Search Results for installation
Brilliant guide to installing software in K/Ubuntu
Windows & Mac OS make it really, really simple to install software because there's really only one way to install: click on Setup.exe or Install.exe in the case of Windows, or a .dmg in the case of Mac OS. Linux is more difficult because there's such a variety of packaging formats. Now here comes the excellent How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu!, which delivers exactly what it says. This puppy covers the package manager as a concept, the APT GUI Synaptic, using APT via the terminal (my preferred method), and how to install a package manually, no matter if that package is a .deb, .rpm, .tar.gz, .sh, .bin, or even a .exe. And while the title is for Ubuntu, this guide works for pretty much any Debian-based distro. Read & bookmark this one, guys - it's a keeper!
(Check out all of our posts on K/Ubuntu & software installation.) ...
Need help installing Debian?
If you want to take the big leap & move up to Debian, or you've been trying to but are having problems
installing the distro of all distros, then read these articles. They'll help ya. I promise!
Installing Debian Sarge
5 good pages, & printable to boot. And this printable page is just that - printable! - with no huge logos,
animated images, & other crap that doesn't belong on a print-friendly page. This guide is pretty simple, &
is more of a hand-holding than a troubleshooting help.
Installing Debian
It's from O'Reilly, so you know it's damn good. And it is! Detailed instructions, screenshots, & even
sidebar comments! Awesome!
Debian-Installer pre-rc2
Screenshot Tour
Yeah, I know it's old, but it's still really useful. If you're a visual learner, then you'll like this set of 93
(!) screenshots detailing every step of the Debian install process.
(Check out all of my posts on Debian.) ...
Install the JRE in Debian
As I recently pointed out, Sun finally changed its license so that distros like Debian can include the Sun JRE. Thanks, Sun! Here's the command you need to run:
apt-get install sun-java5-jre sun-java5-plugin sun-java5-fonts sun-java5-bin
That'll do it, fair readers.
(Check out all of our posts on Sun and Java.) ...
Some thoughts on Debian's new installer
The knock on Debian has always been its installer, as in "Debian? Rock solid distro, really easy to update. Crappy
installer, though." The Debian project took that criticism to heart, and in preparation for the soon-to-be-released
Sarge, an easier-to-use installer has been a top focus. Last night I downloaded the
100+MB net installer
ISO image of Sarge for 386-based machines, release candidate 2; tonight (Wednesday night) I booted off the CD I
burned, only to find a pretty darn good installer! I'd never installed straight Debian successfully before (I always
used Libranet, or some other reeeeeeaaaaaallllly (ridiculously) easy to install
distro like Xandros or MEPIS), but I did tonight.
Now, don't expect something slick & beautiful like SUSE, or even Fedora Core. No, the installer uses a curses
interface, much like that of Libranet, or Red Hat from a few years ago. Frankly, though, I don't care. The dang thing
works, with hardware autodetection, auto partitioning, and other hold-your-hand ...
How to install Debian the easy way
Recently on the CWELUG mailing list someone described how he laboriously
downloaded all 7 Debian ISO images, burned them, and then installed Debian. I responded to the list thusly:
Ay yi yi! You did it the hard way. Download this ISO:
http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimage-testing/sarge_d-i/i386…
It's pretty darn small: ~100mb IIRC. Boot with it, and then it grabs the software it needs over the Net. Obviously,
you need broadband. Much easier. and it uses the new installer.
Note the manual:
http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/
And the FAQ:
http://wiki.debian.net/index.cgi?DebianInstallerFAQ
When I did it, I got the 2.6 kernel. I don't remember HOW, but I don't remember having to look all over the place.
Ah … found it:
"If you want a 2.6 kernel, type linux26 at the boot: prompt"
There ya go.
(Check out all of my posts on Debian.) ...
Notes on installing Fedora Core 3
My buddy Robert, who I help to run the CWE-LUG with, is really good about
posting instructions on the CWE-LUG wiki whenever he does something new. I just found that he posted some
"Notes on Installing [Fedora Core 3] on a machine with a
NIC on a LAN with DHCP", which some of you may find helpful. And since it's a wiki, if there's anything you can
add, please do so. I mean, my gosh - it's a wiki! ...
Easy way to install Ubuntu goodies
K/Ubuntu is awesome - it's the distro I use - but it doesn't come with every ol' program under the sun. EasyUbuntu is an ... uh, easy way to add oodles of goodies
to your K/Ubuntu installation, like Windows multimedia codecs, libs for playing DVDs, RAR support, a better repository
list, and official ATI & nVidia drivers. It's all GUI-based, so it's realllll simple to use. Wanna add more to your
K/Ubuntu? Check this one out.
(Check out all of our posts on Ubuntu and Kubuntu.) ...
Install Linux without a monitor
My friend Robert is always interested in crazy ideas and interesting ways to do things. Here's a post he made to the
CWELUG mailing list a while back that seemed particularly interesting.
<begin Robert>
I just discovered that I can boot grub and have it output via a serial port. What that means is that you don't need
a monitor to install Linux. You can use a null modem (serial) cable and hook the other end to a laptop.
For more info, see Modifying The grub.conf For Serial Output
On A Headless Red Hat Server
Basically, grub.conf looks like so:
#splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
serial —unit=0 —speed=9600 —word=8 —parity=no —stop=1
terminal —timeout=0 serial console
Hook up a null modem cable to the box and your laptop and boot.
<end Robert>
Has anyone tried this? Did it work? Let us know!
(Check out all of our posts on booting and
GRUB.) ...
Differences between Red Hat and Debian installs
So I'm talking to my pal Robert Citek, and I'm ribbing him for not using Debian-based distros more and sticking with
Fedora, and he sends me this email explaining his reasoning. I found it quite thought-provoking, and wanted to share it
with you guys & get your input.
<begin Robert>
The last time I did a Debian install was using Libranet 2.8.1, so things may have changed. But from my experience
Debian and RH/FC have two different install strategies:
Debian: ask a little, install a little, ask a little, install a little, {repeat}, configure
RH/FC: ask a lot, install everything without question, configure
That strategy carries over into how deb and rpms are function. Debs will pause and ask questions during an install.
Rpms just install with defaults which can be altered later.
The difference in strategy allows me to script RH/FC installs, whereas I have to babysit Debian installs. Being a
scripting/automating kinda guy, that makes me like RH/FC much more than ...
Need more help installing Debian? (The sequel)
Earlier today I gave ya some articles on installing Debian. Here are some more for those of you who really like to
know what the hell yer doin' before ya begin doin' it!
Installing Debian For The Faint Of Heart
It's old, but this OSNews piece still does a nice job walking you through a Debian install.
Installing Debian From Scratch
This is for those of you who want to go hardcore. Not for the faint of heart!
Linux on the Mac Mini
You just bought that cute lil' Mac Mini, & now it's time to put Debian on it! Bwahahahahahahahaa! This guide
walks you through the brain transplant, & it looks visually like it could have been written by Apple
itself.
(Check out all of my posts on Debian.) ...
GNU Source Installer makes building software easier
Here's another tool that tries to make compiling easier for newbies & experienced users alike: the
GNU Source Installer. This lil' fella helps
you configure, compile, install, track, and remove source packages - for me, the tracking is the cool part. You can use
it on the command line or with a GUI, depending on your persuasion. It's a pretty neat program that you might find
helpful.
(Check out all of my posts on
compiling.) ...
Install Knoppix on your hard drive? Not recommended.
Recently on a mailing list I'm on, Alice suggested to Bob that he install Knoppix on his hard drive. I responded
thusly:
<begin quotation>
I really really really caution against installing Knoppix on the hard drive. I'm writing a book right now on Knoppix
for Wiley & Sons (almost done, thank {diety}), & we strongly urge people not to do that. It just doesn't work
very well. Knoppix is totally awesome as a Live CD, but it's not very good for actual installs.
Instead, you really should use Kanotix, which is specifically designed to be installed on a machine. I've used it
for months, & it's fabulous.
http://kanotix.com/info/index.php
Trust me: use Kanotix for hard drive installs, not Knoppix.
<end quotation>
(Check out all of my posts on Knoppix &
Kanotix.) ...
How to install the JRE on Debian - the Debian way
Due to Sun's licensing of Java & the JRE, the Debian project can't include the JRE in the default APT
repositories, which is a PITA, to say the least. However, I found a really good write-up of the best way to install the
JRE in a way that uses dpkg. I've tried it, and it works very well. Now I have my own .deb that I can use on any of my
other machines, and life is good. For the whole poop & nothin' but the poop, see
"Java: Sun JRE/JDK Installation on Debian". If you use Debian,
you'll be glad you did. ...
Adding the good stuff to a default SUSE install
OK, you just got done installing SUSE, & now it's time to play an MP3. Ooops! Can't! Java applets? Nope. Flash?
Uh-uh. Windows Media? Are you kiddin'? So, if you want to enjoy all that cool stuff that SUSE can't just include due to
crazy licenses and stupid laws, you need to read
Hacking OpenSUSE & follow the instructions
contained within. Consider it absolutely essential reading if you're using SUSE.
(Check out all of my posts on SUSE.) ...
A short guide to installing software with YAST
SUSE's crown jewel has always been YAST, the amazing slice-it, dice-it, do-pretty-much-every-dang-thing Yet Another
System Tool that lets you configure hardware, add & remove software, turn on or off services, view information, set
up networking, and on and on and on and on (me, I prefer using YAST via the command line, as it's about a gazillion
times faster, but the GUI works just fine). And now that SUSE has open sourced YAST, well, maybe you non-SUSE users
will be seeing a little YAST in your future as well. In the meantime, if you use SUSE & YAST, you oughta read
YaST is Among the Best System Setup Tools Available,
available on Novell's web site. It's officially about Novell Linux Desktop, but even SUSE Pro users will get something
out of it. It's mainly about software installation (& uninstallation) via YAST, which would definitely be a good
thing to learn (me, again I prefer the command line & RPM, but hey, I know that a lot of folks prefer a GUI). ...
