How to acquire 'apt-get' access in Linux Mint 20.2 Cinnamon

Vicktoria

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Hello All. I'm still working on getting dialup fine tuned. I have Del Latitude i5-431OM 2.7o GHz x2, 8GB, 257.1 GB SSD. I want to install a Front end GUI dialer for wvdial such as Gnome-ppp, gtk-ppp, kppp. Can't find them in software manager or synaptic. I was hoping to access 'apt-get' to accomplish this intention. Can I access other software managers? Thanks.
 


If it's not in Synaptic, it's not in the official repos. If it's not in Software Manager either, it's not in anything. But that makes no sense. You're clearly using a Debian derivative if you're using APT (unless another distro ported it) and Debian 10 (Buster) has KPPP version 4.17 so I reckon its kids must, too. Try searching in lowercase. Otherwise...

Answering your question, your DE (Mate, Cinnamon, XFCE, etc.) has no effect on access to APT. APT is a CLI tool that acts as an easy management frontend for dpkg. All you need is a CLI (Terminal) and root permissions. Do either "sudo apt-get install <your app>" or "su" then "apt-get install <your app>". App names are in lowercase and hyphen-separated, eg: most-awesome-game, but they may have additional version numbers, etc. in their names, eg: most-awesome-game-1.1-git so do "apt-cache search <your app>" first to get the exact name of your package (prolly is just "kppp").
 
Fanboi Thanks Bunches, and thanks for defining terms etc as I'm a noobe and on a major learning curve. I must be inputting things wrong. I'm on Cinnamon 20.2 and I keep getting 'no such file or directory'. I'll try your suggestions. Just tried...sudo apt-get install gtk-ppp got 'unable to package gtk-ppp.
 
Still can't find a front end gui for dial up, yet did succeed in using apt-get update and upgrade so I must have it installed. Thanks
 
Fanboi Thanks Bunches, and thanks for defining terms etc as I'm a noobe and on a major learning curve. I must be inputting things wrong. I'm on Cinnamon 20.2 and I keep getting 'no such file or directory'. I'll try your suggestions. Just tried...sudo apt-get install gtk-ppp got 'unable to package gtk-ppp.
You're welcome. Sadly, gtk-ppp does not appear to be in Debian's repo either. Try kppp.
sudo apt-get install kppp

It's the only one I know for sure will be there.

PS: Good job taking so much initiative. It's always good to see new users willing to learn!
 
Well I thank you again for your effort, yet my terminal says:
E: Unable to locate package kppp. Frustration is very high :oops:
 
What actual distro (OS) are you running? Mint, Debian, Ubuntu, etc?
 
The Problem is that those programs no longer exist in Mint's repositories. They have moved on from Debian and the supporting libraries no longer exist on Mint or Ubuntu either. They have simply for the most part dropped support for dialup with the gui My advise if you want kppp or gnome-ppp is to install and use MX-linux it still supports dialup guis. Even if you could find the source code for gnome-ppp or kppp then you would be beating yourself against a brickwall to find all the dependencies needed that will work with the versions of Libs and gtk etc that are used in Mint. Not that it can't be done but it will not be easy at all. I'm not sure if Mint LMDE may still have it though as it is based of Debian. But can't say because haven't used it in a long time. I know MX still has it in their xfce install as Gnome-ppp is installed by default in that version. Not sure if Kppp is installed in their KDE version but worth checking out. Good luck.
PS apt and apt-get still work in Mint and work well the problem is the packages you are seeking to install no longer exist in the repositories. and haven't been there for quite some time.
 
Hiya kc1di, thanks for the info. Ok, I hear you. Mint and Ubuntu don't support, yet if MX does then the way may be out there. Trouble is I like Cinnamon and I spent all this time getting things in order, and I do have dialup connection...it is just so unbelievably slow that I suspect some slight adjustment would fis it if I only understood code and procedure well enough. It seems to my uneducated mind, that since wvdial config is correct, that the issue must be in the terminal ppp config. I did post in my 'how to connect dialup in mint 20.2', the specific terminal output for the ppp option. I just don't know what most of it means, yet I'm suspicious of the entries about pap, since that is how my ISP connects. Have any thoughts?
 
Vicktoria said:
I'm on Cinnamon 20.2 (Linux Mint)
Thanks. Didn't see the other thread and coz Cinnanon's available on other distros, I didn't want to presume.

The Problem is that those programs no longer exist in Mint's repositories. They have moved on from Debian and the supporting libraries no longer exist on Mint or Ubuntu either. They have simply for the most part dropped support for dialup with the gui My advise if you want kppp or gnome-ppp is to install and use MX-linux it still supports dialup guis. Even if you could find the source code for gnome-ppp or kppp then you would be beating yourself against a brickwall to find all the dependencies needed that will work with the versions of Libs and gtk etc that are used in Mint. Not that it can't be done but it will not be easy at all. I'm not sure if Mint LMDE may still have it though as it is based of Debian. But can't say because haven't used it in a long time. I know MX still has it in their xfce install as Gnome-ppp is installed by default in that version. Not sure if Kppp is installed in their KDE version but worth checking out. Good luck.
PS apt and apt-get still work in Mint and work well the problem is the packages you are seeking to install no longer exist in the repositories. and haven't been there for quite some time.
I was thinking the same re LMDE. It's most viable for a mint user and also thought maybe just doing a source build. The build deps are pretty mininal: https://packages.debian.org/source/stretch/gnome-ppp
and they're all in Debian's oldstable and stable releases. Build + static link and that should do it. Should run fine under Mint, too. (Or maybe just make an appimage, lol)

@Vicktoria if you like your current setup, you may be able to keep it going a little longer if you don't mind trying to build gnome-ppp from source. It's a fairly painless process, but can be intimidating to newcomers because of the concept itself. I'm sure we can walk you through it.
Otherwise we can try risking the system and adding Debian 10's repo which has kppp?
Alternatively, you could copy your entire config from ~/ (your home dir, also known as $HOME) and install LMDE (if k-, gnome-, or gtk-ppp are in their repo -- kppp should be), or any distro that gas Cinnamon and then just copy your backed up home dir into your new one, overwriting everything. I'm iffy on this advice since indubitably, something breaks, but I've been doing it for ages and just fixing the breakages coz it's quicker (for me, on my setup, with XFCE) than configuring my DE from scratch (I've also refined what files to and not to overwrite as years went by).
Think about it, mull over it, etc. Answers are always clearer the next morning.
 
'bout time I swung through to correct a couple of misconceptions.

Vicky I have amended your Thread title to include Linux Mint. 20.2 Cinnamon means nothing to helpers unless they are familiar with Linux Mint releases.

I have to fly for my Aussie evening, but I will be back sometime tomorrow with more.

Packages that will work with your 20.2 CAN be downloaded from pkgs.org , but you will need further explanation, so wait until I return with more.

Holding Post reading for now is from a document I am working from - click the Spoiler to expand and click again to close.

On gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp

Tara MATE

chris@TaraMATE-WD:~$ apt policy gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp
gnome-ppp:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 0.3.23-1.2ubuntu2
Version table:
0.3.23-1.2ubuntu2 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/ubuntu/archive bionic/universe amd64 Packages
kppp:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 4:17.08.3-0ubuntu1
Version table:
4:17.08.3-0ubuntu1 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/ubuntu/archive bionic/universe amd64 Packages


Skipped forward in time to

Tricia Cinnamon, and

chris@TriciaCinn-HDD:~$ apt policy gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp
gnome-ppp:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 0.3.23-1.2ubuntu2
Version table:
0.3.23-1.2ubuntu2 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/ubuntu/archive bionic/universe amd64 Packages
kppp:
Installed: 4:17.08.3-0ubuntu1
Candidate: 4:17.08.3-0ubuntu1
Version table:
*** 4:17.08.3-0ubuntu1 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/ubuntu/archive bionic/universe amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Then to

Ulyana Cinnamon

where

chris@Ulyana-Cinnamon-SSD:~$ apt policy gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp
chris@Ulyana-Cinnamon-SSD:~$


So the last of the Mints which supported two out of three of the packages was Tricia Cinnamon.

Ulyana was released June 2020.

From Focal GNOME (20.4) released April 2020

chris@FocalGNOME-SSD:~$ apt policy gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp
N: Unable to locate package gnome-ppp
N: Unable to locate package gtk-ppp
N: Unable to locate package kppp


wvdial however, is still available in Uma

chris@UmaCinnamon-SSD:~$ apt policy wvdial
wvdial:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 1.61-5
Version table:
1.61-5 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/ubuntu/archive focal/universe amd64 Packages

What this tells us is that Mint (and by inference Ubuntu) still supports the console-based wvdial for dialup modem users, but does not regard having the GUI frontends available, in their priorities.

An alternative might include dpkgs.org


MX-19 KDE

chris@MX19KDE:~

$ apt policy wvdial gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp

wvdial:

Installed: 1.61-5

Candidate: 1.61-5

Version table:

*** 1.61-5 500

500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages

100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

gnome-ppp:

Installed: (none)

Candidate: 0.3.23-2.1mx19

Version table:

0.3.23-2.1mx19 500

500 http://mx.debian.nz/mx/repo buster/main amd64 Packages

kppp:

Installed: 4:17.08.3-1

Candidate: 4:17.08.3-1

Version table:

*** 4:17.08.3-1 500

500 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages

100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

N: Unable to locate package gtk-ppp



antiX

[email protected]:~
$ apt policy wvdial gnome-ppp gtk-ppp kppp
wvdial:
Installed: 1.61-5
Candidate: 1.61-5
Version table:
*** 1.61-5 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/debian stable/main amd64 Packages
500 http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
gnome-ppp:
Installed: 0.3.23-2.1
Candidate: 0.3.23-2.1
Version table:
*** 0.3.23-2.1 100
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
kppp:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 4:17.08.3-1
Version table:
4:17.08.3-1 500
500 http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages
N: Unable to locate package gtk-ppp

And on DE choices antiX

[email protected]:~
$ apt policy cinnamon
cinnamon:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 4.8.6-2
Version table:
4.8.6-2 500
500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/debian stable/main amd64 Packages
3.8.8-1 500
500 http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages

Cheers

Wiz
 
I downloaded and tried ./configure the suggested source from
GTK-PPP can be downloaded here - https://sourceforge.net/projects/gtk-ppp/

You will have to extract the contents and compile it yourself usually by
Code:
./configure
Code:
make
Code:
sudo make install
I downloaded and tried to configure the program on my Mint 20.2 install and found as I suspected that it will not configure because of missing files. Intools is one that is not available either. so though it may be possible to get it to work one would have to chase down all the needed files not present in Mint. We used to call that dependency hell in the old days :)
 
I downloaded and tried ./configure the suggested source from

I downloaded and tried to configure the program on my Mint 20.2 install and found as I suspected that it will not configure because of missing files. Intools is one that is not available either. so though it may be possible to get it to work one would have to chase down all the needed files not present in Mint. We used to call that dependency hell in the old days :)
Try this
Code:
sudo apt install libappindicator3-dev gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1 intltool
then try running ./configure again
 
Thanks Lord Boltar I don't need it was just try to help Vicktoria. But I'm sure your post will help her.
 
Thank you all!!! I'm sure we've got things surrounded. I'll see what I can download to read and organize a plan of attack. So how should I communicate which distro I'm using? Look forward Wizard to what you have coming later, as well as looking at the rest of the above new potentials. I downloaded a lot regarding pppconfig yesterday. Intend intensive study today.

I'm on the Dell now, and it has taken 20 min. to get this far. Must attempt downloads elsewhere. Yet I am so happy to have Mint where it is thus far.

So Question: I downloaded minicom, thinking it might let me see dialup speed and connection. When I click on it from the menue, it flashes on the screen yet no window is visible. Am I missing something??

Always my deep gratitude for your support.
 
I'm re-reading all pages involving dialup and fixing these issues I have. Just saw the one Lord Bolton about installing the libraries. Man that really did something. Still don't have a front end installed yet I can take this home and work on it as they're going to kick me off soon. Just wanted to let you know I am working on your and Condoblokes suggestions.
 
A long, long time ago... I had dail-up and paid for a proxy service that compressed everything (including images) by like up to 80%. Pictures would be really blurry but you could right click on them and load them at full resolution (or even like 30% and 60% resolution).

It made browsing tolerable, with carefully blocking all the scripts and only allowing through the least amount of cruft to make a page display well enough to use it. For this, there's a great tool called uMatrix - an abandoned, but still functional, browser extension that will let you block and enable things like CSS, JavaScript, cookies, etc on every site by default and then manually configure them on a per site basis.

It was effectively an old school software firewall, except it only works at the browser level.

Anyhow, the company I used to compress everything is likely no longer in business. It also surely didn't work with Linux, so it's pretty much out of the question. So, along those lines, I searched for and found this:


Compressing everything before you get it makes the web tolerable on dial-up - at least for basic browsing. It doesn't help anywhere else. I think you'll find that does you more good than any amount of additional tweaking on your settings. It appears that these are some options available to you. I have tested none of them.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Perfection! At least as far as I know. I'll be working on speeding things up, and I'm sure there are tweaks to sample, yet I've got things organized, and I think 'apt-get' is accessible, just no front end for wvdial yet. Ill have to start a new thread when I attempt to install a tar.gz file, as I have 3 front end dialers in that format. Thanks for everything, I'll continue to work with the browsers, etc., to get things in even more perfect order. Talk to you on another thread soon I expect. Thanks to All.
 

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