this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025
45 points (90.9% liked)

Linux

8602 readers
667 users here now

A community for everything relating to the GNU/Linux operating system (except the memes!)

Also, check out:

Original icon base courtesy of lewing@isc.tamu.edu and The GIMP

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I know it's not that hard $ dpkg -i but opening the terminal gives normies an aneurysm and thanks to the crazy gatekeeping gen alpha doesn't know what a file type is now.

I use Ubuntu btw. Personally, the App store's on Linux confused me a ton, setting up Flatpak and some other package repositories. I much preferred the windows way, shocker, with just downloading and double-click the exe file.

Do I have to make a pull request myself to get this done, or what is the debate on this?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] JamonBear@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 month ago

FWIW instead of dpkg -i stuff.deb, you can use apt as such: apt install ./stuff.deb (The path syntax like ./ is required to use a local file instead of searching for a package name).

Unlike dpkg, apt is able to fetch dependencies if needed.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

the monkey's paw curls a finger and your wish is granted

you can now right click and select install. But it doesn't actually install properly.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It doesn't check dependencies.

You have 356 different copies of libcurl installed on your system.

Nginx, Apache and Lighttpd are all running in the background and collectively using the same port, somehow.

Wayland and X are both running with multiple sessions but none of them are on the default TTY.

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

dpkg doesn't? I sometimes use apt install command but didn't think it mattered if the deb package was configured right.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 12 points 1 month ago

It's an embellishment on the above monkey's paw comment, not actual technical information.

[–] DmMacniel@feddit.org 18 points 1 month ago

Strange when I double click a .deb and or a .flatpakref file the gnome software application opens with the option to install that package. (Linux mint)

[–] bryceac@mastodon.world 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

@RommieDroid It’s not there by default, but Gdebi can do the trick. I used it quite a lot when I first started with Linux.

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's awesome. Thank you.

[–] bryceac@mastodon.world 6 points 1 month ago

@RommieDroid No problem. Many of us are here to help in the #linux community, though I wouldn’t say I’m the most advanced with it.

[–] erytau@programming.dev 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Gnome-Software and GDebi can do exactly that for you. Download a deb, right click "open with X", and they'll install it for you using GUI. You can even change file associations so debs are opened by gdebi/gnome-software by simple double-clicking.

[–] JamonBear@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I much preferred the windows way, shocker, with just downloading and double-click the exe file.

This is appimage!

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 8 points 1 month ago

Om, AppImage is portable exe. Has it's uses.

[–] MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I really don't understand why it's not more streamlined, it should work like an exe where I just click it and it installs and handles dependencies automatically.

[–] manxu@piefed.social 7 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Installing a random .deb comes with enormous security implications. I am not sure that making the process more beginner friendly is a really good idea.

"Beginner friendly" should be limited to things from the main repositories, and for that there is the Software Center.

[–] obsoleteacct@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 month ago

What linux does and does not protect the user from is endlessly hilarious to me.

Hey linux, I want to install a file you downloaded.

Linux: Sounds risky man

I'd like my file explorer to have super user privleges.

Linux: Are you out of your god damned mind?

Hey linux, I want to delete the kernel that I'm actively using right now.

Linux: Hell yeah. I'll go to the looney bin with you.

[–] dev_null@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Not any more dangerous than installing a random exe. And a GUI that opens when you click one could explain that danger much better than what currently happens: people blindly use sudo dpkg and that's it.

[–] PatrickYaa@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

It's the same thing with .exe on windows. It's potentially dangerous and people need to be mindful what they download and install.

[–] MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That is fair, I suppose being able to click and run stuff like Appimages has less security issues because in theory they are isolated? But don't the appimages get to decide their own permissions?

[–] rikudou@lemmings.world 3 points 1 month ago

It's not any more secure. The point that "installing random debs is insecure" has been running around for at least the last 16 years I've been a Linux user.

While it's technically true, AppImages are as secure as random debs. Same with random repositories that are not provided by your system. Same with flatpaks.

And unless you're an extremely basic user, you'll eventually have to install an application not in your repositories. The method doesn't really matter, it's all equally (in)secure.

[–] bryceac@mastodon.world 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

@MangoPenguin @RommieDroid It’s more so that the people working on “beginner friendly” Linux distros are pushing users towards Software Centers/App stores these days.

Those of us who are familiar with the old ways don’t really have much trouble, but there’s stuff that is a big pain, like #LibreOffice

Installing the latest version of that is easier to do in the terminal and can’t be done as conveniently as what you propose, though I wish it was that easy.

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm not so sure about those beginner-friendly distros, they seem a little doggy and miss out on the massive work that the Debian and Ubuntu teams do that a smaller team can not. Snap is good for small, one time use or untrusted apps. But most of the time, its performance is really slow. It needs some work.

[–] bryceac@mastodon.world 5 points 1 month ago

@RommieDroid Most of them are based on Ubuntu, such as Mint and the stagnated Pop! OS.

I can’t say what they are all like, but Ubuntu and its family are all the ones adopting a software center/App store these days.

In the past, I remember using Synaptic for searching for software, which was just a GUI front end for APT.

I’ve been using Nala lately in my VMs though.

[–] demerara@social.vivaldi.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

@bryceac @MangoPenguin @RommieDroid LibreOffice is certainly an exception. One deb, no problem, but a whole screen full of them? And just running dpkg -i may get you two instances depending on the update? I finally went for flatpak on this one.

[–] bryceac@mastodon.world 1 points 1 month ago

@demerara @MangoPenguin @RommieDroid I just try to find the current way to uninstall the preloaded version and then run dpkg -i *.deb in the extracted directory for the latest, but I can kind of see how that can be possible.

[–] FizzyOrange@programming.dev 9 points 1 month ago

This is deliberately not allowed in order to ensure that Linux remains exclusive for nerds.

[–] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 month ago

I use Mint and I just double-click *.deb files to install them. Ubuntu does not do this?

[–] smiletolerantly@awful.systems 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Is this really a common occurrence for you, that the package isn't available via apt?

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

On Debian it is. The stable branch is a pain. I need to switch to something else.

[–] smiletolerantly@awful.systems 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ah, understandable.

May I talk to you about our lord and savio, NixOS? (Only kinda /s)

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] smiletolerantly@awful.systems 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Nice!

How much do you know of nix? (Just gauging where I should start in my propaganda script :D)

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

Nothing, besides seeing the name on some memes.

I'm not a sysadmin and I want a computer that just works, to the extent that that's possible. I'll fix stuff that needs fixing, but ideally I don't need to do much. I'm not a customizer, so themes and rice and stuff go over my head. I don't have any real ideological bent - FOSS is lovely but if I need proprietary to get my ultrawide monitor working or whatever, I'll use it.

I like the KDE I'm using now (though I understand I'm a major version behind!) but am not afraid to try something else. I play games with Steam and Lutris, most of which work some of the time.

[–] rikudou@lemmings.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well, NixOS is mostly for enthusiasts and it's very much the opposite of beginner friendly.

The idea is that you configure your system in a configuration file, then run a command that makes your system match exactly what you configured.

So instead of apt install or similar you just add the package to your config, run a single command to rebuild the system and you're done.

Which also means you're mostly on your own, most guides for other distros don't work and the documentation on how to do the things in NixOS are very incomplete. It's nice and fun, but definitely not for an average user.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Successful_Try543@feddit.org 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If it's only due to the branch, i.e. a package or desired version isn't available in stable but is in testing or unstable, you may try using pinning.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Reading, thank you.

[–] dev_null@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Most end-user software is not in Debian/Ubuntu repos. Sublime Text, Discord, Anydesk, Google Earth, Ente Photos, Synergy, Steam, NordVPN... The list goes on. You download a Deb from their website.

[–] xylol@leminal.space 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

When I was on popos I would just double click deb files and eddy would open and install

[–] ceiphas@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

"popos" is german for "butts", PopOS! is a bit different

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] astrsk@fedia.io 6 points 1 month ago

Just add your own context menu shortcut for .deb files that runs sudo deb -i $_

[–] naught101@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Not quite what you want, but in dolphin you can open a terminal with F4, and then just type sudo deb -i <package.deb> and your password. Pretty quick.

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 4 points 1 month ago

It's a useful shortcut.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] themadcodger@kbin.earth 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wait, for real? Gen Alpha doesn't know what a file type is??

[–] RommieDroid@programming.dev 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

fr, windows hides the file type by default.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Windows has done this since I was a kid (I'm a millennial). Later gens have no excuse.

[–] jasory@programming.dev 2 points 4 weeks ago

If you have Nautilus as the filemanager, you can write a Nautilus script that does this for you, you just then have to right click and select the script. You can run essentially any script this way, I use it for some preset file conversions.

load more comments
view more: next ›