Install instructions don't work

[bthomson]

I'm a complete newbie to Linux but have some experience with DOS from back in the 90's. I have an Asus EEE PC 4G 701 with Xandros that I bought partly to learn Linux (and get Microsoft out of my life) and partly to use while travelling.

I've followed the instructions in the posting "How to Install Software" and have reached a point where I can't proceed because my computer and software didn't react the way the FAQ said they would.

I've downloaded and (I think) decompressed gnucash-2.2.5.tar.bz2 in the /usr/local/src directory. However this resulted in a file there called gnucash-2.2.5.tar, not a new directory as your step by step instructions indicate.

Looking at this file in my "File Manager", it appears to be an archive file that I can see sub-directories in from File Manager. However, that doesn't help me actually get the files out of the archive and apply the configure, compile and install commands to them. And I can't find any reference anywhere to do this.

I very much appreciate Jason Lambert and TechieMoe having prepared these instructions on installation, but I'm afraid I'm on the verge of coming to the conclusion that Linux is only for people who have hours (or days) of "spare" time to diddle about trying thousands of different combinations of command line exercises in a jumble of sub-sub-sub... directories and with an interface that doesn't even facilitate cutting and pasting text, much less moving in a tree structure without command line requests.

If anyone has any suggestions about how to find a FAQ written in the kind of simple language and steps used there that can get me started and refer me to options when there are deviations from some "standard" responses, I would be very grateful.

Regards

Bob Thomson
Ottawa Canada

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

I would suggest you to install Packages through Package Manager only.
If your machine has internet access then execute this in Terminal/Konsole :

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnucash

In case your machine doesn't have internet access then right click on gnucash-2.2.5.tar and select Extract here. Follow instructions given in README or INSTALL files.

[bthomson]

>In case your machine doesn't have internet access then right click on gnucash-2.2.5.tar and select Extract here. Follow instructions given in README or INSTALL files.

Thanks. I was able to do this. However, I don't have "authority" to install them to the /usr/local/src directory. Something to do with "root" I think. I guess I don't have root status while using the file manager.

I did get them installed to the SC card directory however. But I get a "permission denied" error when I type "./configure" in the memory card directory.

Bob

[Dapper Dan]

Hi Bob. Coming to you from my EEE PC while on vaction. Put a 'sudo' in front of those commands, without the quotes of course. I just installed gnucash in about three minutes but that's only because I know what to do. You will too if you stay with it. It requires the same patience as you had the first time you tried installing a .zip file in Windows.

Gucash isn't in the stock EEE PC sources list so we have to edit it to put the right sources there... Open a terminal and do:

sudo kate /etc/apt/sources.list

Copy and paste this below what is already there...

# regular updates for etch
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free

Save and close kate. Then:

sudo apt-get update

After it finishes:

sudo apt-get install gnucash

After it installs do:

gnucash

...and press enter.

[bthomson]

Many many thanks.

It installed. But I don't know where so I can create a bookmark/shortcut.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to install the Windows version (or create a Linux partition on my Laptop) and hope I can sync the data files.

Bob

[Dapper Dan]

Glad you got it working! I would simply use a USB stick to install your data files on fat32, (read and writable in Linux and Windows). That way, you can use it to run Gnucash in both. Frankly, i didn't know Gucash was making a Windows version now!

The EEE PC has its own icons for its applications and utilities. There must be a way to include a GnuCash icon there but I don't know how. It's real easy to do: Ctrl-Alt-t to bring up a terminal, type in "gnucash" and press enter.

If you have to have a link, go to 'Work" - File Manager" - "File" (top left) - "Create Symbolic Link" name it "GnuCash" and make it's path to /usr/bin/gnucash. You'll have to open the File Manager every time to click on the icon though.

My feeling behind the EEE PC's philosophy is, "Here it is! What you see is what you get! If you want anything more, you're pretty much on your own!" I think that's a fair enough trade-off for a nifty little device that gets 60 miles to the gallon...

EDIT: By the way, (if you used apt-get to install), before doing any updating or upgrading, I'd go back into your /etc/apt/sources.list repositories I had you add. Just open it in kate again, make that part look like this...

# regular updates for etch
# deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free

...save and exit. There's that chance that adding those sources could create problems for the EEE PC if they aren't commented out before updating.

[bthomson]

I did add the hashes to comment out those 3 lines but I get the message "The document could not be saved... Check that you have write access to this file or that enough disk space is available."

How do I get write access? I've had similar problems in accessing some directories or copying files. I've no password on the computer. I assume this has something to do with users vs overall control, which I should have since I'm the only user of the machine.

Bob

[Dapper Dan]

You have to put sudo in front of the command. Did you open it with:

sudo kate /etc/apt/sources.list

? If not, it's not going to let you save it after commenting out those lines.

[bthomson]

Thanks. I had opened it using the file manager editor (right clicking the file in file manager) and I guess that's either a different editor from kate or doesn't have the "authority" that "sudo" gives.

A neighbour has loaned me "Linux for Dummies" so I'm going to spend some time reading before trying much more and taking up people's time with newbie questions.

Bob

[Dapper Dan]

A neighbour has loaned me "Linux for Dummies" so I'm going to spend some time reading before trying much more and taking up people's time with newbie questions.

I've read it and you'll learn a lot more here. Besides, we're always willing to help. All you have to do is ask.