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### (How do I run/install downloaded programs using linux?)

Hunt, Melissa [mhunt at Dewberry.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:36:17 -0500

Im new to xandros linux...never used any linux operating system before...

How do I run/install downloaded programs using linux?

Wind0ws usually opts for an auto run or save. It seems linux wants to save. So once I have it saved (which I do) how do I actually run or install that downloaded program?

Thanks...

Melissa-Hope Hunt

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:45:53 +0000

Hello --

2008/10/29 Hunt, Melissa <mhunt@dewberry.com>:

    > How do I run/install downloaded programs using linux?

Depends on the program, and the format it's in when it's downloaded. Can you provide an example of something you've downloaded?

-- Thomas Adam

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Hunt, Melissa [mhunt at Dewberry.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:48:40 -0500

Im trying to download adobe flash player to my ausus eee 2G

I downloaded it to my user file. Its just sitting there, doesn't seem like it needs to be unzipped but im not sure.

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Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:07:59 +0000

Hello --

2008/10/29 Hunt, Melissa <mhunt@dewberry.com>:

    > Im trying to download adobe flash player to my ausus eee 2G
    >
    > I downloaded it to my user file. Its just sitting there, doesn't seem
    > like it needs to be unzipped but im not sure.

So I had to look this up (you're still not telling me what I need to know -- but we'll get to that). I assume you ended up here at some point:

http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&P2_Platform=Linux

That being the case, which format did you select? Xandros uses deb files, although I suspect selecting any one of the deb formats from the list Adobe gives you would be silly -- the meta data for the package probably won't match up. So... that leaves the generic .tar.gz format. I suggest you try downloading that.

When you've done that you can then open a terminal up and type:

    cd ~/Desktop
    tar xzvf ./file.tar.gz

There's several things I've assumed here, not least of all that the resultant file you've downloaded is indeed in "$HOME/Desktop" and that the file is really called "file.tar.gz". Some level of common sense on your part is needed here.

Then (apparently) you can then:

    cd ./install_flash_player_10_linux && sudo ./flashplayer-installer

You will then need to close and reopen firefox, should the above work.

-- Thomas Adam

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Hunt, Melissa [mhunt at Dewberry.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:15:33 -0500

Even though I am computer illiterate I will try thank you....

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Rick Moen [rick at linuxmafia.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:01:17 -0700

Quoting Hunt, Melissa (mhunt@Dewberry.com):

    > Im new to xandros linux...never used any linux operating system
    > before...
    >
    > How do I run/install downloaded programs using linux?

I appreciate Thomas's effort to help, but would like to suggest a different approach. Thomas essentially aided you in going directly to Adobe's download site and getting a non-packaged (tar.gz compressed file) generic set of files to provide Adobe Flash. That set of files isn't tailored for Xandros. In general, you're almost always best advised to stick with software tailored for your particular Linux distribution. For simplicity's sake, I'll skip the long list of reasons. <grin>

Here is a brief article called "Eee PC Tips: A crash course in Linux", which includes tips on installing software that is packaged for Xandros but not included in Xandros: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/06/eee-pc-tips-a-crash-course-in-linux/

The article links to a separate page (http://wiki.eeeuser.com/addingxandrosrepos), about how to enable Xandros's package-management system's access to non-Xandros "package repositories" on the Internet -- such as the one specified in this line that the page wants you to append to system file /etc/apt/sources.list:

       deb http://www.geekconnection.org/ xandros4 main

Following those instructions will permit you to fetch package "adobe-flash-player", which is a Xandros-ised package providing the Adobe Flash player and plug-in.

Here is the Web forum post where I first saw mention of that: http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=33668&highlight=flash

I hope the above tips are useful to you. It looks as if some or all of the sites mentioned are good places for Xandros-related help, generally.

    --
    Cheers,                "I'm sorry Dan, what's right isn't always popular,
    Rick Moen              and what's popular isn't always right."
    rick@linuxmafia.com                     -- George R. Moscone, Nov. 27, 1978

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Rick Moen [rick at linuxmafia.com]

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:10:02 -0700

Forwarding back.

----- Forwarded message from "Hunt, Melissa" <mhunt@Dewberry.com> -----

    Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:04:34 -0500
    From: "Hunt, Melissa" <mhunt@Dewberry.com>
    To: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
    Subject: RE: [TAG] (How do I run/install downloaded programs using linux?)

Thank you very much I appreciate the help without the "tone"....

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