the bothersome thing about linux
I want to install audacity so that I can record sounds and things.
Now this needs wxSomething 2.4 which is the old version that isn't on the site anymore. Well I find an rpm by googling around for a while.
now, the command for installing this rpm produces about two screenfuls of failed dependencies.
Now, I look for package management system called synaptic which - guess what - depends on some of the same packages as does Audacity.
Gaah! What can I do!?
Now this needs wxSomething 2.4 which is the old version that isn't on the site anymore. Well I find an rpm by googling around for a while.
now, the command for installing this rpm produces about two screenfuls of failed dependencies.
Now, I look for package management system called synaptic which - guess what - depends on some of the same packages as does Audacity.
Gaah! What can I do!?
Post edited by wilsonsamm on
Comments
what distro are you using? is the Audacity package on the Install CDs/website
The vast majority of Linux distros use software repositories instead of standalone packages (the standalone packages exist, but they are all designed to exist as part of a repository - they aren't designed to be installed like you install stuff on Windows, as you have discovered). Installing a repository on any modern Linux distro is easy, it's often just a matter on clicking on a link in the web browser, and choosing the action to install the repo.
If you're using Fedora, the best way of getting many third party media applications is to add the Livna repository. Just go to http://rpm.livna.org and click on the link that installs the repo. Then all the multimedia applications simply show up under Applications -> Install Software, and you can just search for them and click on the appropriate check box. This will cause the package and all its dependencies to automatically get downloaded and installed. It will also mean that those packages get updated as part of the normal security/bugfix updates. (Or, if you prefer the command line, just 'yum install audacity').
If you're using Ubuntu, it has a similar system of just being able to add software repositories and choose the app from the GUI installer. I'm not familiar with Ubuntu, though. However, I do know that many repositories of various categories of software also exist for Ubuntu as they do for Fedora and RedHat.
For the few applications for Linux that aren't in any repository, there is something called Autopackage, which resembles the typical Windows style installer (except that it has the ability to automatically resolve dependencies, so the package doesn't have to contain the kitchen sink).
All I did was go to Applications, then Add/Remove, then I typed Audacity, the program did its dirty deeds and told me it was ready to install. I then clicked OK and it asked for my password. When I gave it and hit ENTER once again, it downloaded something like 8 files, then opened a Terminal window (I instructed it to show all details), and then it said Installed.
Other than running Audacity I didn't test, but it DID run.
Cheers 4 me!
As with any other technology or skill, it's something you need to learn. It's not a Fisher-Price, hold-your-hand, I-see-you're-typing-do-you-want-to-write-a-letter type technology.
I use Unix/Linux everyday.... they are well established, reliable software technologies and they just-work. Windows on the other hand, and most recently 98/2000/XP has been responsible, IMO, for a massive dumbing down of the general IT user.
10 years ago no-one would have a proble finding a file on their filesystem... and they would know what a A: C: or network drive was. These days unless the user has a file or icon on their desktop... or their work is somewhere other than 'My Documents', they're completely flummoxed.
I'll sum up the way things are going with recent Windows/OS X users with this one point:
Where would you type a web address in your browser if you wanted to go to a website?
A rather alarming percentage of users that I see enter web addresses into the Google 'search' box (or Yahoo, depending on which site they have set as their homepage). This percentage is ever increasing.
This convention of just wanting to do something, not understanding how the thing works underneath, is also something I see spreading through IT developers - it's more and more high level and people are not bothered about understanding the fundamentals of how things work; without which you have no high-level development languages, operating systems or web browsers!
Argh! It does my nut in! :lol:
can anyone suggest some handy repositories ('specially for finding audacity and so on) to ?put in??
Surely YM Linux Is Not UniX. :D
misteaksmistrakesmisyaleserrurs— oh, sod it.Agreed!
But I'd rather ask for DOS back than LINSUCKS ... (erm ... lame enough?)
*ahem*
Just remember the classic IQ test question:
:lol:
If you prefer to have full control of your operating system, that's fine and Linux will give you that. But moaning about other people who use computers in a less intelligent way than you is just pure elitist.
For the everday tasks non technical users do, Linux works absolutely fine. Remember - these people wouldn't be able to install Windows either - it's just that Windows usually comes pre-installed, and that's why they can use it. If you provide Linux pre-installed with all the usual apps, it's not a problem for them either (indeed, less of a problem because they don't wind up with spyware)
Unless it's Airwolf.