[KDE] How to install a downloaded .deb or .gz file?

[RLynwood]

I have a couple of extensions that come via a .deb (one) and a .gz (the other) file that have to be installed. The only tool it looks appropriate is QApt Package Intaller, but when I try to use it, I get a pop-up window that says "Status: All dependencies are satisfied", gives the files included. It all looks perfect. But when I click "Install Package," I get--nothing; nothing happens. What's wrong?

[jlittle]

That term "extensions"; forgive me for perhaps not being helpful, I'm curious as to what is being extended. (I started typing a reply about unpacking a tar.gz with ark, then realised my reply might be irrelevant.)

[RLynwood]

Howdy-do, JLittle. I am using the "extensions's" own name. The first one is the browser extension for a video downloader; this always has worked fine before in Linux Mint in both Firefox and Brave and I belive in Kub also (but that's been quite a while; that's what I'm trying to get back). The second one is the Brother printer ? installer <linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.3-1.gz>.

[jlittle]

I can't help with the browser extension.

The printer installer is a gzipped bash script, just one file. Much simpler than some softwares. (Some have installation of involved build systems.)

You should absolutely trust the script and its provenance; it can do anything to your system. A backup before running it would be wise.

In a konsole, cd to the directory where the gz is, and

gunzip linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.3-1.gz
sudo bash linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.3-1

[RLynwood]

"You should absolutely trust the script and its provenance; it can do anything to your system. A backup before running it would be wise."
Your advice sounds ominous. By I should absolutely trust the script and its provenance, do you mean that I should trust that it will cause havoc? What would you most expect to go wrong?
What should I back up, the whole installation? I haven't gotten that established yet; I don't know where to back it up to; I'm using the flash drive installation. A little more explanation, please.

[jlittle]

Well, I meant you'd want to be sure that you got the file from a legitimate Brother site (that is, check the location bar carefully), and that you trust the Brother company. A way malware often gets spread is by people searching for some driver and finding what looks like what they want, but has in fact got malware in it. I say you're trusting the Brother company because some large companies have indeed put out malware. (Sony springs to mind, and I heard a claim recently that Microsoft is such a company, in that Windows behaves more and more like malware.)

I haven't gotten that established yet

If you can't change your password with the normal mechanisms, something seems badly wrong, and you may want to start again.

[RLynwood]

Thanks for that explanation. I believe I used the legitimate Brother site. It looks and acts like what I've seen before. Alternatively, however, do you have a better way of solving my problem?

I believe I have changed my password. I'll know for sure the next time I have to enter it. See my solved note. As I said there, I'm embarrassed that I hadn't found it.

[arsivci]

For the browser extension, it should be automatic: Go to add-ons and themes > extensions. Find the extension you want, click install. Extensions can also be installed from a file (your case; but how or why you had to choose that method, I do not know). From the same place you click manage your extensions (the gear) -> install add-on from file. Find the file and select it.

[RLynwood]

The browser extension isn't in my listed extensions. It has to be installed via the downloaded .deb file, apparently because of its not being a supported extension, though it's extremely popular and commonly used. Thanks for that second instruction. I didn't know about that avenue. But that simply invokes the same installation app, QApt Package Installer, that I tried to use to begin with. It doesn't work. When I click it, nothing happens. It seems to be looking for something or trying to do something, but then it stops and nothing more happens. I repeat the attempt to install it and again nothing happens, this time without any delay. And I see no popup window asking for a password. Everything about the Installer looks fine, no problem, but it doesn't work. That's why I posted this request for help. I explained all of this in my initial post. Thanks for you effort and consideration, though. Any troubleshooting suggestions?

[claydoh]

I have a couple of extensions that come via a .deb (one) and a .gz (the other) file that have to be installed.

It might help to specify what these 'extensions' are, with links, perhaps.

A browser extension wouldn't normally be installed vis a deb file, since a deb file is only useful on Debian/ubuntu systems, and browser extensions work specifically on the browser it is designed for, the OS does not matter.

So more specifics will definitely be useful. so we can see what you see.

[RLynwood]

My 1:37 p.m. yesterday post partially answered this. The .deb file is the one to the video downloader extension, even though it's not a Debian-based extension. See that post for more.
The .gz file is the one for (re)installing the printer driver. This one I don't know how to use. When I right-click it, the only options are "Open with Ark" or "Open with ...". If I Open with Ark, it asks where I want to Extract it to, and I don't know what to do with that. I believe this is my problem, where I'm stuck.

[Snowhog]

I Open with Ark, it asks where I want to Extract it to, and I don't know what to do with that.

The file is/should be in your Downloads folder, so tell Ark to extract it there.

[RLynwood]

I did; that didn't install it. It just asked me what I want to open it with. I chose the default, Kate. That opened a very long page of information, legal talk, and code, none of which I know what to do with, and none of which installs the driver. The file is labeled an installer, but it doesn't install anything. No other entry in the context menu seems to have anything to do with installing the driver.

In the past, right-clicking on a .deb file has given an installation option, which, when clicked, simply installed the what-ever-it-was.

[Schwarzer Kater]

You have already opened the file from Brother with Kate - is the first line #! /bin/bash ?
If this is the case and it is like the other Brother printer installers I know, then the installer is a shell script.

You will have to open Konsole, go to the folder you extracted the file with Ark to (e.g. cd ~/Downloads) and run it with sudo ./linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.3-1 - or whatever the name of the file is.

And make sure it is executable before. You can do this in Dolphin (right-click on the file and choose Properties -> Permissions -> enable Is executable -> choose OK) or in Konsole with chmod +x linux-brprinter-installer-2.2.3-1 - if this is the name.

I recommend additionally reading the instructions on the Brother website first.

[claydoh]

My 1:37 p.m. yesterday post partially answered this. The .deb file is the one to the video downloader extension, even though it's not a Debian-based extension. See that post for more.
The .gz file is the one for (re)installing the printer driver. This one I don't know how to use. When I right-click it, the only options are "Open with Ark" or "Open with ...". If I Open with Ark, it asks where I want to Extract it to, and I don't know what to do with that. I believe this is my problem, where I'm stuck.

But.....what specific file(s) downloaded from where?
We can give better information if we know exactly what the thing is, so we can maybe look at it ourselves, along with you. To give more specific help. Find specific instuctions
Maybe what you downloaded is outdated, or something. Maybe there is a better option, a newer, or more appropriate file?

We can always give vague, general suggestions or steps, but there would be a LOT less confusion and irrelevant, distracting stuff if we have more to go with.