El Duvelle
I am back using #Linux #Ubuntu and am already (figuratively) crying after 10 min because I simply want to install something but clicking on the downloaded install file doesn’t install it, nope, it just tries to open it as a text file, and I just wonder WHY do they have to make everything SO DIFFICULT
Aug 9, 2023 at 9:02pmWeb
Show threadcrhensleyAug 9, 2023
@elduvelle T
They just like to see, how many geniuses, they can frustrate.
Show threadEl DuvelleAug 9, 2023
@cr_hensley and then there is the command line. It’s great. It looks all fancy. It has bright green text. But WHY can’t I paste text into it. It is a text-based program and when I paste some text it just writes V. But of course! if I do it with the mouse it actually pastes. And yes I have googled this before and there is an explanation.
But again… WHY not make it EASY instead of DIFFICULT
(Sorry)
Show threadmanishaAug 9, 2023
@elduvelle yeah it can be frustrating. let's see if I can help. what's the file extension? Sometimes you just need to change the default application that is used to open the file. Other times I've had to modify the file permissions using the chmod command for the file to be executable.
Show threadEl DuvelleAug 9, 2023
@manisha you are very kind :) it’s ok I got it to install, although now I have to accept the license agreement, so to read that I have to press Enter for each additional line to show in the command line, because of course it can’t have a scroll bar like literally any other program on Earth, but once it arrives at the last line, I have to instead press Y to accept it, and if I press Enter instead, it considers I rejected it, and then I have to redo the whole process AGAIN and go more SLOWLY so that I don’t have to do it … again
(sorry, I just need to rant)
Show threadRoomeyAug 9, 2023
@elduvelle @manisha what program was it?
Show threadEl DuvelleAug 9, 2023
@roomey @manisha anaconda
Show threadRoomeyAug 9, 2023

@elduvelle @manisha oh yea, that is a right pain. I gave up on that years ago, could never get the dam thing to work

(And the ctrl+shift+v thing to paste is because ctrl+v sends a control character to the terminal. Legacy stuff!)

Show threadEl DuvelleAug 9, 2023
@roomey @manisha to be fair, the install instructions are very detailed and relatively clear. But really we shouldn’t need install instructions in this day and age… there should be an install button and maybe some options and there you go!
Show threadRoomeyAug 9, 2023
@elduvelle @manisha well, if I can't apt install Blah it's already turned me off to be honest
Show threadmanishaAug 9, 2023

@elduvelle @roomey oh anaconda! that explains it lol

Reading their installation doc: https://docs.anaconda.com/free/anaconda/install/linux/ and this is what it says:

Press Enter to review the license agreement. ** Then press and hold Enter to scroll. **

oooof! 😬​

great that you got it to install and completely understandable how painful the installation process can be, even more so if you are building from source (which is sometimes required for linux apps). here's a recent thread I think you'd like 😅​: https://mastodon.social/@wingo/110844395182630067

Installing on Linux — Anaconda documentation

Show threadLorenAmelangAug 10, 2023

@elduvelle @manisha "so to read that I have to press Enter for each additional line to show"

I ran into a similar hassle last month. I have no idea if this would have worked for you, but the clue I needed was:

By default, Paru uses VIM keyboard shortcuts, so when you see a :, press the q key to continue.

And that is a brilliant example of why Linux is hard for people who didn't grow up with how it worked many years ago. Who today would think to press 'q' to continue scrolling rather than quit? And even once you know that might work, do you dare try it?

Now I have the same Sublime Text editor, Vivaldi browser, and Thunderbird eMail in Linux as in Windows, and they work the same. But installing things is still a challenge!

Show threadEl DuvelleAug 10, 2023

@LorenAmelang @manisha wow, yes that is pretty counter-intuitive! I don’t think that was the case for me. I could just keep Enter down to scroll… but it just didn’t automatically stop at the end of the scrolling.

In some ways Linux reminds me of earlier Mastodon where you had to read tons of tutorials to figure out what to do when you arrived. It has improved a bit now but it gives a snobbish impression - either you know and you’re in, or you don’t and this program is certainly not going to help you figure it out. But it’s definitely going to print a lot of colorful messages when installing stuff so that your screen looks fancy.

Of course people are very helpful when you ask them… but if the program was well-designed you shouldn’t need google or other people to make it work!

Show threadJeremy ForestAug 10, 2023
@elduvelle There is a learning curve but keep at it ! :) You'll managed and then never go back :p
Show threadEl DuvelleAug 10, 2023
@jeremyforest Nah I’ve already wasted way too much time on it. I’m officially giving up. (Well except I can’t fully give up because I have to use it for some things at work). Thank you though :)