some help with ubuntu 10.10 please

G Power

hi all, I've been an xp and snowleopard man the last few years and have recently put ubuntu 10.10 on my better halfs old laptop but i can't do the simplest of tasks on it.

i know i should go with a more recent version of ubuntu but it runs very slow on her 1gb ram inspiron but now i can't get my head around how to update the os and the programs in it, i know it's possible to update the os from old update files but being a complete noob to linux i don''t get it

i'm also failing on what to do with new programs i download from net, as in i can save them, archive manage them but don't know where to put them so i can use them

i've tried googling

any help or tips appreciated

GreenWolfe

Have you tried Lubuntu? It's a stripped down Ubuntu-based distro. Unless the hardware is absolutely ancient, try that first. Just as a reminder, Ubuntu 10.10 isn't supported anymore.

Generally speaking, the precedence for installing programs (imho) on a typical Linux distribution go something like this:

1. Install from the repositories/app store.

2. Add a third-party repository and install from that.

3. Download a binary bundle from the site.

4. Compile from source code.

Unless there are licensing issues, or it's proprietary software (in which case it won't appear in a repo), always attempt to install from a repository first. What are you trying to install?

For most software installs you can use the *Ubuntu Software Centre, just type in the name of the program you want and it will take care of everything for you. To update your software, use Update Manager.

If you have no choice but to run an older distro, or if you want to manage stuff manually, you can use the terminal or Synaptic (a graphical package manager). As far as I know Synaptic was not installed by default in Ubuntu 10.10

For now, I think the GUI tools should suffice in installing and updating your software, but the terminal tools are very well documented across the web -- Google is your friend.

EDIT: If you decide to use Lubuntu, the updater and software centre are located in Menu --> System Tools.

G Power

thanks EarthlyPangaea but you lost me at repositories lol

can you tell me how to install the latest version of firefox that i downloaded from their website. i presume i downloaded a newer version but will it work with ubuntu 10.10 do you think? why do i need a repository to add it to the drive and use it??

excuse my complete ignorance here and i'm sure once i get over the initial learning curve i will be grand

btw the laptop is a dell inspiron 600 centrino 1.5ghz 1gb ram jobby, what version might you recommend yourself?

cheers for your help

trying lubuntu now, hopefully it's a little easier to crawl with at the beginning

GreenWolfe

G Power wrote: »

thanks EarthlyPangaea but you lost me at repositories lol

can you tell me how to install the latest version of firefox that i downloaded from their website. i presume i downloaded a newer version but will it work with ubuntu 10.10 do you think? why do i need a repository to add it to the drive and use it??

excuse my complete ignorance here and i'm sure once i get over the initial learning curve i will be grand

btw the laptop is a dell inspiron 600 centrino 1.5ghz 1gb ram jobby, what version might you recommend yourself?

cheers for your help

Almost all Linux distributions use repositories, think of them as a central location that programs can be downloaded and installed from. As a result, software installation is much more centralised than it is (at present) than on other OSes.

By default, a Linux operating system points towards its own repositories. Other people (who may, or may not be connected with the project) might maintain their own compilations of software. In that case, you can add a third-party repository to your system.

To get to your specific problem...

Whenever I tried what you're trying to do now, it never seemed to work. The downloaded version of Firefox always seemed to clash with the version in the system. In any case, make sure that the main program is marked as executable. Right click the file and choose 'properties', the box you need to tick should be in one of the tabs. (I haven't used Ubuntu 10.10 for a while, so unfortunately I can't give better instructions)

I'm not sure you can remove the built-in version of FF, because other programs might depend on it. Try running "sudo apt-get remove firefox" in a terminal without the quotes, but it might not let you uninstall it.

Tbh, you'd be much better off forgetting most of the above and installing an up-to-date distribution. For that laptop, give Lubuntu 12.10 a go (I use it on my netbook):

http://lubuntu.net/

Tom Dunne

Just to add to the above:

I've a 6 year old Pentium-M laptop with 512Mb of Ram running Ubuntu 10 without problems.

I would also recommend Lubuntu - it will be even better.

And finally, don't download any programs for Linux (as in, don't do what you would do on Windows/Max). As EarthlyPangaea suggests, go into the Package Manager (or look for Ubuntu Software Center, if my memory serves me correctly) and download software from there.

It is actually quite painless and should avoid the issues you are encountering.

IRWolfie-

G Power wrote: »

have recently put ubuntu 10.10 on my better halfs old laptop but i can't do the simplest of tasks on it.

10.10 is nearly three years old. There have been four releases since. 10.10 reached its end of life last year so this isn't a version you should have put on your laptop
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/2012/04/10/ubuntu-10-10-maverick-meerkat-end-of-life-reached-on-april-10-2012/ . You should install a newer version.

GreenWolfe

IRWolfie- wrote: »

10.10 is nearly three years old. There have been four releases since. 10.10 reached its end of life last year so this isn't a version you should have put on your laptop
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/2012/04/10/ubuntu-10-10-maverick-meerkat-end-of-life-reached-on-april-10-2012/ . You should install a newer version.

You've read the entire thread, right?

BopNiblets

Perhaps have a look at XFCE Linux Mint, would be good as an alternative to latest Lubuntu
http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2263

G Power

i grabbed lubuntu 12.10 and each time i reinstalled it i have no trackpad

have any of ye had this problem??

edit. thans a million for the help guys/gals x

PrzemoF

Check mouse/pad settings - it might be switched off.

G Power

PrzemoF wrote: »

Check mouse/pad settings - it might be switched off.

cant seem to use a mouse now either, trying to install ubuntu now again with f12 and pointing the laptop at my pendrive but the comp keeps saying no correct file is found on my pendrive

now i'm really stuck as can't do anything once lubuntu loads up incorrectly

G Power

laptop is completely unusable unless i boot from a pen drive but then i can't access the pen drive to install ubuntu again

i think i need a second pendrive