[GLLUG] Ubuntu Packages -- WAS: Digital Video Cameras & Linux

[Marr]

On Friday 18 January 2008 3:26pm, Nathan Hartley wrote:
> >Tried to compile dvgrab-3.1 (latest).
> >Ubuntu reports this on './configure' step:
> >   configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables
> > .... seems like Ubuntu 7.10 "out of the box" is not really ready
> > for any compilation...
>
> From http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Gutsy :
>
> ...if you get a message like "C compiler cannot create executables"
>
> sudo apt-get install build-essential

Nathan,

Many thanks for that information!

Sadly, I'm stuck with a dial-up connection -- no DSL or cable modem 
availability where I'm at. Even worse, I've been unable to consistently 
(especially at any sort of normal modem speeds) get the internal modem on 
that laptop with Ubuntu to work. It's quite maddening. I guess I should hook 
up an external RS-232 modem and an RS-232/USB adapter and try that sometime 
to update my Ubuntu installation.

Is there some way to use another PC (e.g. the one at a relative's house with 
DSL) to just download an Ubuntu package (i.e. without installing) and then 
transfer that to the Ubuntu PC for installation? I suppose I should be 
looking into 'apt-get', which I've never really used, despite many years of 
GNU/Linux use. I'm just not familiar with the 'apt' system and every 
reference to using it seems to always blithely assume that the machine on 
which you want to install has a broadband connection.

On a related issue/question, I can simply Google for a package to see how big 
it is. For example:

   http://packages.debian.org/unstable/devel/build-essential

shows that this package is 6.8KB (i.e. modem-friendly!). But, just out of 
curiosity, is there any easy, generic way to see how big a package is 
using 'apt' (while connected to the Internet, obviously), i.e. before 
attempting to download/install over a modem connection? I'd RTFM, but there's 
no 'M' to 'R' on my Slackware installation! ;^)

Regardless of my modem woes, thanks again for the useful tip/link! I'll 
probably slowly learn the "whys and what-nots of Ubuntu" (but a broadband 
connection would surely help!). :^)

Regards,
Bill