Installing software in Linux Mint

[Erik Groothuijzen]

I finally got a full Linux Mint system running on an external USB drive. The printer is working, the scanner is working and the e-mail is workable. Still struggling with getting software installed when downloaded for Linux in the Downloads folder. Once I get to grips with that, you've got me converted! Getting back to why I disliked DOS so much in my hey days! Any pointers?

 

[KGIII]

Open your terminal by pressing CTRL + ALT + T.

cd ~/Downloads

sudo apt install <file_name>.deb

Remember that it's case-sensitive and that you can't use tab autocomplete with this. So, it might be prudent to run ls -l between the cd and apt commands.

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

Open your terminal by pressing CTRL + ALT + T.

cd ~/Downloads

sudo apt install <file_name>.deb

Remember that it's case-sensitive and that you can't use tab autocomplete with this. So, it might be prudent to run ls -l between the cd and apt commands.

Good day, The file I downloaded for Linux is a .tar.gz file, and extracting it does not get me to a .deb file.

 

[atanere]

Then what does it get you? There should be a folder. It may contain a binary file that you can simply run (may need execute permission first). Or it may contain source code and you will need to compile the program. You may have to install other tools in order to compile source code.

You should find a README or INSTALL file that explains it to you.

Getting back to why I disliked DOS so much in my hey days! Any pointers?

What you've described is not the normal way of installing software in Linux these days, but sometimes it still must be done that way... it depends on what you're trying to install. It's always good to mention such things when it is the heart of your problem. We might have downloaded it and found the README file for you already, or we might have found a different place to download the .deb file.

There are many ways to install software in Linux. The best and safest is usually to download directly from your distributions software repositories. We expect software from them to be vetted against malware or faulty code. There is usually a GUI app in your distro, or if you know the exact app name, programs can easily be installed from the command line, like...

sudo apt install chromium
sudo apt install vlc

 

[Disabled]

The file I downloaded for Linux is a .tar.gz file, and extracting it does not get me to a .deb file.

I understand your frustration.
I love deb files and I hated tar.gz all along, today...still.

There is a convertor that will do this job, but the result...well not everything is meant to be installed via deb or will work after conversion. One example I can think off, might be MangoHud(MSI Afterburner in windows).
The convertor is called alien.

sudo apt install alien

On YouTube I found a video where a guy converted this file into deb.
Is a 2014 stable release with md5 and sig, So.. Go ahead and play with Linux !

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

Playing all right! Fortunately on an external usb drive. Want o install utorrents on mint. Can't find openssl. needs python3, etc etc. bout will keep on trying....

 

[KGIII]

Good day, The file I downloaded for Linux is a .tar.gz file, and extracting it does not get me to a .deb file.

It might help to know the source of the file. Someone here may have time to talk you through it.

 

[Disabled]

I found your beloved deb package, is kinda old(2017) but Eddy(install wizard in Pop_Os) can't do it. Failed install
Via Terminal it asked for even more dependencies.

dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of utorrent:
utorrent depends on python-qt4; however:
Package python-qt4 is not installed.
utorrent depends on screen; however:
Package screen is not installed.
utorrent depends on python-flask; however:
Package python-flask is not installed.

As I remember.. this torrent was stamped as bad, was "controversial" meaning downloading malware and it has tracked people down, mostly due to protected software(whatever). Through a vpn you can be protected but, who knows when you will be banned or your ID will be revealed. Also a USB can not sustain a lot of heat, because it will be.

I'm not gonna go to.. install all of that, just wanted to help you or show you that it is possible.
HERE is another "way"
You can try also a older version of Mint above 16.xxx(included maybe) and see if is installed by default.
Via package manager..only if that version still have support. I think I had that torrent on my older mint installs...
Scarring the net will be exhausting, but there is a chance to find a distro.
You can start here, and are linux distros which are not listed there.
So.. what are you waiting for.

 

[GatorsFan]

or if you have a whole bunch of DEB files like when you download the latest version of LibreOffice you can run

sudo dpkg -I *.deb

 

[atanere]

Playing all right!

Are you telling us your problem is solved?

Want o install utorrents on mint.

Or problem is not solved?

Maybe you could include a link to tell us what exactly you want? And tell us where exactly (at what step) you are failing to install what you want?

If @Disabled is correct about uTorrent, I would certainly suggest you choose another app to download torrents. Transmission is already included in Linux Mint, and it would be a better choice than an app that hasn't been updated in 7 years. Qbittorrent is another nice app to try.

 

[kc1di]

Hello @Erik Groothuijzen
Is there a reason it has to be utorrent? It's quite an old torrent client. While there are many torrent clients already in Mint's software repositories. Which would be easy to install on mint.
UTorrent as far as I can see doesn't have a .deb file. The compressed file you downloaded may run look for an Install folder, or Read me folder. It should describe how to install the program. It may need to be complied which I would not recommend unless your familiar with the process.
Here is a list of good torrent clients and Transmission is already included in Mint.

The Top 8 Best BitTorrent Clients for Linux in 2024

Today, we've curated a list of the best BitTorrent client apps for the desktop and while they have unique features, they are reliable and available for free.

www.geeksmint.com

 

[osprey]

or if you have a whole bunch of DEB files like when you download the latest version of LibreOffice you can run

sudo dpkg -I *.deb

Perhaps a typo: the -I outputs information on the .deb files, but the -i will do the install

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

Hi all,
The reason for utorrent is to try and duplicate what I have working in Windows 10 seamlessly. We are talking here to a person that started with "autoexec.bat" and worked his way through every version of Windows ever put out there. Even managed to get my old Canon lide scanner working and share files seamlessly with my phone, tablet and other PCs. Now I am battling with sudo this and sudo that, wrong syntaxes and heaven knows what else. I even managed to stuff up the mint installation on the external usb hard drive and have to start over. Make no mistake, I do take all your suggestion to heart and will prevail. After all, I have a whole year to sort it out. Let me go and format my usb drive and start all over! In the mean time my Windows still works. Never give up!

 

[osprey]

Hi all,
The reason for utorrent is to try and duplicate what I have working in Windows 10 seamlessly. We are talking here to a person that started with "autoexec.bat" and worked his way through every version of Windows ever put out there. Even managed to get my old Canon lide scanner working and share files seamlessly with my phone, tablet and other PCs. Now I am battling with sudo this and sudo that, wrong syntaxes and heaven knows what else. I even managed to stuff up the mint installation on the external usb hard drive and have to start over. Make no mistake, I do take all your suggestion to heart and will prevail. After all, I have a whole year to sort it out. Let me go and format my usb drive and start all over! In the mean time my Windows still works. Never give up!

A read of this page may be helpful to understanding some of the differences between MS and linux:

Linux is NOT Windows

Having "a whole year to sort it out" is a welcome luxury, since it does take a bit of time to climb the inevitable learning curve.

The dislike of DOS in the past, ought not discourage one from using the command line in linux since the command line is a powerful medium in linux installations. Nevertheless, there are numerous GUIs to run linux systems which can achieve a very high level of functioning, so one isn't tied to command lines, especially in the early stages of working with linux systems.

 

[kc1di]

Also thanks for the explanation of what your trying to do.
You may also find this page helpful in learning linux.

https://linuxjourney.com

as for utorrent I could not speculate further without looking at that compressed file. Can you tell us from where you downloaded it?

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

Also thanks for the explanation of what your trying to do.
You may also find this page helpful in learning linux.

as for utorrent I could not speculate further without looking at that compressed file. Can you tell us from where you downloaded it?

From the Utorrent website.

 

[kc1di]

I found this page which may be helpful in installing Utorrent. However I would warn that utorrent as far as I can tell for linux has not been updated since 2020 (14 years ago) and may not work. But here is the page anyway.

How to Install uTorrent on Linux – Better Tech Tips

There are actually many easier-to-use torrent client apps for Linux. However, uTorrent remains popular and widely-used as it is developed by BitTorrent, Inc. — the company that is responsible for the ongoing development of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol. Unlike other torrent clients for...

www.bettertechtips.com

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

I found this page which may be helpful in installing Utorrent. However I would warn that utorrent as far as I can tell for linux has not been updated since 2020 (14 years ago) and may not work. But here is the page anyway.

Interesting. It was when I got to the libssl bit that I got into trouble. Mint has open ssl which I found out later. Then they needed some other thing to run that and it went all South from there! I got everything else I needed to run and verified that it would work. Libre office with all that it has, Thunder something e-mail, my canon lide 25 and my pantum printer all work fine. So now we start all over. Wouldn't be the first time that I that I restarted with: format disk! Never give up!

 

[kc1di]

Ok one other possibliity is to download the utorrent.exe file and run it under wine. I tried that here (But must say I'm running fedora so this may not work on Mint.) and install it via wine and it works fine that way on my machine.
You may want to try .exe file under playonlinux because Fedora uses a newer wine version that mint and playonlinux allow installing newer or older versions of wine. playonlinux can be installed on mint via synaptic or with this command in a terminal.

sudo apt install playonlinux

Here is a webpage that explains playonlinux

Home - PlayOnLinux - Run your Windows applications on Linux easily!

PlayOnLinux will allow you to play your favorite games on Linux easily

www.playonlinux.com

 

[charlie.corder]

Interesting. It was when I got to the libssl bit that I got into trouble. Mint has open ssl which I found out later. Then they needed some other thing to run that and it went all South from there! I got everything else I needed to run and verified that it would work. Libre office with all that it has, Thunder something e-mail, my canon lide 25 and my pantum printer all work fine. So now we start all over. Wouldn't be the first time that I that I restarted with: format disk! Never give up!

Good Morning @Erik Groothuijzen ,
And welcome to the forum.
One thing I noticed when I switched to Linux from Windows, was this:
the more steeped I was in doing Win stuff, the more I had to unlearn.

Terminology is different, but Linux terms make more sense.
Security is a HUGE issue with Windows, not very much with Linux.
Windows support is not very user friendly, Linux is much better {and free}.
There are many other differences also, too many to mention.

The best part is, that once you learn how Linux works, you never have to re-learn an operating system again. {Going from Win 7 to Win 8 was a very difficult change that did not make sense to me}

Old Geezer
Tango Charlie
89 and still learning!!!!