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MX on Linux: Difference between revisions
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→Do you know how to install packages?: add section for RPi interactive
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=Do you know how to install packages?=
This is one of several places on this page where a novice can skip on to step-by-step instructions (in this case continue reading at [[#Cumulus packages]]), but others
==Interactive Package management on RPi==
Read on for a short technical digression to explain the commands for how to install and update software packages (the same commands can be used to install software for [[Your_Own_Server]], or to read the SQLite databases used by MX [[Cumulusmx.db]] and [[Diary.db]]).▼
If you are using a Raspberry Pi computer, and have the full version of the Raspberry Pi Operating System that includes the desktop interactive user interface, click the "raspberry" button on your official keyboard, or the "raspberry start-here" icon in the task bar (by default task bar appears at top of screen, but can be at side or bottom; the position where the menu icon appears is also configurable) giving you access to the '''menu'''. Scroll down to preferences, then find "Add / Remove Software" item and click that. On the top left of the screen that is displayed there is a menu item called "Options", that gives you access to the options relating to installing packages:
* '''Refresh Package Lists''' - although this is not first in list, it is the menu item that you should choose first. You see an indication of progress, but you don't get any feedback on what it finds, which is up-to-date information about status of all your existing packages.
* '''Check for updates''' - this menu item will pop up a "package updater" screen. If you have first selected the "Refresh Package Lists" menu item, then "Check for updates" will show any updates available for your existing packages, and you can tick/untick any in the list, and then click '''Quit''' or ''Install update'' buttons at bottom right of screen as appropriate. This is by far the easiest way to do updates, and avoid any update where the new version might give you problems. If you choose to update, you will be asked to supply the password.
* '''Package Log ...''' - this menu item displays (latest first) every package install or update whether done using the option above or the terminal commands described in subsequent sections.
* '''Package Sources ...''' - avoid this menu item, it should be considered an information only screen, although you could tick/untick entries there is not enough information to understand what each line represents!
The rest of the "Add / Remove Software" screen lists a lot of categories, under a search box, selecting any category causes all software in that category to be listed, component by component. None of this is friendly to novices, and I assume any technical reader can work out how to tick/untick required components. As a quick example, category "Programming" would bring up a huge list, scrolling down that list to find components starting with "php" would list what PHP components, ticking those required and the "Apply" button would install those components.
==Using Package Manager in terminal mode==
▲Read on for a short technical digression to explain the commands
==The various components to commands for installation==
Novice readers were advised to skip this part of this Wiki page. That is because everyone should exercise caution before using "sudo", changing folder/file ownership, adding write rights, and even using "-R" or "-y" flag. The use of "sudo" makes it very easy to inadvertently do the wrong action, in the worst case making your computer unusable because it can delete vital folders/files because of something as simple as a typo.
: '''For technical readers only''', the full use of "sudo" is
===Package tool===
===install===
The third part of our installation instruction is the action parameter.
In our current context this is “install”, which tells our package manager what we are trying to either update an existing package or install a package that we did not have before, i.e. <code>sudo apt'' install'' package_name</code>.
Here is full list of what can follow “apt” (if you are using a different package manager, I cannot guarantee that these can follow that package manager name), as we will use some of the alternatives later:
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