(SOLVED) Install Applications in LITE - Any User Manuals

Hi,
I am currently PERSEVERING with my efforts to obtain a useable Zorin OS9 LITE OS on a Acer 3500 laptop.
My first experience of Zorin did not go well because I had to discover myself that Zorin Core will not run on SIS chipset BUT Zorin LITE will???
Despite the time and patience wasted learning this I got the OS up and running.
It's like a challenge now and I uninstall windows 7 and try to get further forward with Zorin LITE when I get the opportunity.
Now I find it seems so difficult to get applications such as OpenOffice installed and pinned to the menu or task bar.
Having spent hours reading many guides, learning abot Software Centre, GDebi etc. on this forum I am beginning to realise this is an enthusiast/professional OS and is almost impossible for the everyday user to comprehend.
Despite this I would like to try and get some applications loaded and pinned to the task bar and start menu, (before I even think about adding a printer).
Anyone know of a "USER" manual that would give me the basics?
Perhaps some guide that approches the OS from a USERS point of view that has things like...

Searching for and Getting Updates
Setting up Updates
Getting and Installing other Applications
Pinning Other Applications to the Menu
Pinning Other Applications to the Start Bar

Stuff for the user who is willing to try something other than Windows and needs a basic "How To"
I don't want to know how to understand or program linux, I just want to drive the Zorin OS, (if that's feasible?) and I do not want to keep posting questions and taking up the experts time with non-stop questions as this only leads to frustration for them and me!
Regards

Hi,

start here:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4835

Hi Wolfman,
Thanks for your reply, and previous help.
Already studied most of your posts but you do not cover the basics that I mention in my post.
You cover Autostart and GDebi etc. but I am looking for the help needed when you follow the instuctions but nothing happens.
For example, I know that Zorin Core can pin an application to the Task Bar, but I would like to find out how you would actually do this in Zorin LITE.
I have learnt from your posts that you can use the "Application Launch Bar" to add to the Start Menu but a newbie would like to know WHERE the application that he installed using GDebi is so that he could get it into the "Available Applications" dialogue and be able to select it to ADD an icon to the LXDE Panel.
These are the basics I am talking about.
Regards
Greg

Did you not read this section of the Zorin Lite guide?:

"Adding or Removing icons to/from the LXDE panel:"

Hi Wolman,
Yes, I did read your post and as my last post points out it's an issue of getting an application to appear in the dialogue so that it could be selected to add.
Quoting from my last post:-
' I have learnt from your posts that you can use the "Application Launch Bar" to add to the Start Menu but a newbie would like to know WHERE the application that he installed using GDebi is so that he could get it into the "Available Applications" dialogue and be able to select it to ADD an icon to the LXDE Panel.'

This is where someone who is new to Zorin has no idea what to do and there is no reference to this that I can find.
I have downloaded and extracted Apache OpenOffice four times using all the methods I can think of yet I cannot get the application into the "Available Applications" dialogue so that I can select it for the menu or task bar.
I even tried Libre office but Zorin tells me that 'Package Operation Fail' - 'This Is Not An Official Zorin Package'.
At that point I posted because I had run out of ideas and patience.
Regards
Greg

Hi Greg,

I will try and install Apache OO on Zorin Lite maybe 2morrow and see where the problem might lie, you do know that you can install LibreOffice directly onto Zorin Lite via the repo don't you, I know you said it failed so check your software settings and make sure it is set to "Main":

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2247

Once you check your settings, try installing with the following terminal command:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libreoffice

Hi Wolfman,
What is the "repo" you mention I could use to install Libre Office?
If you have success with OpenOffice install can you tip me the process you use please?
My problem is that I cannot get my head around the process required to get an application into the "Available Applications" dialogue so that I can select it to be installed into the menu's.
I notice many posts asking and discussing how to "Pin" applications on the task bar, and many replies that give recommendations that are sometimes quite involved.
I found that when I got Mozzilla's Thunderbird loaded via the Software Centre it appeared in the "Internet" group on the Start Menu automatically.
It was an easy process then to right click the Task Bar, select "Add / Remove Panel Items", then "Application Launch Bar" from the "Panel Preferences" then "Edit" and "Add" Thunderbird from the "Internet" group in "Available Applications" dialogue.
I will give Libre Office another try today and let you know if I have success.
Thanks for your help.
Regards
Greg

Hi Greg,

pinning apps isn't that easy under LXDE (Lite), that is why I included instructions in the Lite guide.

Anyway, back to your other problem with office, open Synaptic > Settings > Repositories > Ubuntu Software and make sure that the Download from says "Main", if it is already set to main and you still can't install LO, change your software sources download location to a different server (see pic):



Once you have changed the download location, click on the reload button (top left) to refresh your software apps list, then type in search "libreoffice" and it should show up, once you find it, mark for installation and on "Apply", I am using Lite too and installed it no problem!.

You can also do any updates as well while still in Synaptic!.

Let us know how you get on!.

Hi Greg,

just to let you know that I have LO installed and pinned to the panel in Lite!:

Hi Wolfman.
I gave up and re-installed LITE again and this time only attempted libre office and thunderbird via the Synaptic application.
ALL installed OK and pinned to the task bar no problem, only just finished when your reply came in.
Must have been a conflict with OpenOffice software attempt and I can only assume OpenOffice is Ubuntu only and not compatible with Zorin.
I would still like to find a way of loading applications like OpenOffice but I am wondering if LITE just cannot do this.
Regards
Greg

OpenOffice is way behind LibreOffice as the latter has most of the devs that used to work on OpenOffice over at The Document Foundation!

Hi Greg,

OO was the parent app of LO and as such, they might conflict with each other, I would stick with LO as it is stable imo!.

Hi Wolfman,
OK I will stick with what works, Libre Office seems to work very well anyway.
Everything works OK if you stick to Zorin confines and I will say the LITE OS works very well on my old laptops.
Still a bit concerned that other applications outside of Zorin Synaptic Package Manager seem impossible to install on the system but I also see the upside of easy and secure installation.
I now get the idea of Synaptic Package Manager but for a newbie the thousands of files that trun up after searching for the application are daunting when you have to choose which file to "Mark For Install".
I think a marker or clue would be helpful. I think the reason I had problems originally may have been becuase I selected the wrong file for install.
Even now I just try and find the libre office file with no extensions and what looks like the "Full Package".
I would not dare just try to install the Word Processor or Spreadsheet applications although that's all that I need!
All I have to face now is to run the ATI Graphics Drivers from the Acer OS Disks and then try and install a Brother Ink Jet Printer.
Thanks again for all your help.
Regards
Greg

Hi Greg,

do not try and install ATI drivers from the Acer drivers disk!.

What graphics card do you have?, if you have anything below the 5XXX series, stick with the onboard drivers otherwise you might bork your system!.

Did you look at the "Additional Drivers Tool in Lite? to see if your drivers are listed.

Also see the Zorin Lite post install guide with links about Brother printers!.

Read this with caution!:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6951

USE THE ABOVE AT YOUR OWN RISK!.

OK Wolfman,

It's ATI Radeon Mobility x700 PCI 64Mb, but I will stick with Zorin LITE OS Drivers.
The only reason I was thinking of updating was that there is a mis-registration that gives a small red vertical bar a couple of pixels wide on the left of the screen and flash video in firefox looked a bit jerky at full screen.
It's no big deal as this low spec laptop does not need to have great video performance.
Proper drivers would probably not improve things that much, I just wondered if the video ram may be used better.

Regards
Greg

Hi Greg,

leave the onboard drivers alone, with that GPU; you aren't going to get anything better than what you already have!.

You can try installing Chromium browser (minus the Google Spyware) instead of FireFox as it uses less power!.

I have marked this thread as solved, if you have problems with your Brother printer, please feel free to start a new thread.

I can't remember if I have tried installing Gdebi (gdebi package installer) on Lite but you could give it a try.

1. Open a terminal and enter:

Code:

sudo apt-get install gdebi

Then if you download .deb packages outside of the main repository, just right-click and select 'Open with ...' and choose gdebi - it is an excellent installer and will report back at point of install if all dependencies are met or otherwise or needs additional packages installing which you can 'accept' from the Gdebi interface.

2. You can also install .rpm (redhat package manager) wrapped files using 'alien' but it does require the command line to do this.

In a terminal enter:

Code:

sudo apt-get install alien

Then if you have an .rpm file you can change this to a .deb file by navigating to the downloaded .rpm file and enter:

Code:

sudo alien [name of package]

this will create a .deb file in the same location as your original .rpm file - then right-click and open with ... Gdebi!