Installing programs

[Oldmartian 0]

I'm new to Linux and have installed Fedora C5. I am reading L. for Dummies (only thing I've found yet that helps - and it helps very little). I want to install a program but I have to install gyum (graphical yum) first. I found it on a site and DL it to the desktop. There were 2 .rpm files and the web page said I needed both: gyum-1.0-1.fc1.noarch.rpm and gyum-2.0.7-1.noarch.rpm.

 

So I d-clicked on the 1.0 proggie and itstalled it. I then went to the second and it said the one installed is newer than what I'm trying to install.

 

OK, I can live with that, in Linux version numbers run backwards, maybe. So I wanted to put a launcher on the menu bar. Where the hell is the installed program? Linux apparently puts it somewhere. I didn't have a chance to tell it where to put it. I searched and gyum didn't come up.

 

Where does Linux put installed proggies? Can't I choose where to put them? I logged into root and got a terminal up and tried to run guym and got a message "Bad magic number in .pyc file"

 

Now what does that mean?

 

This stuff ain't easy, but I am trying...

[danleff 0]

Linux from sratch is a good reference book for the basics of linux, but not totally relevant for Fedora Core 5.

 

The program that you tried to install is for an older version of Fedora, which looks like Core 1, which is no longer used. The bad magic number refers to this older program your are trying to install needing to be compiled in an old version of the application compiler than what is on your system. In short, the program is very outdated.

 

FC 5 has a graphical interface for the package installer called yumex. See The Unofficial Fedora FAQ for a description of how to install Yumex, the interface that you need (question # 3).

 

You than either invoke Yumex from the command line (as root user) or if you are using the gnome desktop, go to Applications-->System Tools--> Yum Extender (yumex).

[Oldmartian 0]

Thanks. I'm giving it a try right now...

 

It comes up with an error:

"Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: core"

 

I looked at the FAQ and went to yumex site and found it had moved. MY Fedora 5 apparently wasn't informed of the move.

 

Now that you've given me a lead I'll try to track down a solution. Please stand by...

[Oldmartian 0]

I signed up at the yumex site but there is nothing to download. I'll have to find the proggie by google, I guess.

 

It seems in Linux most of the sites have seveal following links to downloads but there usually isn't anything at the end of the trail. More puzzles and distractions to solve on the way to learing Linux. Did Linus T. write the dongeons and dragons program in the 1970's?

 

I need more clues.

[Oldmartian 0]

That was too easy. I found it proggie in Denmark. I don't know why I thought I'd find yumex in the yumex website!

 

Whoops!... Lots of stuff in the archive, but nothing makes sense. No executables. The only readme told of a link to Subversion.tigris. So another dead lead.

 

Also the archive was for only Fedora 3. I'm using Fedora 5. Maybe I should look for the Fedora 3 bittorrent...

[Oldmartian 0]

Well, I now decided to try the Add/Remove software for my downloaded copy of yumex. Instead the 'puter connected to the Net and doaded the thousands of proggies available, among which were 2 versions of yumex. I chose the one with the higher number, probably making the same mistake on higher numbers mean later releases.

 

Well, donch know it installed.

 

Is it usable? I can't tell. I had so much fun trying go get the proggie I forgot what I wanted to use it for. More research!

[Wilhelmus 1]

These two guides can become useful in your research, among the fedorafaq.org:

http://www.stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_5_installation_notes.html

http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-fedora-fc5.html

 

[Oldmartian 0]

Thanks for the leads. That's a lot of reading...

 

I've got a start on it though.