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**Cobolt** · May 02, 2009, 12:43 AM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

I felt the same way when I started using Linux.

1) I find it hard to believe that nothing happens when you enter a command. Note that not all commands return a reply.

2) Kubuntu also has a great desktop environment. I was frustrated at first with Linux's obsession with the terminal. Writing GUI (Graphical user interface) for these small programs is quite easy and I think everything in the terminal could be replaced by GUI quite easily. What I realized was, the terminal is used because it's actually much more efficient and easy.
What you need to do, is stop being scared of the terminal and just start learning. Here is a good tutorial on using the terminal: http://linux.org.mt/article/terminal. Just think of the terminal as a different way of interacting with a computer, see if you can do basic file operations with the terminal and then use some of the common command line programs.

3) Right click on the desktop > Appearance Settings. Make sure the Wallpaper Type is set to image and then select an image from the drop down or use the folder icon to browse.

I'm not a linux expert at all and some might disagree with my opinions, but I hope I helped you

**cleb** · May 02, 2009, 03:50 AM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

In all my answers, I am going to assume that you have the newest Kubuntu (Jaunty), as in wersions older than intrepid some things may be different.

2) (K)ubuntu is no longer obsessed with terminal. You CAN use it if you want to, but you do not even have to know it exists. What was "my documents" in windows, is the home directory in kubuntu. You get there easily, just open Dolphin (the default file browser). Your home directory is the default directory where it starts, and that is where you should be saving your documents. What did you use to navigate anyway?

To installing software - if you do not want to install from the command line, open the "adept manager". It is a graphical tool for installing software. Avoid installing software the windows way (by downloading an installer). You will only mess up your system this way.

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 08:22 AM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Originally posted by cleb

In all my answers, I am going to assume that you have the newest Kubuntu (Jaunty), as in wersions older than intrepid some things may be different.

2) (K)ubuntu is no longer obsessed with terminal. You CAN use it if you want to, but you do not even have to know it exists. What was "my documents" in windows, is the home directory in kubuntu. You get there easily, just open Dolphin (the default file browser). Your home directory is the default directory where it starts, and that is where you should be saving your documents. What did you use to navigate anyway?

To installing software - if you do not want to install from the command line, open the "adept manager". It is a graphical tool for installing software. Avoid installing software the windows way (by downloading an installer). You will only mess up your system this way.

Yea I'm pretty sure I mentioned that I am using the most recent version of Kubuntu (Jaunty), sorry if I didn't mention it earlier.

I'm not sure if it's something wrong with my install or something but I don't seem to have ANY sort of program manager that people are mentioning. Someone mentioned Synaptic in another thread of mine, and you are mentioning adept.....did a quick search and I cannot find either of these, does it mean I do not have them installed?

And another question is when people give instructions to navigate to a directory, for example, they'll say SYSTEM> Administration > .... but I don't have that Administration folder or something, is it because my menu is a bit different? With Windows there was at least just one start button, and you could say Start > Programs > Accessories, etc.

*EDIT* OK So I changed my menu style from what it was at before (Kjump i think its called?) to the classic menu, and this is definitely alot easier to browse now. So that clears up one of my concerns. Also, maybe I didnt clarify what I meant by #2. I want to know if there is any way to have icons on the main screen, similar to my documents and my computer, which I can click to access the home directory. Maybe just an icon for the Dolphin file manager?

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 09:17 AM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

So unless I'm a complete idiot, Kubuntu (Jaunty) doesn't even USE Adept anymore. Its KPackageKit as the default program manager now.

Anyways I was using ALT+F2 to try and run the commands, not going directly through the konsole. I opened up the console and tried to do a few things (sudo apt-get adept, sudo aptitude install adept, basically some of the commands found Here . According to http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1043465 that link, they arent supporting Adept past the 9.0 versions?

I will experiment a bit more with the konsole to try and install the programs I need, and post back.

**doctordruidphd** · May 02, 2009, 09:22 AM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

To add an icon for dolphin to your desktop, which should default to your home directory without any further adjustment: (I don't think this will work from the "classic style"menu; you need to switch for the moment to "kickoff" style.) Left click on the kicker (the icon in the panel that opens the menu), left click "Applications", then left click on "System", then right click on "File Manager - Dolphin" and choose "add to desktop".

Dolphin might also be listed under "favorites", in which case you can do the right-click and add to desktop from there.

You can also add icons for any other installed program to your desktop or launcher panel in this way. If you are using "kickoff style", you can find applications using the search box and add them to your desktop with the right click.

Sorry, I am really not all that familiar with the "classic style" menu and its fine points. One thing to watch out for in the kickoff style menus is that software is generally listed by its description and not by its name on the first line, so you may have to look carefully to find some of them. Dolphin is listed as "File Manager", and its name is reduced to a subtitle.

System settings might also be under favorites; if not, it's under computer (the icons along the bottom in kickoff style), then system settings. That is the system administration folder in kubuntu; references to System>Administration are for the gnome desktop in ubuntu.

The Synaptic package manager is located (again using kickoff style) under Applications>System>Package Manager Synaptic. Personally I prefer synaptic to kpackagekit, but kpackagekit is the "official" (I suppose) software installation and removal tool for kubuntu. You will also read about apt-get, aptitude, and dpkg, which are command line utilities also used for installing and removing software. You can and should learn about them eventually, as they have more flexibility than the graphical tools, but you don't need to learn everything on your first day with it (in my opinion).

Additional:
I don't think you will be able to run any gui tools with the ctrl-alt-f1 option; the whole point of that is to bypass X in order to fix your system, or run things that make changes to X itself. If you want to start a gui tool from the command line, you will have to do it either through console, or by hitting ALT-F2 to bring up the runner.

While we're at it, another trick for former windows users is CTRL-ESC
That bring up the equivalent of the task manager.

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 02:01 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Hey dr.druidph thanks for the post. I navigated to the directory that SHOULD contain Synaptic but it does not have it. I downloaded just the normal install of the Kubuntu install when I installed it, so maybe it was just the base install? Might not include some programs or something.

Anyways I am trying to find a good program manager, and once I get that I can use ndiswrapper to install the windows version of the driver for my wireless network card, and THEN use wicd to connect...I've got my work cut out for me! And I thought linux was supposed to be simpler than windows X_X

**GilGib** · May 02, 2009, 02:36 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

If you want folders , example Music , Documents on the desktop open Dolphin and drag them to the Desktop and the select copy link here( similar to Shortcuts)

**sbicknel** · May 02, 2009, 03:41 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

I don't know where you would get the idea that Linux is simpler than Windows. If Windows is all you have ever used, Linux will seem hard. It was for me when I switched from Windows 2000 in 2001, but when returning to Windows after long absences and trying to do simple things, Windows seems hard. The difference is not simple vs complex, or easy vs hard; it is familiar vs unfamiliar.

It sounds like you could use a good, basic guide to the file system and basic system tools, and maybe an introduction to the most popular alternatives to Windows programs. The first place to start is the Kubuntu documentation in your system help. Most of your questions are answered there.

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 03:46 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Originally posted by sbicknel

I don't know where you would get the idea that Linux is simpler than Windows. If Windows is all you have ever used, Linux will seem hard. It was for me when I switched from Windows 2000 in 2001, but when returning to Windows after long absences and trying to do simple things, Windows seems hard. The difference is not simple vs complex, or easy vs hard; it is familiar vs unfamiliar.

It sounds like you could use a good, basic guide to the file system and basic system tools, and maybe an introduction to the most popular alternatives to Windows programs. The first place to start is the Kubuntu documentation in your system help. Most of your questions are answered there.

Absolutely. Think I'll read through a few guides, but I'm a hands-on person so I learn from doing moreso than reading. And I mean to say that windows IS simple in the sense that you double-click and it installs the program....no need to unzip, compile, do all that stuff. Guess you're right, linux just takes alot of getting used to. By no means will it replace Windows right now, but maybe one day I'll look back with disgust at Windows.

**dibl** · May 02, 2009, 03:52 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

I'm a "learn-by-doing" type myself.

Welcome!

Take a look at the "Top 20 FAQs" in my signature -- they might save you some do-overs.

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 04:14 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Originally posted by dibl

I'm a "learn-by-doing" type myself.

Welcome!

Take a look at the "Top 20 FAQs" in my signature -- they might save you some do-overs.

Oh wow THANKS! I was just about to spam up this thread asking about 19 of those 20 questions....

Although there is one question which I could use help with, and once I get this going I think I should be good......could anyone explain to me how to install a package manager, other than the KPackageKit thing that is there by default? I don't seem to have Synaptic Adept or any other package manager installed already.

**dibl** · May 02, 2009, 04:24 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Sure. Open the Konsole window (KMenu > System > Konsole) and type

Code:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install synaptic

**doctordruidphd** · May 02, 2009, 04:39 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Most programs go in /usr/bin. System management programs (like synaptic) often go in /usr/sbin.

You can install the synaptic package manager with this from the konsole:

sudo apt-get install synaptic

After that's finished, you should be able to find it in the kickoff menu as described in my last post.

You can also run it from the konsole with:

sudo synaptic

P.S. The "sudo" you see prefacing many commands gives you "root" privileges, which allow you to modify critical parts of the system. Ordinarily you don't need or want to use it, but to install or remove software, you have to.

PPS: I have been using unix/linux for a long time, and windows too. Windows is neither better nor worse than linux; it is a different environment, with a different philosophy behind it, the usefulness of which parallels linux in many ways. There are many things both can do, and some things one can do better than the other. They are different systems, and they work in different ways. Takes a while to get used to it.

**kanwar07** · May 02, 2009, 06:23 PM

Re: Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Originally posted by doctordruidphd

Most programs go in /usr/bin. System management programs (like synaptic) often go in /usr/sbin.

You can install the synaptic package manager with this from the konsole:

sudo apt-get install synaptic

After that's finished, you should be able to find it in the kickoff menu as described in my last post.

You can also run it from the konsole with:

sudo synaptic

P.S. The "sudo" you see prefacing many commands gives you "root" privileges, which allow you to modify critical parts of the system. Ordinarily you don't need or want to use it, but to install or remove software, you have to.

PPS: I have been using unix/linux for a long time, and windows too. Windows is neither better nor worse than linux; it is a different environment, with a different philosophy behind it, the usefulness of which parallels linux in many ways. There are many things both can do, and some things one can do better than the other. They are different systems, and they work in different ways. Takes a while to get used to it.

Thank you for that explanation, and I wholeheartedly agree with your PPS note. I apologize if I've somehow turned this into a *buntu vs. windows thread

OK So that top 25 FAQ thread was great because it linked directly to a post about my SPECIFIC wireless card, but I have a noobish question....

So I download a package over the net in windows, put it on a pen drive, xfer it to my laptop, but then what do i do with it? http://davidwatson.org/2007/05/broadcom-4306-on-feisty-fawn.html]This link[/url] lists the command sudo bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware ~/Desktop/bcmwl5.sys to install the driver for my wireless card, but I opened Konsole and tried it and it didnt work? Where should I put files when I xfer them between computers so as to be able to easily access them when I need to extract/compile/otherwise work with them?

Also another question....once I unzip a file (graphically or otherwise) what do I DO with it? In Windows I would look for a .EXE file but I know Kubuntu doesnt seem to have anything like that....I've read the README's but they assume the person knows how to work with the files....so how can I work with the stuff I've downloaded and unzipped?

And one last question while I can think of it......When do I use the ALT + F2 Command to execute commands? I think earlier I mentioned that I type a command and nothing happens, that is the case when I use the Alt+F2 command, not when I open up konsole. I have run a few commands in Konsole successfully.

I hope to get my internet on my laptop working tonight so that the next time I post, I will be using Konqueror and not Firefox on my Windows machine

*EDIT* Trying to install synaptic through the Konsole lead to the following message:
Package synaptic is not available, but is referred to by another package. This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or is only available from another source. E: Package synaptic has no installation candidate

That is the end message. The first part, after typing sudo apt-get install synaptic said:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done

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Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

Some General ?'s about Kubuntu

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