RESOLVED Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

[Shabakthanai]

Kubuntu 11.04
KDE 4.6.5
Synaptic Package Manager 0.70

If I open Synaptic from the Applications Menu, it opens providing the option to type in a password to receive superuser privileges.

If I click on a link on an Internet site which enables the download and installation of a package, Synaptic opens with the following warning:

Starting without administrative privileges

You will not be able to apply any changes. But you can still export the marked changes or create a download script for them.

Since the option to type in a password was not offered, I am unable to install the package. (in this case the application is 'Facebook's Zynga Texas Holdum package', Adobe Flash Plugin). The option 'Open with' is not available either, when attempting the Internet plugin download.

Alt+F2>kdesudo synaptic>opens Synaptic Package Manager with superuser privileges, however, the 'properties' option is greyed out and I am unable to change permissions. I am the only owner/administrator/user of my computer.

I have been unable to find a command line instruction to change the permissions; I am new to command line procedures and sought newbie instruction, but the data I have found does not explain the change of permissions. I am familiar how to change permissions using the GUI, however in this instance, with the 'properties' option greyed out, I am stumped at what to do.

I suspect this is the 'chown' command, however I need a bit of help in making the proper command. How do I change permissions to user steven in Synaptic Package Manager? Would this eliminate the requirement to type in a password when installing applications using Synaptic, when logged in as steven? That would be desirable too.

Thanks for any help you may provide. I am aware of the dangers of having the package manager in superuser status and am not concerned for the dangers. I do not open the application without the need to make changes.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

First thing to check:

system settings > File Associations > x-deb

See if that is set to synaptic. If it is, and you want to use synaptic for this purpose, then you would edit the synaptic entry in the Application Preference Order, changing form "synaptic" to "kdesudo synaptic".

I think the problem here is that kubuntu has switched to muon, so you might want to try muon for that purpose instead of synaptic. Another alternative is to install the apturl package, but I'm not sure off the top of my head how to configure it for this purpose -- should be do-able, but it will need to run in a terminal as it's a cli program and will need your password. (maybe xterm sudo apturl would work?)

[Shabakthanai]

Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

First thing to check:

system settings > File Associations > x-deb

See if that is set to synaptic. If it is, and you want to use synaptic for this purpose, then you would edit the synaptic entry in the Application Preference Order, changing form "synaptic" to "kdesudo synaptic".

I found 'x-deb' under 'application, however when I click on it, the included entries are GDebi Package Installer, KpackageKit and Ark. There is no mention of Synaptic or Muon. Could I add Synaptic and move it to the top in order of 'Preference', and should I type in 'Synaptic' or 'Synaptic Package Manager', or what, if that is the correct solution?

I think the problem here is that kubuntu has switched to muon, so you might want to try muon for that purpose instead of synaptic.

I don't recall if or when I made Synaptic my default Package Manager, but Synaptic opens by default when there is an automatic open of a package manager by the computer. I don't even remember where that choice may have been selected, do you? If Muon is the 'default' package manager for Natty, I would prefer to stay with Synaptic as default if this is possible. I am sure I did not do this cavalierly, if I made that choice. As I recall, I mostly like Muon.

If your further recommendation is to upgrade to Kubuntu 11.10, I ran it for several months. There were configuration changes made in the final entre of Ocelot that eliminated features that are important to me. After fighting with those changes and being unable to get anyone who could help me change them back, I decided to reinstall 11.04. When I did, I got those features back. I haven't noticed any lack of function by doing so. I will wait for your response before I attempt the following solution. Thanks, my friend, you seem to be saving me a lot, and with my graditude.

Another alternative is to install the apturl package, but I'm not sure off the top of my head how to configure it for this purpose -- should be do-able, but it will need to run in a terminal as it's a cli program and will need your password. (maybe xterm sudo apturl would work?)

I looked up 'apturl' in Synaptic and found that it is already installed as 'apturl-kde'. I entered Alt+F2>apturl-kde, and got an error message: Need a url to continue, exiting

Since the problem doesn't appear very often, I am unsure how to proceed. I also don't know what url to enter, because this happens at unexpected times. In the case of this post, it happened in a 'Facebook' application 'Zenga Texas Holdum', something I play for entertainment. Would the appropriate entry be the address line of the Browser at the time of a problem?

As I stated previously, I think I will await your response prior to continuing.

Thanks friend!

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

Is your system an upgrade from the ubuntu desktop? That might explain how synaptic got installed as default. If so, it's probably buried in gconf somewhere. I can't duplicate your issue here -- when I double click on a package in the dolphin fire manager, I get the qapt package installer, which is what is there in system settings - file associations. Same thing happens if I click on a package in firefox.

At this point I don't know why synaptic is opening for installing packages, if it's not the default application in systems settings > file associations > x-debi . It might be set up in your browser's "helper applications", if it has that kind of setup, so you might check that.
Until that issue is resolved, apturl probably won't work.

I did see something about a synaptic problem in the ubuntu forums, that it is not opening with the password dialog. That might be a bug that will eventually be fixed.

For your information:
apturl basically installs a package from a url. So when you click on a package name in your browser, if apturl is configured as the default application for packages, it should launch and install the package.

If you want to use apturl from a command line, it would need a url, such as:

sudo apturl http://www.website.xxx/downloads/junkpackage.deb

works similar to wget, except it installs packages rather than just downloading them.

FYI, I never install packages from within a browser -- my own security preferences, I guess. What I do is right click the package, download it, and then install if from the console with dpkg, after I have exited the browser.

sudo dpkg -i filename

[Shabakthanai]

Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

Is your system an upgrade from the ubuntu desktop? No. It is a fresh install of 11.04. I believe KpackageKit was the default package manager. I just can't remember, but I must have specified Synaptic after installation, and I can't remember what it was that made me do that. That might explain how synaptic got installed as default. If so, it's probably buried in gconf somewhere. I can't duplicate your issue here -- when I double click on a package in the dolphin fire manager, I get the qapt package installer, which is what is there in system settings - file associations. Same thing happens if I click on a package in firefox.

At this point I don't know why synaptic is opening for installing packages, if it's not the default application in systems settings > file associations > x-debi . It might be set up in your browser's "helper applications", if it has that kind of setup, so you might check that.
Until that issue is resolved, apturl probably won't work.

I did see something about a synaptic problem in the ubuntu forums, that it is not opening with the password dialog. That might be a bug that will eventually be fixed.

For your information:
apturl basically installs a package from a url. So when you click on a package name in your browser, if apturl is configured as the default application for packages, it should launch and install the package.

If you want to use apturl from a command line, it would need a url, such as:

sudo apturl http://www.website.xxx/downloads/junkpackage.deb

works similar to wget, except it installs packages rather than just downloading them.

FYI, I never install packages from within a browser -- my own security preferences, I guess. What I do is right click the package, download it, and then install if from the console with dpkg, after I have exited the browser.I clicked on the link in Facebook, selected the Adobe Flash download for Ubuntu 10.04+ and right-clicked on the selection. no save option was offered.

As I previously mentioned, is there a way to change the permissions in Synaptic to include my name with rwx abilities? Remember; when I attempted to do it using the GUI, 'properties' was greyed out, so that I was unable to change permissions as I normally do? Wouldn't that solve the problem with Internet downloads? I rarely download applications from the Internet, too. I ususally download and install them, once downloaded, by clicking on the application and choosing one of the application managers I have installed?

Thanks for your ongoing patience my friend.

sudo dpkg -i filename

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

.I clicked on the link in Facebook, selected the Adobe Flash download for Ubuntu 10.04+ and right-clicked on the selection. no save option was offered.

I don't/won't use facebook, so i can't duplicate the problem. Maybe someone else can check this. If you want to download adobe flash, you can try it directly from the adobe site, which might work more reliably. There is no way to tell what facebook might be doing or why it might not be working.

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Download the tar.gz, unpack it with tar -xvf filename where filename is the name of the downloaded file, and follow the installation instructions. I believe there is also and ubuntu package that does the same thing, not sure which one though.

As I previously mentioned, is there a way to change the permissions in Synaptic to include my name with rwx abilities? Remember; when I attempted to do it using the GUI, 'properties' was greyed out, so that I was unable to change permissions as I normally do? Wouldn't that solve the problem with Internet downloads? I rarely download applications from the Internet, too. I ususally download and install them, once downloaded, by clicking on the application and choosing one of the application managers I have installed?

No, you already have execution privileges for synaptic, and you can run it as a user, though it will pop up a dialog saying it is running in non-administrative mode. You have to run it with kdesudo to install and remove packages. This is probably why it isn't working from a web page click.

[Shabakthanai]

Abandoned Re: Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

The day this problem began, I installed an Adobe Flash update. Immediately, the flash plugin stopped working. That is why I believe the initial problem was caused by the update and not the affected site. The same applied to the Hulu and Crackle websites; prior to installation of the Flash update they worked fine; immediately thereafter they ceased to function.

.I clicked on the link in Facebook, selected the Adobe Flash download for Ubuntu 10.04+ and right-clicked on the selection. no save option was offered.

I don't/won't use facebook, so i can't duplicate the problem. Maybe someone else can check this. If you want to download adobe flash, you can try it directly from the adobe site, which might work more reliably. There is no way to tell what facebook might be doing or why it might not be working.

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Download the tar.gz, unpack it with tar -xvf filename where filename is the name of the downloaded file, and follow the installation instructions. I believe there is also and ubuntu package that does the same thing, not sure which one though.

As I previously mentioned, is there a way to change the permissions in Synaptic to include my name with rwx abilities? Remember; when I attempted to do it using the GUI, 'properties' was greyed out, so that I was unable to change permissions as I normally do? Wouldn't that solve the problem with Internet downloads? I rarely download applications from the Internet, too. I ususally download and install them, once downloaded, by clicking on the application and choosing one of the application managers I have installed?

No, you already have execution privileges for synaptic, and you can run it as a user, though it will pop up a dialog saying it is running in non-administrative mode. You have to run it with kdesudo to install and remove packages. This is probably why it isn't working from a web page click.

I was unable to download from the Adobe site. I tried the tar.gz and the Ubuntu download; both opened a screen that said the page does not exist. Guess I will have to re-install the OS. Thanks to all who help in this forum, especially you, Dr Druid, Phd.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Abandoned Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

You shouldn't have to do a reinstall. Do a search on the forum for flash player installation. There are several threads about it, and it can be fixed. I'm not the expert on it, though, others here are more knowledgeable about flash and how to fix its problems.

[Shabakthanai]

Re: Abandoned Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

I have not attempted to re-install yet. I will take your advice. I didn't see this as a Flash Problem; I saw it as a permissions issue with Synaptic. It would satisfy me if I could get my flash needs met, but It probably won't fix the Synaptic problem. Thanks for the reply. If it solves the problem, I will revive this post to add the fix for those who may be following.
Thanks, my friend, once more.

[Shabakthanai]

Resolved Default application manager does not open with sudo login option.

here is a solution for the problem provided by wizard10000 at http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...ic=3116486.new. It solves the flash problem, however I do not know if it solves the permissions problem and will wait for that problem to occur. I hope it helps those following the problem.

It worked perfectly for firefox, not so good for Konqueror.