood@alphalink.com.au> writes:

> Groovy hepcat Bud Frede was jivin' in comp.os.linux.misc on Tue, 7 Sep
> 2021 09:36 pm. It's a cool scene! Dig it.
>
>> 
>> Ok, so I was ninja'd on this. :-) I'm not sure sudo is required for
>> these though. In fact, I don't think I've ever needed sudo to run
>> them.
>
>   It seems you're right. I'm flabberghasted! My ghast has never been so
> flabbered! (Frankie Howerd in Carry On Up the Jungle) This makes me
> shudder. It should require root privileges to do things like this. I
> could've sworn it (Debian, which I'm using, at least) used to. Why this
> changed I cannot begin to fathom.


As Carlos said in another reply, you're just querying, not making
changes, so I don't see why it should need root.

I started using Debian in the mid '90s, and I don't remember ever
needing to be root to do a query with dpkg. Ditto when apt came along
later.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32749

On 07/08/2021 00:09, Jane wrote:
> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across 
> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
> 
> After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
> 
> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the 
> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a 
> mention. Why not?
> 
> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.

they should appear in the mint main menu, and can be linked to desktop 
or other menu bar icons with a right click IIRC

-- 
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit 
atrocities.”

― Voltaire, Questions sur les Miracles à M. Claparede, Professeur de 
Théologie à Genève, par un Proposant: Ou Extrait de Diverses Lettres de 
M. de Voltaire

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32753

On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across 
> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>
> After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>
> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the 
> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a 
> mention. Why not?
>
> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.

Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint? 
If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry 
in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32757

On 2021-08-08 1:01 p.m., Jim Jackson wrote:
> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across 
>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>
>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
[snip]
> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint? 
> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry 
> in that menu. 

Only for GUI applications.  Command line applications will not have a
menu entry and will need to be launched in a terminal.  You will need to
know the command name(s) for that, and there is not necessarily a
correlation to the package name.  ImageMagick is an example of that.  It
is purely command line but no command of that name is installed.  It is
made up of several commands such as 'convert', 'display', 'montage', and
others.

So I can see how the OP might think certain newly installed command line
programs would "just seem to disappear" since there is neither an icon
nor a command line program of the same name.  But they are there under
other names.

Also, some administrative programs (typically on the command line, too)
are only in root's $PATH, not a normal user's.  So those, too, might
"just seem to disappear" from the perspective of an ordinary user account.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32758

On 08/08/2021 21.46, John-Paul Stewart wrote:
> On 2021-08-08 1:01 p.m., Jim Jackson wrote:
>> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across 
>>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>>
>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
> [snip]
>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint? 
>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry 
>> in that menu. 
> 
> Only for GUI applications.  Command line applications will not have a
> menu entry and will need to be launched in a terminal.  You will need to
> know the command name(s) for that, and there is not necessarily a
> correlation to the package name.  ImageMagick is an example of that.  It
> is purely command line but no command of that name is installed.  It is
> made up of several commands such as 'convert', 'display', 'montage', and
> others.

Yes. But there is "man ImageMagick"


-- 
Cheers,
       Carlos E.R.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32765

>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up 
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to 
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run 
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
> [snip]
>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint? 
>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry 
>> in that menu. 
>
> Only for GUI applications.  Command line applications will not have a
> menu entry and will need to be launched in a terminal. 

My assumption in answering - and it was lazy of me, I'm sorry - was that 
a CLI adept would not be asking such a question.

> You will need to
> know the command name(s) for that, and there is not necessarily a
> correlation to the package name.  ImageMagick is an example of that.  It
> is purely command line but no command of that name is installed.  It is
> made up of several commands such as 'convert', 'display', 'montage', and
> others.
>
> So I can see how the OP might think certain newly installed command line
> programs would "just seem to disappear" since there is neither an icon
> nor a command line program of the same name.  But they are there under
> other names.
>
> Also, some administrative programs (typically on the command line, too)
> are only in root's $PATH, not a normal user's.  So those, too, might
> "just seem to disappear" from the perspective of an ordinary user account.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#32767

On 08/08/2021 18:01, Jim Jackson wrote:
> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>
>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>
>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>> mention. Why not?
>>
>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
> 
> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.
> 
> 
Yes, there is.


-- 
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, 
that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Jonathan Swift.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33161

On 9/8/21 3:01 am, Jim Jackson wrote:
> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>
>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>
>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>> mention. Why not?
>>
>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
> 
> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.

I'm surprised that anyone would use any version other than mint. It 
saves a lot of time.... brilliant...
Most of the popular programs such as filezilla or KolourPaint install an 
icon in the main menu but the majority do not....and invariably, typing 
their name in terminal does not open t open thehinghem. There is no 
advice as to how it should be done.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33163

On 06/09/2021 12.32, Jane wrote:
> On 9/8/21 3:01 am, Jim Jackson wrote:
>> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>>
>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>>
>>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>>> mention. Why not?
>>>
>>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
>>
>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
>> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.
> 
> I'm surprised that anyone would use any version other than mint. It
> saves a lot of time.... brilliant...
> Most of the popular programs such as filezilla or KolourPaint install an
> icon in the main menu but the majority do not....and invariably, typing
> their name in terminal does not open t open thehinghem. There is no
> advice as to how it should be done.

That is not privative to Mint.


-- 
Cheers,
       Carlos E.R.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33167

On 06/09/2021 11:46, Carlos E. R. wrote:
> On 06/09/2021 12.32, Jane wrote:
>> On 9/8/21 3:01 am, Jim Jackson wrote:
>>> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>>>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>>>
>>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>>>
>>>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>>>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>>>> mention. Why not?
>>>>
>>>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
>>>
>>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
>>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
>>> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.
>>
>> I'm surprised that anyone would use any version other than mint. It
>> saves a lot of time.... brilliant...
>> Most of the popular programs such as filezilla or KolourPaint install an
>> icon in the main menu but the majority do not....and invariably, typing
>> their name in terminal does not open t open thehinghem. There is no
>> advice as to how it should be done.
> 
> That is not privative to Mint.
> 
> 
English not your first language?  I think we would say 'particular to' 
or 'only restricted to' ...

Which is a pity. Privative is a neat way to say it if it was an english word


-- 
"The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll 
look exactly the same afterwards."

Billy Connolly

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33166

On 06/09/2021 11:32, Jane wrote:
> On 9/8/21 3:01 am, Jim Jackson wrote:
>> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>>
>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>>
>>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>>> mention. Why not?
>>>
>>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
>>
>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
>> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.
> 
> I'm surprised that anyone would use any version other than mint. It 
> saves a lot of time.... brilliant...
> Most of the popular programs such as filezilla or KolourPaint install an 
> icon in the main menu but the majority do not....and invariably, typing 
> their name in terminal does not open t open thehinghem. There is no 
> advice as to how it should be done.
> 
> 
MOST menu items cam be right clicked for  an 'add to panel' or add to 
desktop' icon to be created in MATE at least.

But I query your 'majority do not': Essentially programs that are 
maintained by MINT will install as expected - its the ones that 'work' 
but are not 'integrated' that cause issues.

There you need to find out what command DOES start the code and make 
your own desktop icon or menu entry or panel entry

Finding the command is down to various techniques.
dpkg -L PACKAGENAME
will list the files in a PACKAGE. One of them should be the main executable.

For instance. Or sometimes a quick google reveals what te designer chose 
to call the main program
> 


-- 
There is nothing a fleet of dispatchable nuclear power plants cannot do 
that cannot be done worse and more expensively and with higher carbon 
emissions and more adverse environmental impact by adding intermittent 
renewable energy.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#33174

Jane <jane@home.com> writes:

> On 9/8/21 3:01 am, Jim Jackson wrote:
>> On 2021-08-06, Jane <J@home.com> wrote:
>>> I'm not actually a beginner but I'm sure plenty who are have come across
>>> this problem many times...and I cannot find an explanation anywhere.
>>>
>>> After installing packages with software manager, some open up
>>> immediately, others are accompanied by an icon but many just seem to
>>> disappear. They are installed but there appears to be no way to run
>>> them. I have tried terminal and package manager to no avail.
>>>
>>> One would think that such an elementary operation would be one of the
>>> first things that would be explained but it never seems to get a
>>> mention. Why not?
>>>
>>> I'm using Mint 19 and 20.1 at present.
>>
>> Don't you have some sort of applications/software menu system in mint?
>> If so after an application gets installed, then it will insert an entry
>> in that menu. Often there is entry in a task bar to bring up this menu.
>
> I'm surprised that anyone would use any version other than mint. It
> saves a lot of time.... brilliant...
> Most of the popular programs such as filezilla or KolourPaint install
> an icon in the main menu but the majority do not....and invariably,
> typing their name in terminal does not open t open thehinghem. There
> is no advice as to how it should be done.

You can click the LM button and then use the search box. That will find
some things. For the rest, you tend to have to query the package manager
to see what files were installed by a given package.

Search for a package:

dpkg-query -l thunderbird

That tells me that the package name is indeed "thunderbird" and that
it's installed.

Then see what files it installed:

dpkg-query -L thunderbird

From that I can see the binary is:

/usr/bin/thunderbird


I would then type "thunderbird" at a shell prompt to run it.


There are other ways to get this info, but this is how I'd do it.

BTW, you can also do this to look for a package:

apt-cache search thunderbird



There are GUI ways to look for package names as well IIRC.

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | comp.os.linux.misc

csiph-web