ubuntu Archives - Complete, Concrete, Concise https://complete-concrete-concise.com/tag/ubuntu/ Practical Information Without The Bloat Sat, 09 Mar 2019 21:58:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 5 Minute Vim Tutorial https://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/5-minute-vim-tutorial/ Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:11:54 +0000 http://www.complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=3186 This tutorial won't turn you into a Vim wizard, but at least you will be able to open, navigate, edit, and save files using Vim.

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]]> Vim works differently from other editors you are used to, but it only takes about 5 minutes to learn the basics you need to edit with Vim. You won’t be a Vim wizard, but you will be able to:

  • Open a file
  • Move around in a file
  • Edit text in a file
  • Save a File

The slightly longer Extended 5 Minute Tutorial you will show you how to search in a file, get help, and access Vim’s own built-in tutorial.

Contents

  1. Vim in 5 Minutes (or less)
  2. The Extended 5+ Minute Tutorial
    1. Normal Mode
    2. Opening a File
    3. Saving a File
    4. Exiting Vim
    5. Navigating a File
    6. Inserting and Deleting Text
    7. Searching
    8. Getting Help
  3. Final Words

Vim in 5 Minutes (or less)

  • Vim operates in Modes. Vim always starts in Normal Mode.
  • Normal Mode is your base mode and you should always return to it.
  • All command / control keys are case sensitive.
  • If you are not in Normal Mode, you (usually) get back to Normal Mode by pressing the Escape key twice.
  • If you see recording in the lower left corner of the screen, press the q key to return to Normal Mode.
  • If you’ve messed stuff up, return to Normal Mode and type :q! followed by the Enter key to exit Vim without saving the file.
  • In Normal Mode you can navigate the file using the h, j, k, l keys (left, down, up, right). You might also be able to use the arrow keys on the keyboard1.
  • When you have navigated to where you want to edit the file (inserting or deleting text), press the i key to enter Insert Mode.
  • In Insert Mode you can only enter or delete text from the current cursor position – you cannot navigate. To navigate, press the Escape key to return to Normal Mode.
  • To save (write) the file, return to Normal Mode and type :w followed by the Enter key.
  • To exit (quit) Vim, return to Normal Mode and type :q followed by the Enter key.

The Extended 5 Minute Tutorial

This adds searching and help to the 5 Minute Tutorial, but, otherwise, keeps the information to the bare minimum so you can quickly be functional in Vim instead of frustrated.
All command / control keys are case sensitive: h is not the same as H!

Normal Mode

Normal Mode is the default mode and it should be the mode you always go back to.
Most times, you press the Escape key once or twice2 to return to Normal Mode.
If you see recording in the lower left corner of the screen, press the lowercase q key to return to Normal Mode.

Opening a File

The simplest way to open a file is to type vim at the command line followed by the name of the file:

user@COMPUTER:~$ vim file.txt

If it is a new file you should see something like this:


~
~
~
~
~
"file.txt" [New File]                       0,0-1          All

If it is an existing file, you should see something like this:

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Basic HTML5 Template</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <!-- page content goes here -->
    <p>This is some dummy content that is not lorem ipsum.</p>
  </body>
</html>
~
~
~
"basic.html" 12L, 290C                      1,1           All

The status line3 (at the bottom of the screen) displays the following information:

  • file name
  • total number of lines in the file
  • total number of characters in the file
  • current line the cursor is on
  • current column the cursor is in
  • percentage showing the position in the file (if All : the entire file is visible, Bot : at the bottom (end) of the file, Top : at the top of the file)

In Normal Mode load a file by typing :edit followed by the filename and then pressing the Enter key.:

:edit basic.html

This discards the current file (if any) and loads the specified file.
If the file to be discarded has been modified, but not saved, you will see the following warning in the status line:

E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)

If you don’t care about saving the file, simply append ! to the :edit command:

:edit! basic.html

The ! tells Vim to “just do it!” and ignore any warnings.

Saving a File

You need to be in Normal Mode to save a file.
Save a file by typing :w followed by the Enter key.
If you want to save the file with a different name, type :w followed by the new file name and then press the Enter key:

:w new-filename.txt

Exiting Vim

You need to be in Normal Mode to exit Vim.
Type :q followed by the Enter key to exit Vim.
If Vim warns you that the file has been modified, you can choose to save it or you can force Vim to exit without saving the file by typing :q! followed by the Enter key. The ! tells Vim to “just do it” and exit without saving the file.

You need to be in Normal Mode to navigate a file.
The letters h, j, k, l navigate the cursor through the file. (You may also be able to use the arrow keys present on most keyboards.)
They act like arrow keys and are conceptually laid out like this:

h
←		 j
↓		 k
↑		 l
→

When you navigate left (h) to the beginning of a line, the cursor will stop. It will not wrap around and up to the previous line.
When you navigate right (l) to the end of a line, the cursor will stop. It will not wrap around and down to the next line.
If you type a positive integer (which will not be displayed), followed by one of the navigation keys, the cursor will move that many characters / lines.
For example, in Normal Mode, if you type 10j, the cursor will move down 10 lines.

Inserting and Deleting Text

In Insert Mode the only thing you can do is insert or delete text. (You may be able to use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate the text while in this mode, but there is no guarantee, navigating is supposed to be done in Normal Mode)
Enter Insert Mode by pressing the i, a, I, or A key.

  • i insert / delete before the cursor (what you would intuitively expect when entering or deleting text).
  • a append / delete after the current cursor position.
  • I insert / delete at the beginning of the line.
  • A append / delete at the end of the line.

You will (probably) be using i most frequently.
When you enter Insert Mode you will see – INSERT – displayed in the lower left corner:

The navigation keys are h, j, k, l.
h moves the̲ cursor one character left
l moves the cursor one character right
j moves the cursor one line down
k moves the cursor one line up
~
~
~
~
-- INSERT --                       3,11      All

Press the Escape key to return to Normal Mode.

Searching

You must be in Normal Mode to search.
In a large file, it is useful to locate items of interest by searching for them.
To search, type / followed by the text you want to find, followed by the Enter key.
Vim treats the search string as a regular expression – which means some characters have a special meaning. If you need to search for the following characters, you will need to type them as follows:

Name Character Need to Type
Period . .
Asterisk * \*
Backslash </td> \
Dollar Sign $ $
Forward Slash / /

Searches are case sensitive.
You can navigate between search results by pressing n (next) or N (previous).

Getting Help

You need to be in Normal Mode to use help.
To get help on something in Vim, simply type :help followed by the thing you want help on.
For example, to get help on the navigation key h, type :help h followed by the Enter key.
You should see something similar to the following:

h         or          *h*
<Left>    or          *<Left>*
CTRL-H    or          *CTRL-H* *<BS>*
<BS>      [count] characters to the left.  |exclusive| motion.
          Note: If you prefer <BS> to delete a character, use
          the mapping:
             :map CTRL-V<BS>    X
          (to enter "CTRL-V<BS>" type the CTRL-V key, followed
          by the <BS> key)
          See |:fixdel| if the <BS> key does not do what you
          want.
m̲o̲t̲i̲o̲n̲.̲t̲x̲t̲ ̲[̲H̲e̲l̲p̲]̲[̲R̲O̲]̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲1̲7̲2̲,̲1̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲1̲2̲%̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲
Vim will split the display into two panes. In the upper pane
you will see the help text. In the lower pane you will see your
current editing buffer.
Now you know that Vim supports multiple editing buffers - but
that is not the point of this tutorial.
~
~
~
~
a-file.txt                     4,5              All

The help can be pretty dense and not user friendly, but it may be helpful.
To close the help window, type :q followed by the Enter key.
If you type :help, it will bring up the general help file. You can navigate through it for topics of interest.
You might also try :help tutor for instructions on accessing the Vim tutor which is included with every Vim installation.

Final Words

Vim may not be the easiest or most intuitive editor you will come across. However, it (or its ancestor Vi) is quite ubiquitous and this tutorial gives you the basics you need so you are minimally functional with it.
The basics are simple:

  1. Vim operates in Modes.
  2. All command / control keys are case sensitive : k is not the same as K.
  3. The base mode is Normal Mode. You (usually) get back to it by pressing the Escape key once or twice.
  4. Navigating a file is done in Normal Mode using the h, j, k, l keys.
  5. When the cursor is where you want to insert or delete text, you press the i key to enter Insert Mode.
  6. Search in Normal Mode by typing / followed by the string you want to find and then the Enter key. Navigate the search results using the n and N keys.
  7. Save a file by typing :w in Normal Mode.
  8. Exit Vim by typing :q in Normal Mode.
  9. In Normal Mode you can get help by typing :help
  1. Vi (the precursor to Vim) was developed in 1976. Arrow keys were not commonly found on keyboards, so h, j, k, l were used.↩
  2. Some modes require one key press, others require two. If you press it too many times, the computer will just beep at you. Vim newbies often repeatedly press the Escape key in the hopes of returning to Normal Mode↩
  3. This is true for the default Status Line. It is always possible that someone has modified the Status Line to display different information, or in a different arrangement.↩

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]]> Ubuntu 13.04 – How to Change the Timout Period for sudo https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-13-04/ubuntu-13-04-how-to-change-the-timout-period-for-sudo/ Wed, 01 May 2013 10:32:28 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2930 The instructions are for Ubuntu 13.04, but should be the same for other versions.

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]]>

This tutorial is for Ubuntu 13.04.

It is probably the same for other versions of Ubuntu and (probably) most other Linux distributions, but no guarantee is made.

Detailed instructions for opening a command line / terminal can be found here.

By default, sudo temporarily grants administrative privileges for 15 minutes. This means the first time you run sudo you will be prompted for your password. Then, for the next 15 minutes, you can run sudo <command> without having to re-enter your password.

This should be fine for most users because the average user probably rarely drops to a command line to run an administrative command or two.

1) Open a terminal using Ctrl + Alt + T:

2) Enter the following command:

sudo visudo

3) Enter your password:

Note: when you type your password, nothing will happen on the screen. This is normal. As a security feature, Linux does not echo back any indication of the characters you are typing in.

This will bring up the sudo configuration file in the nano editor. Note: in other versions of Linux (or if Ubuntu has been modified), the configuration file may be opened with a different editor – in which case, you will need to Google for instructions on using that editor.

The command visudo does more than just open the sudo configuration file with the nano editor. It also checks to ensure the configuration file is correct (i.e. it will not let you edit the file and make it invalid). Note: you can still edit the file, so sudo becomes unusable, but the configuration file is (technically speaking) valid.

4) Locate the line Defaults (highlighted in yellow) and navigate to the end of it using the arrow / cursor keys on your keyboard (your mouse will not work). Add the following:

,timestamp_timeout=0

The number tells sudo for many minutes it should grant administrator privileges in this session.

A value of 0 tells sudo to always prompt for a password. Personally, this is the only setting that makes sense for me because if you are momentarily away from your computer, no one else can accidentally (or intentionally) run an administrative command while your sudo privilege is still active.

A positive number tells sudo to grant administrative privileges that that number of minutes. The number must be a whole number: 5, 15, 42, etc. Number like 3.1415 are not valid.

A negative number tells sudo to permanently grant administrative privileges during that session. The only use I see for this is if you want to have to type sudo before administrative commands, but not have to enter the password for subsequent commands.

5) Save your changes by pressing Ctrl + O:

You will be prompted to save the file as /etc/sudoers.tmp.

6) Press Enter to write the changes.

7) Observe that the changes were written:

8) Exit visudo by pressing Ctrl + X.

Starting a new command line session should pick up the changes you just made.

The post Ubuntu 13.04 – How to Change the Timout Period for sudo appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

]]> Understanding the differences between various Linux distro's https://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/understanding-the-differences-between-various-linux-distros/ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:57:05 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2706 There are many different operating systems (OS) out there. The most commonly known being Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, and then there is that OS called Linux that people keep talking about. It is not always clear what Linux is except that it is an operating system (sometimes claimed to be better than any other […]

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]]> There are many different operating systems (OS) out there. The most commonly known being Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, and then there is that OS called Linux that people keep talking about.

It is not always clear what Linux is except that it is an operating system (sometimes claimed to be better than any other operating system on the planet). When you look it up, you are faced with a bewildering choice of operating systems that all claim to be Linux: Red Hat, Ubuntu, Slackware, Mandrake, Linux mint, PC Linux OS, Pear Linux, OpenSUSE, etc.

Summary

Fundamentally, all Linux distros are very similar. They are based on the Linux kernel which forms the core of all distros.

The difference between distros fundamentally boils down to:

  • ease of installation
  • which GUI (Graphical User Interface) they provide (changeable in all distros)
  • the look and feel (colours, wallpapers, keyboard shortcuts, etc) they provide (customizable in all distros)
  • what applications (programs) they provide by default (again, users can install applications they feel they need)

The last three are normally completely customizable by the user.

Each distro packages the Linux kernel with a bunch of programs and configures the way it looks, feels, and interacts with the user.

It does not make sense to change distributions because you don’t like the default interface or applications or colours.

It does make sense to change distributions because you are not getting the necessary hardware or software support you would like.

What is an operating system

An operating system is the first program that runs on the computer and continues to run even while you are running other programs.

Strictly speaking, the boot loader is the first program to run because it loads the operating system. But that’s being really picky.

What does an operating system do

An operating system hides all the fiddly details about the hardware from programs that are running on the computer.

There are many keyboards, mice, hard disks, printers, graphics cards, and other hardware that do not necessarily operate or function the same way.

Before there were operating systems, programmers wrote code specifically for the hardware connected to the computer. If the hardware changed (suppose the printer was changed) it usually meant that all programs using that hardware had to be rewritten because the hardware was now different.

An operating system shields the program from the nitty-gritty details of the hardware and provides it with a standard interface to the hardware. Consider a printer: regardless of what printer is connected to the computer the operating system presents the same standard interface and the program uses this interface. The operating system handles communicating with the printer through something called a driver. The driver is a special program that converts information passed through the standard interface into something the hardware can use.

A common problem in Linux is the lack of drivers for hardware. It is not uncommon to buy a piece of hardware (printer, scanner, video card, Wi-Fi adapter, etc) only to discover that Linux does not support it.

At the heart of every Linux distro is the Linux kernel. This is the core operating system. There is only one Linux kernel. You can find the source code for the Linux kernel here.

There are various versions of the Linux kernel:

  • older versions that are no longer being developed but have long-term support
  • versions that are current and stable
  • future versions under development – these may or may not be stable and may include new features
  • finally, there are often several branches of the main kernels that contain experimental features – these may or may not find their way into the main kernel

If all Linux distro’s use the same kernel why are there so many Linux distro’s?

Each Linux distro decides which kernel it will use:

  • some distro’s play it safe and use only a stable kernel
  • more conservative distros may only use older kernels
  • other distro’s like to use the latest stable version
  • other distro’s are more cutting edge and use the development branch including changes that are still under development and possibly experimental.

The kernel itself is not very exciting – it just runs on your hardware, stays in the background and manages the computer. What makes a computer useful is not the operating system that’s running on it but the programs and applications that are run on the computer.

Four key areas where distros differ:

  1. installation
  2. the kernel
  3. the look and feel
  4. programs and applications

Installation

This is usually the first experience a user has with a Linux distro.

The way in which various Linux distros install themselves is usually the first experience a user has with the distro.

Some distros focus on a very simple installation procedure – essentially, the user provides some basic and non-technical information and the distro uses preconfigured settings for everything else. Ubuntu is a distro that takes this approach – it is not exactly a one-click installation process, but it comes very close. This is suitable for the typical user.

Other distros have a more involved installation procedure that requires the user to answer a number of technical questions before installing. These questions may include questions about partitioning the hard disk, what file system to format each partition, etc. There is a wide range of how technical these installations can be.

Finally, some distros give the user complete control over the installation process and are very technical. Slackware is a distro that takes this approach – it assumes a technical and knowledgeable user is doing the installation.

Of course, you don’t have to install from a distro – you can download the Linux kernel, build it yourself, and install it yourself.

The Kernel

The kernel is the core of the operating system. It is the program that always runs on the computer and provides the necessary services to access all the devices on the computer, as well as handling memory management, program loading, etc.

Most Linux distros released around the same time use the same base kernel.

Some distros, like Slackware, use the kernel as is from the kernel repository – if you want something extra, you have to add it yourself.

Other distros, like Ubuntu, modify the kernel by including changes and patches that provide support for more hardware. These changes may not be fully stable for new hardware (which is why they are not part of the base kernel) or they may not be fully open or they may contain patented technology.

A problem I have observed with Ubuntu is that interim releases (like 11.10 and 12.10) often have problems (eventually they get fixed). I have not noticed any problems with the Long Term Support (LTS) releases (like 12.04 LTS).

Linux is licensed under the GPL license, which, basically, allows free copying and distribution of the code but also requires developers to share their code under the same license. Some developers (notably hardware manufacturers) are reluctant to release the source code (because this means competitors can see how their code and devices work – thus giving them insider information on a competitors product). Instead of releasing source code (which can be ported to other platforms or modified by other developers) they release BLOBs (Binary Large OBjects) which only work on certain hardware platforms. For example, a BLOB released for x86 compatible processors, will not work on ARM based processors.

Patented technology (unless freely licensed) is not compatible with the GPL because the GPL requires that everything be freely available and redistributable – including the use and implementation of patents.

Some distros are ideologically based and refuse to include non-open and non-free code and technology. gNewSense is an example of such a distro. This means they support fewer hardware devices than distros that include BLOBs or potentially unlicensed patented technology. As well, some commonly expected features / behaviour may not work either – for example, viewing videos on YouTube.

Other distros are more specialized and may include patches (changes) necessary to support hard real time requirements. These changes are not trivial and consequently, real time distros tend to be based on older kernels. LynxOS is an example of a real time OS that is based on the older version 2.6 Linux kernel.

Having said all that, the core of the kernel is pretty much the same from one Linux distro to the next and from the typical user’s perspective, you can expect they behave pretty much the same way.

Look and Feel

This is what most users see and experience when they interact with a Linux system.

The system can be command line driven, in which case it looks something like this:

or it can be a GUI based system – in which case there are many, many variations. Some of which are shown below:

The MATE desktop running on Ubuntu:

The basic LXDE desktop:

All GUI based distros use X-server to provide the graphical control. X-server in turn communicates with video hardware drivers.

On top of x-server distros will install a window manager. There are four major window managers: GNOME, KDE, LXDE, and XFCE (roughly listed in order of popularity). There are also dozens of other window managers. These are then customized with how the windows actually look, the colours, the background wallpaper or colour, keyboard shortcuts, etc.

Even if two distros use the same window manager, they can look radically different. Below are screenshots from some GNOME based distros:

This is the Cinnamon desktop running on Ubuntu. Cinnamon is a customized version of the GNOME desktop. Notice it uses the Ubuntu colour scheme (but you can change that):

This is the Unity desktop running on Ubuntu. Unity is a customized version of the GNOME desktop:

Programs and Applications

The kernel and look and feel of a Linux system is not particularly useful because the typical user expects to be able to use the system to do work. Whether this is editing documents, surfing the web, developing programs, editing audio or video files, playing games, etc.

All this is done with programs or applications. There are usually many different programs for various tasks a user might want to perform.

For example, browsing the web: there is FireFox, Chrome, Konqueror, and many other web browsers. Each distro includes programs that they feel the user wants (or needs).

For example, Ubuntu is a general purpose desktop OS. It includes a number of basic applications that of use to users: LibreOffice (office suite), FireFox (web browser), gedit (file editor), Nautilus (file manager), etc.

Ubuntu Studio, which is based on Ubuntu, includes a number of applications that are of interest to media developers: GIMP (image editing program), Blender (a 3D content creation suite), OpenShot (a simple video editor), Scribus (a pdf document creator), etc.

Many Linux distros are based on other distros. Essentially, there are four fundamental distros from which all the rest are derived:

  1. Slackware
  2. Debian
  3. Red Hat
  4. Arch

Linux Mint and Pear Linux are based on Ubuntu which, in turn, is based on Debian.

Should You Change Distros?

A common refrain in the Linux community is that if you don’t like a particular Linux distro, you can choose to install a different distro.

Does this make sense?

It depends.

Installing a different distro means that you may potentially lose all your work (unless you’ve made backups) because installing a new distro will over write the existing one.

Most times, what users want is a different GUI interface (look and feel) or maybe a different application.

Linux distros are developed and maintained by many different individuals and groups. Some distros are produced by just one person, others by a few enthusiasts, and others by companies.

If you choose a distro developed by a single developer, can you be sure the person is going to continue developing and maintaining their distro? If a distro is developed by a company, can you be sure the company is going to be around the next time you want to upgrade?

Personally, I would choose to go with a major distributor that has been around a while. My personal preference is for Ubuntu (even if you don’t like Unity, you can change it for some other desktop and customize it yourself) because they have the easiest installation, good support and, in general, just works “out of the box”.

Having said that, if you go with Linux Mint or Pear Linux, you are still getting a distro based on Ubuntu (they even use Ubuntu’s servers for much of their base), and make use of Ubuntu’s simple installation process and, like Ubuntu, just work out of the box.

The only time I would consider switching distributions is if the support (whether hardware or software) is not there. Otherwise, I would recommend customizing what you have to look and work the way you want it.

Looked at another way, would you move because you no longer like the colour of the walls in your living room, or would you repaint the living room?

Additional Resources

For more information about specific Linux distributions you can always check the distro’s website.

An excellent resource is DistroWatch which has information on several hundred Linux distros (it also includes information on other Unix like OSes, like BSD).

There is a search bar in the top left of the site where you can type in the name of the distro, or a drop down menu from which you can select a distro:

There are many other search options available. You can see a ranking of weekly and monthly distro popularity.

Another good resource is the Wikipedia Comparison of Linux Distributions. It is not as exhaustive as DistroWatch, but it does present the information in table form.

A graphical representation of Linux distributions based on (1) their base origin and (2) the year they were introduced is available here. It currently lists over 450 Linux distributions – some of which no longer exist.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Change the Timeout Period for sudo https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-04/ubuntu-12-04-how-to-change-the-timeout-period-for-sudo/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:25:43 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2666 This tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04. It should be the same for other versions of Ubuntu and (probably) most other Linux distributions, but no guarantee is made. Detailed instructions for opening a command line / terminal can be found here. By default, sudo temporarily grants administrative privileges for 15 minutes. This means the first time […]

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]]>

This tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04.

It should be the same for other versions of Ubuntu and (probably) most other Linux distributions, but no guarantee is made.

Detailed instructions for opening a command line / terminal can be found here.

By default, sudo temporarily grants administrative privileges for 15 minutes. This means the first time you run sudo you will be prompted for your password. For the next 15 minutes, you can run sudo <command> without having to enter a password.

This should be fine for most users because the average user is likely to drop down to a command line to run an administrative command or two rarely.

1) Open a terminal using Ctrl + Alt + T

2) Enter the following command:

sudo visudo

3) Enter your password:

Note: when you type your password, nothing will happen on the screen. This is normal. As a security feature, Linux does not echo back any indication of the characters you are typing in.

This will bring up the sudo configuration file in the nano editor. Note: in other versions of Linux (or if Ubuntu has been modified), the configuration file may be opened with a different editor – in which case, you will need to Google for instructions on using that editor.

The command visudo does more than just open the sudo configuration file with the nano editor. It also checks to ensure the configuration file is correct (i.e. it will not let you edit the file and make it invalid). Note: you can still edit the file, so sudo becomes unusable, but the configuration file is valid.

4) Locate the line Defaults (highlighted in yellow) and navigate to the end of it using the arrow / cursor keys on your keyboard. Add the following:

,timestamp_timeout=0

The number tells sudo the number of minutes it should grant administrator privileges in this session.

A value of 0 tells sudo to always prompt for a password. Personally, this is the only setting that makes sense for me because if you are momentarily away from your computer, no one else can accidentally (or intentionally) run an administrative command while your sudo privilege is still active.

A positive number tells sudo to grant administrative privileges that that number of minutes. The number must be a whole number: 5, 15, 42, etc. Number like 3.1415 are not valid.

A negative number tells sudo to permanently grant administrative privileges during that session. The only use I see for this is if you want to have to type sudo before administrative commands, but not have to enter the password for subsequent commands.

5) Save your changes by pressing Ctrl + O:

You will be prompted to save the file as /etc/sudoers.tmp.

6) Press Enter to write the changes.

7) Observe that the changes were written:

8) Exit visudo by pressing Ctrl + X.

Starting a new command line session should pick up the changes you just made.

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]]> VirtualBox – How to Access USB Devices https://complete-concrete-concise.com/virtualbox-2/virtualbox-how-to-access-usb-devices/ https://complete-concrete-concise.com/virtualbox-2/virtualbox-how-to-access-usb-devices/#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:18:25 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2285 These instructions are for VirtualBox 4.1.18 running on Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 with Ubuntu 12.04 (running the Unity Interface) as the guest OS. I believe the instructions are the same (or very similar) regardless of which host OS and guest OS combination you are running, but I make no guarantee. Sometimes you want […]

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]]>

These instructions are for VirtualBox 4.1.18 running on Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 with Ubuntu 12.04 (running the Unity Interface) as the guest OS.

I believe the instructions are the same (or very similar) regardless of which host OS and guest OS combination you are running, but I make no guarantee.

Sometimes you want to (or need to) directly access a USB device, like a memory stick, or a printer, or camera.

Normally, VirtualBox does not provide access to these devices, however, it is possible to allow the guest OS to directly access the USB device.

(I needed to allow Linux to directly access a SD card so I could use the dd command to copy a OS image. This turned out to be very slow. I am not sure if this was because I was accessing it via VirtualBox or because dd is inherently slow writing to flash cards.)

NOTE: when a USB device is used by VirtualBox, the device will no longer be available or visible to the host operating system when the guest OS is running.

This means that if you enable access to your USB printer in VirtualBox, then the USB printer will no longer be available for use in your host OS. This is not as bad as it seems, when you shut down your VirtualBox session, the USB device will be returned to your OS.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

Installing the VirtualBox Extension Pack

I don’t think it is absolutely necessary to install this, but if you don’t you will be using the slower USB 1 interface. Installing this extension pack (which is different from the Guest Additions) will enable USB 2 support.

1) Go to the VirtualBox Downloads page. It can be found here.

2) Click on the All Platforms link beside the VM VirtualBox Extensions Pack:

3) Click on Open if you get the following confirmation request in Windows 7:

4) Click on Install:

5) Read the license agreement (or, at the very least, scroll all the way to the end) and the click on I Agree if you accept the licensing terms (if you don’t agree, then you will not be able to install the extensions):

VirtualBox will then proceed to install the extensions pack. This will take a few minutes.

6) Observe that the installation was successful and click on OK:

Enabling a USB Device in VirtualBox

1) Plug in the USB device you want to share. Let it be detected and recognized by Windows.

2) Start VirtualBox.

3) Right-click on the virtual machine you wish to configure the USB device for, then select (left-click) Settings…. You could also left-click on the virtual machine and then press Ctrl+S:

4) Click on USB in the left side panel:

5) Check the checkbox Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller:

6) Click on the tiny USB icon with the green plus sign (it is found on the right side of the dialog):

A menu containing the plugged in USB devices will appear:

NOTE: it is very likely your list of devices will be different from this one.

Alternately, you can press Alt + Ins to bring up the list of USB devices attached to your computer.

Pressing Alt + Ins means “while holding down the Alt key, press the Ins (or insert) key as if you were going to type it.”

NOTE: if you use the keyboard shortcut Alt + Ins, the menu will appear where your mouse cursor is on the screen.

7) Click on the USB device you want (this might be tricky because the displayed name may not be obvious – for example, the Unknown device is a webcam):

This will add the device to the list of USB devices available to the virtual machine (again, your list will likely be different):

The first time you start the virtual machine with newly attached USB device, VirtualBox will: (1) disconnect the device from your machine and (2) create a VirtualBox USB device to connect to the device (for which Windows will automatically install the necessary device driver). When this is done, you should get the following notification:

NOTE: sometimes during this process, the VirtualBox machine will stop responding. It is safe (as far as I can tell because that is what I do) to kill the virtual machine and restart it.

When you log into your guest OS, the USB device will be attached to it.

NOTE: it may not be obvious or easy to find where the USB device is attached.

For memory cards and USB drives, I find it useful to start Disk Utility and examine where the disk has been mounted (for some reason I don’t find it in /mnt):

In the image above you can see several attached drive locations. These are the slots in a card reader I had attached to the computer.

You can also see that the memory card in question was mounted as sdb

If you have attached a different USB device (printer, scanner, camera, etc), the guest OS (in this case Linux) may have limited or no support for the device.

 

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]]> https://complete-concrete-concise.com/virtualbox-2/virtualbox-how-to-access-usb-devices/feed/ 2 Ubuntu 12.04 – How to get a Command Line, Shell, or Terminal https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-04/ubuntu-12-04-how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal/ Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=1695 These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 using the Unity interface (although, hints are provided at the bottom of the article for those who have installed a different desktop). Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands. Often, when searching the […]

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]]>

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 using the Unity interface (although, hints are provided at the bottom of the article for those who have installed a different desktop).

Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands.

Often, when searching the Internet for a solution to a problem, you often find terse (possibly cryptic) answers along the lines of:

Test if you can reach Google with ping -c 4 google.com

or

To recursively change your file permissions just: chmod 755 -R /opt/lampp/htdocs

In order to run those commands, you have to open a shell or command line or terminal (they are all synonymous, but shell is the preferred term in Linux and Unix circles).

There are many different shells, the original Unix shell is called the Bourne Shell (or sh), then came the C Shell (csh) and Korn Shell (ksh). Linux tends to use the Bourne Again Shell (bash). For the most part, they all do the same thing, so you don’t need to worry about which one you are using.

If you want to know which shell you are using, just enter echo $SHELL at the command line and press Enter.

TIP: If you find a command line solution / trick / tip for a non-Ubuntu Linux distribution, there is a good chance (though not 100% guaranteed) that it might work with Ubuntu.

If you get a Permission denied or Are you root? response when you type in the command, try prefixing the command with sudo. Ubuntu requires administrator level privileges for certain commands. sudo temporarily gives administrator privileges (after you supply your password).

For more information on using a command line, see this tutorial on Basic Command Line Techniques.

Opening a Terminal using a Keyboard Shortcut

This is the default keyboard shortcut for Ubuntu 12.04 (and probably previous Ubuntu releases) running the GNOME / Unity desktop, unless you (or someone else) has changed it, it should work.

This also the default keyboard shortcut if you have changed your desktop environment to GNOME Shell, LXDE, or the Lubuntu Desktop and will work unless you (or someone else) has changed it.

This will NOT work for the XFCE or Xubuntu Desktop unless you (or someone else) has added the keyboard shortcut.

1) Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal / command line / shell.

NOTE: pressing Ctrl + Alt + T means: simultaneously hold down the Ctrl key and Alt key, then press the T key as though you intend to type it.

DO NOT press the Shift key because Ctrl + Alt + Shift + T is different from Ctrl + Alt + T.

It does NOT matter if your Caps Lock is on or off.

The terminal should look something like this:

Opening a Terminal from Unity

1) Click the Dash icon (or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the Windows key – don’t hold it down, just tap it as if you were going to type it):

2) Type terminal into the entry field:

3) Click on the terminal icon:

Alternately, you can navigate to the terminal icon by using the arrow keys on your keyboard (if you are using the arrow keys built into your numpad ensure that Num Lock is off) and then pressing the Enter key to select it.

Opening a Terminal if You are not Using Unity

Because there are many different types of desktops available for Linux, it is not possible to list all possible ways to start the terminal. However … the general technique is the same:

1) Open the Main Menu or Applications Menu (or whatever the main menu for your environment is called).

2) If you are lucky, there will be a menu entry for a terminal (it might be called Terminal or LXTerminal or something else with terminal in the name.

3) If you are unlucky, then you will have to look for it in a submenu. It is most likely to be found in a submenu called Accessories or System.

NOTE: You may have more than one terminal application installed or the terminal application may appear in more than one menu location.

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]]> Ubuntu 11.10 – Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-installing-virtualbox-guest-additions/ https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-installing-virtualbox-guest-additions/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:19:16 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=1474 These instructions are for Ubuntu 11.10 running under VirtualBox 4.1.8r75467 on Windows 7 with SP1. They should be the same or similar for other version combinations, but I make no guarantee. These instructions are the same or very similar for many other distros of Linux, however, the VirtualBox Guest Additions don’t work with all distros […]

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]]>

These instructions are for Ubuntu 11.10 running under VirtualBox 4.1.8r75467 on Windows 7 with SP1.

They should be the same or similar for other version combinations, but I make no guarantee.

These instructions are the same or very similar for many other distros of Linux, however, the VirtualBox Guest Additions don’t work with all distros of Linux. For some Linux distros the installation does not happen automatically, you have to manually start it.

NOTE: sometimes, after Ubuntu updates have been installed, the Guest Additions will stop working.

See the section When Install Guest Additions… Doesn’t Work below on how to manually run the Guest Installation procedure again.

Why Install VirtualBox Guest Additions?

Installing the VirtualBox Guest Additions better integrates Ubuntu Linux with your system and gives you the following benefits (and more):

  1. better mouse pointer integration
  2. shared folders – useful for sharing data between OSes
  3. better video support – more resolutions, hardware acceleration, etc
  4. seamless windows (instead of having an Ubuntu desktop and a Windows desktop, the two can be combined together. While neat, it is not quite perfect. I don’t deny it is cool to see a Linux and Windows apps running side-by-side on your Windows desktop)
  5. shared clipboard

1) Click on on the Devices menu and then select Install Guest Additions…. If you are running Ubuntu in full screen mode, move your mouse to the very bottom of the screen in the middle – this will pop up the same menu options. Alternatively, you can just hold the right Ctrl key down and press the D key (the default Host key is the right Ctrl key):

NOTE: in some instances, I have noticed that selecting Install Guest Additions… or pressing Host+D installs the Guest Additions CD but fails to start the install process. If you don’t get the dialog below, please see these instructions at the bottom of the article.

2) Click Run on the information dialog:

3) Enter your password and then click on Authenticate:

4) A terminal will pop up and inside will be a message about not being able to find the headers. Don’t worry about it:

5) The guest additions will be compiled. This takes several minutes (how long depends on how fast your machine is, how much memory the virtual machine has, etc). Once it is done, you will see a message instructing you to press Enter to close the terminal:

6) Go to the System Tools icon in the top right corner and select Shut Down:

7) Choose to either Shut Down or Restart the system (it doesn’t matter which):

Once the virtual machine restarts, the guest additions will be installed and integrated.


When Install Guest Additions… Doesn’t Work

On rare occasions, I have found that Ubuntu doesn’t start the install process after step 1) above. One of these two techniques should allow you to get around that.

Trick 1

1) Click on the disk near the bottom of the Unity ribbon – it’s just above the trash can:

2) Click on Open Autorun Prompt and then continue from step 2) above:

Trick 2

1) Click on the Folder icon:

2) Click on File System, then double-click on the media folder:

3) Double-click the VBOXADDITIONS icon:

4) Click on Open Autorun Prompt and then continue from step 2) above:

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]]> https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-installing-virtualbox-guest-additions/feed/ 4 Why aren't there Linux Upgrades? https://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/why-arent-there-linux-upgrades/ Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:43:55 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/why-arent-there-linux-upgrades Over the past few weeks, I’ve been playing with various Linux distros – focussing on Ubuntu based distros. After a while, you start to see how similar they all are. In fact, they are just custom tailored versions of Ubuntu (which itself is a custom version of Debian). They come with a customized GUI, have […]

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]]> Over the past few weeks, I’ve been playing with various Linux distros – focussing on Ubuntu based distros.

After a while, you start to see how similar they all are. In fact, they are just custom tailored versions of Ubuntu (which itself is a custom version of Debian). They come with a customized GUI, have their own look and feel (and pretty background picture), but ultimately rely on the Ubuntu Software Center and Software Updates to keep running. One I tried out, Elementary OS, even prompted me to upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04.

Two days ago, Linux Mint, released version 12 of its OS. I thought that was a bad idea. Not because I think there is anything wrong with Linux Mint – it’s a fine distro, just like many other Linux distros.

I thought it was a bad idea because the average person isn’t interested in installing a particular Linux distribution. They are interested in installing an Operating System (OS), applications and using that combination to do work. If they already have a Linux distro installed, then then they aren’t interested in replacing it, but upgrading it.

This is why Ubuntu was nice. When a new version came along, you could upgrade to it and keep all your data and applications.

When a new Linux distro comes out, you don’t have the option of upgrading, you have to delete your old installation (along with applications and data), install the new Linux distro, reinstall all the applications you were using and, finally, restore all your data. whew! That is way too much work for the average user.

When Ubuntu 11.10 came out, a lot of people were unhappy that Unity was the default interface (sure, you can change it, I even wrote instructions for it here). It was not possible to roll back the upgrade. This has caused Ubuntu to drop in popularity and other distros (like Linux Mint) to rise in popularity. Unfortunately, if Ubuntu is your main work computer, it has YOUR apps installed, it has YOUR data, it is configured to work the way YOU like it, why in the world would you want to destroy all that just so you can install a different Linux distro? It doesn’t make sense.

A better option, and one I haven’t seen exploited, would be to provide “upgrades” from one distro to another. If you are unhappy with Ubuntu 11.10 and Unity, then why not be able to “upgrade” to Linux Mint 12?

The reason is simple, each distro reflects a different approach or philosophy. Some focus on being lean, others focus on being cutting edge, others focus on being “pure” (in the sense of no proprietary software). Being able to install a “lean” distro over one considered “bloated” would kind of negate the reason for the lean distro to exist.

It could be argued that what I’m really going on about is just installing a new Window Manager or desktop (like GNOME or KDE or LXDE or XFCE) – which is pretty much true. Most users don’t care what’s under the hood, they care about how they interact with it – the look and feel.

Is Linux Mint interested in releasing a Linux Mint Desktop package for Ubuntu? Or Elementary OS in releasing an Elementary OS Desktop for Ubuntu? Or any other Ubuntu derivative interested in releasing their desktop to run on Ubuntu? Probably not – why would they want to position themselves as nothing more than an add-on to Ubuntu? The only Ubuntu derivative desktops you can install on Ubuntu are Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xubuntu (which are all official Ubuntu derivatives).

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]]> Ubuntu 11.10 – How to get a Command Line, Shell, or Terminal https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal/ https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:34:07 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal This article was updated for Ubuntu 12.04. The new article can be found here. These instructions are for Ubuntu 11.10 using the Unity interface. Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands. Often, when searching the Internet for a solution […]

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]]>

This article was updated for Ubuntu 12.04. The new article can be found here.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 11.10 using the Unity interface.

Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands.

Often, when searching the Internet for a solution to a problem, you often find terse (possibly cryptic) answers along the lines of:

Test if you can reach Google with ping -c 4 google.com

or

To recursively change your file permissions just: chmod 755 -R /opt/lampp/htdocs

In order to run those commands, you have to open a shell or command line or terminal (they are all synonymous, but shell is the preferred term in Linux and Unix circles).

There are many different shells, the original Unix shell is called the Bourne Shell (or sh), then came the C Shell (csh) and Korn Shell (ksh). Linux tends to use the Bourne Again Shell (bash). For the most part, they all do the same thing, so you don’t need to worry about which one you are using.

If you want to know which shell you are using, just enter echo $SHELL and press Enter.

TIP: If you find a command line solution / trick / tip for a non-Ubuntu Linux distribution, there is a good chance (though not 100% guaranteed) that it might work with Ubuntu.

If you get a Permission denied or Are you root? response when you type in the command, try prefixing the command with sudo. Ubuntu requires administrator level privileges for certain commands. sudo temporarily gives administrator privileges (after you supply your password).

Opening a Terminal using a Keyboard Shortcut

This is the default keyboard shortcut for Ubuntu 11.10 (and probably previous Ubuntu releases) running the GNOME / Unity desktop, unless you (or someone else) has changed it, it should work.

This also the default keyboard shortcut if you have changed your desktop environment to GNOME Shell, LXDE, or the Lubuntu Desktop and will work unless you (or someone else) has changed it.

This will NOT work for the XFCE or Xubuntu Desktop unless you (or someone else) has added the keyboard shortcut.

You can access the terminal by using the keyboard shortcut: ctrl + alt + T (while pressing down the ctrl and alt key at the same time, press the T key as if you were going to type the letter T, there is no need to hold it down).

Opening a Terminal from Unity

1) Click on the Dash icon (or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the Windows key):

2) Type terminal into the entry field:

3) Click on the terminal icon:

Opening a Terminal if You are not Using Unity

Because there are many different types of desktops available for Linux, it is not possible to list all possible ways to start the terminal. However … the general technique is the same:

1) Open the Main Menu or Applications Menu (or whatever the main menu for your environment is called).

2) If you are lucky, there will be a menu entry for a terminal (it might be called Terminal or LXTerminal or something else with terminal in the name.

3) If you are unlucky, then you will have to look for it in a submenu. It is most likely to be found in either the submenu Accessories or System

NOTE: You may have more than one terminal application installed or the terminal application may appear in more than one menu location.

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]]> https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal/feed/ 26 Wubi – First Impression – Fail https://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/wubi-first-impression-fail/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:29:38 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/blog/wubi-first-impression-fail A visitor (who was kind enough to leave a comment) brought Wubi to my attention. Wubi allows you to dual-boot your system between Windows and Ubuntu without having to repartition your hard disk. It does this by creating a large file on your Windows system that it uses as if it was its own personal […]

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]]> A visitor (who was kind enough to leave a comment) brought Wubi to my attention.

Wubi allows you to dual-boot your system between Windows and Ubuntu without having to repartition your hard disk.

It does this by creating a large file on your Windows system that it uses as if it was its own personal hard disk.

Thinking this sounded cool and would allow me to try out Ubuntu on real hardware rather than in a VirtualBox virtual machine, I downloaded it.

According to the Ubuntu documentation all I need to do is:

Run Wubi, insert a password for the new account, adjust other settings such as the disk space, and click “install”.

The whole Wubi experience fell apart as soon as I ran wubi.exe – it kept throwing up these errors:

I’m not sure how many times the message came up. I was estimating 30-40 times (because I didn’t count). However, I got the same error message when I uninstalled Wubi (and I counted): the message popped up 94 + 24 times (they came in two separate batches).

After the error messages ended, I got to the install screen and it looked like the one on the Wubi page. I filled in the information and it proceeded to download Ubuntu 11.10 (AMD64 version). So far, so good everything appeared normal. Well … except for the funky colour scheme on the install dialog. I’m not sure what sort of font anti-aliasing technique they were using, but the text in the box looked awful:

It is more evident in this cropped and zoomed in image:

After the install, I actually had an \ubuntu directory and a number of folders and files in it totalling about 8GB.

After restarting my computer, I didn’t get the expected OS booting options – I booted straight into XP. The same when I shut down my computer, then started it up.

I ran the uninstaller and it gave me the same Windows - No Disk message I got on startup.

Despite the errors, it did remove the \ubuntu directory.

Thinking it might be my system (Windows XP with Service Pack 3), I checked Ubuntu’s site and:

Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000 are known to work with Wubi. Windows 98 should also work, but has not been thoroughly tested. Windows ME is not supported.

All I can say is: the latest version of Wubi does not work with Windows XP + Service Pack 3.

I was very impressed with Ubuntu 11.04 and felt that at least one Linux distro finally made it “mainstream”. However, the problems with Ubuntu 11.10, the Unity interface debacle (they should allow users the option of using a standard interface AND provide some sort of interactive tutorial on how to use Unity), and now this total failure of Wubi has eroded my positive impressions from 11.04.

Over the past few weeks, I have returned to my original impression that Linux will never be a mainstream OS because it doesn’t treat the user experience as important – users want an appliance, they don’t want to have to tinker with it, they don’t want to have to troubleshoot, they just want to be able to use it.

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]]> Ubuntu 11.10 – How to Completely Remove a Package https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-completely-remove-a-package/ https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-completely-remove-a-package/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:18:46 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=1223 This tutorial shows how to completely remove or uninstall a package in Ubuntu 11.10. These instructions should work for other versions of Ubuntu, it’s derivatives (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu) and other Debian based Linux distributions – but no guarantee is made. This tutorial assumes you are comfortable with lower level operations in Ubuntu and know […]

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]]>

This tutorial shows how to completely remove or uninstall a package in Ubuntu 11.10. These instructions should work for other versions of Ubuntu, it’s derivatives (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu) and other Debian based Linux distributions – but no guarantee is made.

This tutorial assumes you are comfortable with lower level operations in Ubuntu and know how to use apt-get. A brief introduction to apt-get can be found here.

NOTE: this introduction only covers the install aspect of apt-get. In this tutorial, we will see other apt-get commands: remove, autoremove, and --auto-remove

WARNING ! ! !

There is a small but real risk of data loss or making other programs or Ubuntu unusable.

Ensure you have a backup before proceeding

The Problem

A package is installed using either Ubuntu Software Center or apt-get. Later it is uninstalled, but you discover that not everything has been removed. Usually, this happens when you install and then uninstall one of the alternate Ubuntu desktops (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, or Xubuntu) – the result is a mess.

This happens because a number of Recommended and Extra packages are installed along with the requested package. Unfortunately, many times, these Recommended and Extrapackages are not removed during uninstallation.

Example 1 – an easy to clean up install

Installing the package stellarium causes an extra package called stellarium-data to be installed as well:

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get install stellarium
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  stellarium-data
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  stellarium stellarium-data
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 100 not upgraded.
Need to get 35.6 MB of archives.
After this operation, 48.2 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Uninstalling the package stellarium does not uninstall the extra package.

When using apt-get to remove stellarium (yellow) we are informed that an extra package had been installed (red) and should be removed using apt-get autoremove. The only package being removed by apt-get is the stellarium package (blue):

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get remove stellarium
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following package was automatically installed and is no longer
required:
  stellarium-data
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  stellarium
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 100 not upgraded.
After this operation, 7,090 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Running the command apt-get autoremove removes certain types of packages. It removes packages that depend on other packages, but those packages no longer exist:

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  stellarium-data
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 123 not upgraded.
After this operation, 41.1 MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Those two steps of running the apt-get with the commands remove and autoremove can be combined into a single step. In this case, you specify the remove command and the --auto-remove flag / switch (yes, I know, it is spelled differently from the command, I have no idea why). This is how the Ubuntu Software Center runs the command when you use it to remove Remove a package:

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove stellarium
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  stellarium stellarium-data
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 2 to remove and 100 not upgraded.
After this operation, 48.2 MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Example 2 – a hard to clean up install

Not all recommended and extra packages that apt-get installs are easy to uninstall.

If you install one of the Ubuntu based desktops, like edubuntu-desktop, kubuntu-desktop, lubuntu-desktop, or xubuntu-desktop, you will find they install many recommended and extra packages. These extra packages might add to the experience of the installed package, but they don’t get removed when you uninstall the package. For example, installing lubuntu-desktop will also install the Abiword word processor, a number of games, the Chromium web browser along with many other packages.

Notice all the extra packages (blue) being installed along with lubuntu-desktop (yellow):

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar
  abiword-plugin-mathview ace-of-penguins audacious
  audacious-plugins chromium-browser chromium-browser-l10n
  chromium-codecs-ffmpeg elementary-icon-theme
  esound-common galculator gdebi gdebi-core giblib1
  gnome-icon-theme-full gnome-mplayer gnome-time-admin
  gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gpicview guvcview
  hardinfo indicator-status-provider-pidgin leafpad libabiword-2.8
  libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libaiksaurus-1.2-data
  libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libaudclient2 libaudcore1 libaudiofile0
  libbinio1ldbl libcddb2 libcompfaceg1 libcue1 libdiscid0 libesd0
  libexo-1-0 libexo-common libfluidsynth1 libfm-data libfm-gtk-data
  libfm-gtk1 libfm1 libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a
  libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgringotts2
  libgsf-1-114 libgsf-1-common libgtkmathview0c2a libimlib2
  libjpeg-progs liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmcrypt4 libmcs1
  libmenu-cache1 libmowgli2 libmusicbrainz3-6 libobrender27 libobt0
  libonig2 libopenal1 libopts25 libots0 libpisock9
  libresid-builder0c2a libsidplay2 libsvga1 libtar0 libuniconf4.6
  libvdpau1 libwebcam0 libwv-1.2-3 libwvstreams4.6-base
  libwvstreams4.6-extras libxfce4ui-1-0 libxfce4util-bin
  libxfce4util-common libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2
  libxvidcore4 link-grammar-dictionaries-en lm-sensors
  lubuntu-artwork lubuntu-core lubuntu-default-settings
  lubuntu-icon-theme lxappearance lxappearance-obconf lxde-common
  lxde-core lxdm lxinput lxkeymap lxlauncher lxmenu-data lxpanel
  lxpanel-indicator-applet-plugin lxrandr lxsession lxsession-edit
  lxshortcut lxtask lxterminal mplayer mtpaint ntp obconf openbox
  openbox-themes osmo pcmanfm pidgin pidgin-data pidgin-libnotify
  pidgin-microblog plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo
  plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text python-xklavier scrot sylpheed
  sylpheed-doc sylpheed-i18n sylpheed-plugins transmission ttf-lyx
  uvcdynctrl uvcdynctrl-data wvdial xfburn xfce-keyboard-shortcuts
  xfce4-power-manager xfce4-power-manager-data xfconf xfonts-100dpi
  xpad xscreensaver
Suggested packages:
  gecko-mediaplayer gnumeric-plugins-extra epiphany-browser
  docbook-xsl mesa-utils evince-gtk libmcrypt-dev mcrypt
  libmcs-backend-gconf libmcs-utils jpilot pilot-link kpilot
  gnome-pilot claws-mail nvidia-vdpau-driver vdpau-driver fancontrol
  sensord read-edid i2c-tools indicator-application-gtk2
  indicator-messages-gtk2 indicator-sound-gtk2 mplayer-doc netselect
  fping ntp-doc menu ttf-dejavu libxml2-dev gnome-panel
  kdebase-workspace-bin docker claws-mail-tools bsfilter
  xfce4-power-manager-plugins xfs xserver xfishtank xdaliclock
  fortune qcam streamer gdm3 kdm-gdmcompat
Recommended packages:
  amixer locales-all
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar
  abiword-plugin-mathview ace-of-penguins audacious
  audacious-plugins chromium-browser chromium-browser-l10n
  chromium-codecs-ffmpeg elementary-icon-theme esound-common
  galculator gdebi gdebi-core giblib1 gnome-icon-theme-full
  gnome-mplayer gnome-time-admin gnumeric gnumeric-common
  gnumeric-doc gpicview guvcview hardinfo
  indicator-status-provider-pidgin leafpad libabiword-2.8
  libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libaiksaurus-1.2-data
  libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libaudclient2 libaudcore1 libaudiofile0
  libbinio1ldbl libcddb2 libcompfaceg1 libcue1 libdiscid0 libesd0
  libexo-1-0 libexo-common libfluidsynth1 libfm-data libfm-gtk-data
  libfm-gtk1 libfm1 libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a
  libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgringotts2
  libgsf-1-114 libgsf-1-common libgtkmathview0c2a libimlib2
  libjpeg-progs liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmcrypt4 libmcs1
  libmenu-cache1 libmowgli2 libmusicbrainz3-6 libobrender27 libobt0
  libonig2 libopenal1 libopts25 libots0 libpisock9
  libresid-builder0c2a libsidplay2 libsvga1 libtar0 libuniconf4.6
  libvdpau1 libwebcam0 libwv-1.2-3 libwvstreams4.6-base
  libwvstreams4.6-extras libxfce4ui-1-0 libxfce4util-bin
  libxfce4util-common libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2
  libxvidcore4 link-grammar-dictionaries-en lm-sensors
  lubuntu-artwork lubuntu-core lubuntu-default-settings
  lubuntu-desktop lubuntu-icon-theme lxappearance
  lxappearance-obconf lxde-common lxde-core lxdm lxinput
  lxkeymap lxlauncher lxmenu-data lxpanel
  lxpanel-indicator-applet-plugin lxrandr lxsession lxsession-edit
  lxshortcut lxtask lxterminal mplayer mtpaint ntp obconf openbox
  openbox-themes osmo pcmanfm pidgin pidgin-data pidgin-libnotify
  pidgin-microblog plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo
  plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text python-xklavier scrot sylpheed
  sylpheed-doc sylpheed-i18n sylpheed-plugins transmission ttf-lyx
  uvcdynctrl uvcdynctrl-data wvdial xfburn xfce-keyboard-shortcuts
  xfce4-power-manager xfce4-power-manager-data xfconf xfonts-100dpi
  xpad xscreensaver
0 upgraded, 145 newly installed, 0 to remove and 19 not upgraded.
Need to get 86.9 MB of archives.
After this operation, 315 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Uninstalling lubuntu-desktop using sudo apt-get remove lubuntu-desktop only removes the lubuntu-desktop package (yellow) but none of the other packages that were installed installed with it:

richard@richard-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove lubuntu-desktop
[sudo] password for richard:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  lubuntu-desktop
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 123 not upgraded.
After this operation, 32.8 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

This is because none of those packages depend on lubuntu-desktop to function. They are recommended and installed because they contribute to the overall “Lubuntu experience”. They all have to be removed separately.

Next page -> “The Solution”

(page navigation is just under the Related posts at the bottom of the page).

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]]> https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-how-to-completely-remove-a-package/feed/ 6 Ubuntu 11.10 – Understanding sudo apt-get install … https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-understanding-sudo-apt-get-install/ https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-11-10-understanding-sudo-apt-get-install/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:35:08 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/web-tools/ubuntu-11-10-understanding-sudo-apt-get-install This tutorial is for Ubuntu 11.10, however, it should be the same for other versions of Ubuntu (and derivatives, like edubuntu, kubuntu, lubuntu, and xubuntu) and other Linux distributions based on Debian. However, no guarantee is made. What makes Ubuntu very easy to use is the Ubuntu Software Center which allows users an easy way […]

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This tutorial is for Ubuntu 11.10, however, it should be the same for other versions of Ubuntu (and derivatives, like edubuntu, kubuntu, lubuntu, and xubuntu) and other Linux distributions based on Debian.

However, no guarantee is made.

What makes Ubuntu very easy to use is the Ubuntu Software Center which allows users an easy way to select and install or remove packages (usually programs).

However, when you search the web looking for help with Ubuntu, often times you see something to the effect of:

Enter the following command:

sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop

While this is clear for those who know what it means, I believe the majority of Ubuntu users are those who want a simple to install and use Linux OS – they are not interested in lower level details of managing their system.

In most cases, you can enter the package name into the Ubuntu Software Center and install it that way. For example, if you found the instructions: sudo apt-get install lubuntu-core and didn’t want to use apt-get you could enter lubuntu-core into the search field of Ubuntu Software Center and select the appropriate package from there.

Advantages of using apt-get

When you use the Ubuntu Software Manager, all the details of the installation are hidden from you – you don’t know if you are installing just one package or twelve.

Using apt-get, you can see which packages are going to be installed. This also makes it easier to know which packages to uninstall if you uninstall later.

A common complaint about Microsoft Windows is that applications often install a lot of junk that is not removed when the application is uninstalled. Ubuntu isn’t any better in this regard. This is because installers and uninstallers are hard to write – when you uninstall you don’t want to accidentally remove packages or files that some other application is using, so uninstallers tend to be conservative and leave stuff behind.

Another advantage of using apt-get instead of the Ubuntu Software Center is that apt-get allows you to install multiple packages with a single command. With the Ubuntu Software Center you need to install each package separately.

For example, if I want to install the astronomy packages Stellarium and Celestia GNOME using the Ubuntu Software Center, I need to install each separately. Using apt-get, I can install both from the same command by separating them with a space:

sudo apt-get install stellarium celestia-gnome

What it is

The command is really two commands:

  1. sudo – a command to grant super user access to the system. Ubuntu is configured to prevent administrative (or system level) changes to the operating system. This is a security measure. sudo allows a user to temporarily override this behaviour.
  2. apt-get – the Advanced Packaging Tool which allows users to install, remove, and update packages on their system.

Using apt-get

Instructions on how to open a terminal can be found here.

1) Type the command and press Enter (in this case, I am installing the package stellarium):

2) Type your password and press Enter. Note: as a security measure, your keystrokes are not echoed back to you. You will be typing, but see no feedback on the screen. While weird, this is normal.

3) Examine the install information (if you like):

The install information shows you the following:

  • Any extra packages that will be installed along with the selected package (yellow)
  • The list of packages to be installed this includes the package you are installing along with any extra packages needed (green)
  • A summary of (1) number of packages being upgraded, (2) number of new packages being installed, (3) number of packages being removed, (4) number of packages that are unaffected (red)
  • How large the download will be (blue)
  • How much disk space will be used by the installation (grey)

apt-get may display additional information, but, for this tutorial, it is not relevant.

4) If you want to go ahead with the installation, press Enter. If you changed your mind, type n (upper or lower case – it doesn’t matter) and press Enter,

5) Wait for the installation to finish. During installation, you will see downloading information and installation information:


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