About a week ago I setup Ubuntu as my primary OS on an old machine. It is my first time trying a unix based OS (previously windows). It has been ok, but it seems like every time I try to install something I run into problems. The app has the wrong permissions or I don’t have the right packages or I need to change port settings ect… I was expecting a learning curve but I wanted to know if this is something I should expect to be a long term issue or if I will aquire the skills to side step stuff like this over time?
Update* I got it working. Last night I reinstalled it and figured it out. Two issues. On initial install I failed to update one of the packages needed. I also assigned the service to a group without the required permissions. On reinstall I rectified both of these issues and it works flawlessly. Thanks all for your help and input (and ignoring typos in the title)!
This doesn’t seem like normal behaviour at all. I would try a reinstall or another distro like Linux Mint and see if it persists. I doubt it will.
The other comments in here will probably be confusing to a new user. Your graphical package manager in a user-friendly distro like Ubuntu should just work, and if it doesn’t, there is a problem with the install.
I second this. It doesn’t sound right. Make sure you have downloaded from the official Ubuntu website and make a new usb and reinstall Ubuntu. It shouldn’t do that.
How are you installing apps?
Can you give an example of the issues you had with a specific app?
Last night I installed Sonarr through the built in snap store. It seemed to go well but when I tried to add a series it lacked the permissions to make the required directory. I am going to try to uninstall it and do it manually through the terminal as root unless someone can suggest a better way.
There are many ways to install software on linux. Usually the distribution package manager will install things flawlessly with no extra work.
FlatPack, AppImage and Snap are all becoming common now. Most the time if you find yourself downloading a package from website, you might find it already on an app store.
Ubuntu’s/Gnome’s store app can look up ubuntu’s snap and traditional repository, and public flatpack.
When you’re setting up more advanced system tools, you will always have to tweak something. You’re taking on a system administrator role in your own organization.
Thanks for the advice/encouragement. Awesome username BTW.
Thanks, man (or woman hard to tell from text).
As a desktop user, I find the Linux experience to be one of constant improvement and learning. First time I tried Linux it was hard. Very hard. Now I know what I want. That doesn’t mean I don’t get to know new things every now and then. So, yes, over time you’ll acquire new skills and knowledge to deal with problems
That’s part of what I like about linux. It’s rarely someone else’s fault it doesn’t work. It might be their fault it’s difficult, but if I learn enough I can fix it
It doesn’t seem like normal behaviour, I don’t think it is anything wrong with Ubuntu though. It is a fine distro all in all. If I get into problems when installing something it is often because I haven’t found the “official” install method for that specific package. For Ubuntu that’s normally an apt package or a snap. I find snaps a little harder to get to grips with since they are sandboxed and a bit more unfamiliar for a middle aged man as myself. But keep from googling for “how to install xyz” and always start from the official app store/apt install If you still get errors, do a fresh OS install and try again just to check if something went wrong during the setup
This is good advice. I did try to follow the “official” install for this one. When I Google “how to install” all the instructions are different and like 5 years old so they are outdated.
I’m using MX Linux, I try to avoid snap and flatpak…nothing like a good old .deb installing right away
EDIT because someone wrote non-sense below, MX is the #1 distro on distrowatch for years and the latest MX23 is based on debian 12 “bookworm” which is a month old. It’s using 6.4.4 kernel from last week as of writing. This is a cutting edge distro.
I downloaded this from the graphical package manager
What did you download?
Sonarr
What happens when you try to start it?
It starts just fine. When I try to add a series to it, it shoot up an error that it cannot create the required directory. Even if I sudo the directory in manually it cannot write the files. I assume that it doesn’t have write privileges but I lack the skills to find the appropriate service and change it’s privileges.
What directory is it trying to write to? Can you show us the full error, preferably as text and not a screenshot?
It is trying to create a new directory. I think it is under root but I am not sure. I will recreate the next time I am on it and post. Thanks for the help
Also, how are you starting it? I’m looking at the Arch package in the AUR (not your distro, but just looking), and I notice that it includes a .service file. This means that it would be started as a service, and not as a user, like you’re probably attempting to do.
It looks like sonarr is not in the official Ubuntu mirrors. The website mentions adding a new repo to apt. Is this what you did, or something else?
