All Things Technology Related Thread

well some distros like redhat or ubuntu have package libraries, but any UI installer is just a UI wrapper on top of terminal commands, like pretty dos batch files more or less.

but i mean, it sounds like you're just looking for a package manager, which is basically a pretty face on top of apt-get:
HTG Explains: How Software Installation & Package Managers Work On Linux (http://www.howtogeek.com/117579/htg-explains-how-software-installation-package-managers-work-on-linux/)

so you just need to find the repo for your version of linux and use it like the apple or google app store.

http://www.diveintopython3.net/i/ubu-install-0-add-remove-programs.png

does that answer it or am i missing the point?

Speaking of Linux, I have an issue on my computer. It is duo booted with Windows 7. when I let the boot loader boot into Mint, it will get to the login screen, but will no longer open my password box to log into the desktop. Actually, I can't even reboot from that screen. Any thoughts on what happened? I'm thinking I might have to just format that partition and start over again. It's not like I had a lot of important things saved on my linux partition, but was just wondering why I, all of a sudden, can't log into my Liniux Mint desktop.

never used mint, so don't know. i'd google it, and if you don't have anything important, a reinstall will definitely fix it, even though that's kind of a nuclear option.

you could also try upgrading it or disabling the ui and loading it from the terminal afterwards, but that requires a bit of work and going into config files from another OS, so not necessarily a trivial thing to do.

well some distros like redhat or ubuntu have package libraries, but any UI installer is just a UI wrapper on top of terminal commands, like pretty dos batch files more or less.

but i mean, it sounds like you're just looking for a package manager, which is basically a pretty face on top of apt-get:
HTG Explains: How Software Installation & Package Managers Work On Linux (http://www.howtogeek.com/117579/htg-explains-how-software-installation-package-managers-work-on-linux/)

so you just need to find the repo for your version of linux and use it like the apple or google app store.

http://www.diveintopython3.net/i/ubu-install-0-add-remove-programs.png

does that answer it or am i missing the point?


Thats exactly it. Ironically enough shortly after that initial post I downloaded PackageKit which was a tar file for my ScientificLinux virtual machine. However that hit a bit of a snag. The ReadMe file said to cd to the folder with the program and enter ./configure which went smooth enough. However the steps telling me to type make and make install in the terminal didn't go as smoothly. Then I saw there was an Add/Remove Software program, the exact same one you have pictured in the post above, in the administrative tools so I started messing around with that. Then I got a headache and had to sit down.

Long story short my ADD is going into overdrive with this stuff, lol.

I also decided to mess around with Puppy Linux for my oldest laptop (2008 dual core HP) which has gone relatively smooth but it also has its own learning curve. For example I learned that Puppy Linux doesn't have a Desktop directory so messing around with the links on the desktop is slightly different.

However I think now I'm catching on a lot quicker to the little stuff. For example when I saw the links on my desktop of Puppy Linux reading sda1, sda2, sdb1, sdc1 I knew almost right away which drive they corresponded too so hooray progress.

Anyway todays lesson for my online course is messing around with tar packages but last I checked the focus of the lesson seemed to be more on compressing directories to send out rather than unpacking them but we'll see lol.

Speaking of Linux, I have an issue on my computer. It is duo booted with Windows 7. when I let the boot loader boot into Mint, it will get to the login screen, but will no longer open my password box to log into the desktop. Actually, I can't even reboot from that screen. Any thoughts on what happened? I'm thinking I might have to just format that partition and start over again. It's not like I had a lot of important things saved on my linux partition, but was just wondering why I, all of a sudden, can't log into my Liniux Mint desktop.

In regards to your problem I guess one thing you could try is when you get to the log in screen hold ctrl+alt+f1 (I think F2 through F5 should work as well). That should bring up an old school terminal similar to this
http://i58.tinypic.com/2yovn0i.png
Afterwards type your user name for the local host login, which usually is your first name all lower case, and your password, which will receive input but keep in mind it won't give you a ***** output like you're use to. For example say you type the ultra secure 12345 password (http://youtu.be/a6iW-8xPw3k), well you won't get any output on the screen even though the computer is accepting your input.

Afterwards press ctrl+alt+F7 and that should take you back to the desktop enviornment where hopefully you would be logged in but honestly I'm not sure how viable a method this is for what you're going through.

Switch to the console using CTRL+ALT+F1 (to switch back to the DISPLAY use CTRL+ALT+F7).

Heck at this point this is how I feel giving you advice for this particular problem:
http://i.imgur.com/xVyoSl.jpg
Unfortunately Google was a bust when I tried to search for your problem. So yeahhhhhh 99% chance you're going to have to re-install 1% my method works.

yeah, in linux the UI is separate and modular from the actual OS (unlike, say windows), so things like desktop directories aren't standard and are distro specific (and mainly included to help windows users).

they'll all have home and user directories, etc which is more of a standard place to store that kind of stuff. if you want you can use openLDAP to do single sign on to either windows or linux (in a networked environment) and share settings etc between them. it used to be a really hard thing to do, but now, not so much.

In regards to your problem I guess one thing you could try is when you get to the log in screen hold ctrl+alt+f1 (I think F2 through F5 should work as well). That should bring up an old school terminal similar to this
http://i58.tinypic.com/2yovn0i.png
Afterwards type your user name for the local host login, which usually is your first name all lower case, and your password, which will receive input but keep in mind it won't give you a ***** output like you're use to. For example say you type the ultra secure 12345 password (http://youtu.be/a6iW-8xPw3k), well you won't get any output on the screen even though the computer is accepting your input.

Afterwards press ctrl+alt+F7 and that should take you back to the desktop enviornment where hopefully you would be logged in but honestly I'm not sure how viable a method this is for what you're going through.



Heck at this point this is how I feel giving you advice for this particular problem:
http://i.imgur.com/xVyoSl.jpg
Unfortunately Google was a bust when I tried to search for your problem. So yeahhhhhh 99% chance you're going to have to re-install 1% my method works.

Hey thanks Dirt! I'll try that this evening and report back. It had been while since I had even booted the desktop, so maybe something had gotten corrupted on a reboot.

I'm not quite as advanced on Linux distros as I should be. I don't work in one on a daily basis. I mostly install them on my computers and just kind of play around with them. I think it's fun messing around with Linux though, but I haven't gotten good enough to know how to fix something when it goes wrong.

yeah, in linux the UI is separate and modular from the actual OS (unlike, say windows), so things like desktop directories aren't standard and are distro specific (and mainly included to help windows users).

they'll all have home and user directories, etc which is more of a standard place to store that kind of stuff. if you want you can use openLDAP to do single sign on to either windows or linux (in a networked environment) and share settings etc between them. it used to be a really hard thing to do, but now, not so much.

Definitely going to look into it.

So,

I just got this for my Nexus 5:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/612PXuFooaL._SL1500_.jpg

PowerBot® PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger Inductive Charging Pad Station for All Qi Standard Compatible Devices Including Samsung, iPhone, Nokia, Google, Nexus, LG, HTC and Other Smartphones with Receivers (AC Adapter Excluded. 2 x Micro USB Cable Included), Black

Price: $19.99

And I love it already. I am constantly getting up and down from the desk, and some days can be so hectic, I forget or don't get a real chance to plug the phone in. Or I might plug it in, then get a call and end up yanking the USB cable around - am really gunshy about messing up the charge plug after having so many get finicky for no reason.

This disc sits on my desk, and set the phone on top, it beeps to let me know it's charging, no cables or tangles when I have to get up to check inventory or how production is going.

And it was only $20 at Amazon! The official one was $50, but this one had solid write ups in CNet and android forums.