Confused by Adept in 8.10

[Cinema_Scope]

In Kubuntu 8.4 I was able to use Adept ok -- display available packages in the repo and mark those I wanted to install. I've just installed Kubuntu 8.10 and apart from the alienation of KDE 4.1 generally, Adept is a total mystery to me now! I can't install anything because I don't even know how to display the list. This must be the stupidest question in a long time but can someone help please?
Many thanks.

[dibl]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

No, it's not a stupid question. I don't understand what they were thinking with this new Adept Manager -- they have succeeding in turning a simple display of available packages into a mystery.

If you click the "Search" icon on the left, and then highlight some combination of the little icons on the "State" line of the resulting middle window (they look like little squares and triangles) eventually you will hit upon the combination that displays all packages. If you're persistent about it.

[aged hippy]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

Another route is to type synaptic (another package manager) into the Adept <search> bar, and tell it to install it.

It is - in my opinion - far superior in Intrepid to Adept.

[Rog131]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

About package managers (Adept is the default but you don't have to use it )

> FAQ: Package Managers

[Cinema_Scope]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

Thanks for replying so quickly.

I've tried various combinations of toggling the small icons and the only items I can list are those which are already installed (every item showsn is marked as "installed"), I can't find a combination which shows a huge list of thousands if uninstalled packages.

I tried typing the name of a package into the search field box but I can't get it to work (after you type the word, what do you do? Press enter key?).

[Cinema_Scope]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

I tried again today using various combinations of activating/deactivating the small icons and found that I can now get a list of uninstalled software (by greying out the middle green square icon next to "state") -- but, it's a small list. The list does not include obvious things like Firefox (i'm using Konqueror to post this message because I still can't download any software) nor does it include Synaptic (so I can stop using this awful version of Adept!). Am I the only newbie to not understand how to do this...I can't really do anything without software, can someone help?
Thanks.

[dibl]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

Open KMenu>System>Konsole and enter

sudo apt-get install synaptic

Assuming you have the default sources enabled, this will install synaptic. Then if you open synaptic, you will see all the available packages, both installed and not.

[aged hippy]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

In a console type: sudo apt-get install synaptic

That will install it for you. It will appear on the <System> menu (i think).


Beaten to it again by dibl !!!

[Cinema_Scope]

Re: Confused by Adept in 8.10

Thank you both (and the others) -- I downloaded Synaptic using the Konsole (the first time I've done that!) and in that way I've downloaded Firefox etc.

Many thanks for your help; great forum support.