newbie query

[Don Kelly]

On 1/31/07, Brian <insanitywetrust at shaw.ca> wrote:
> loki4t4 at alpha44:~$ sudo apt-get install libssl0.9.6
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree... Done
> E: Couldn't find package libssl0.9.6

Hmmm... There isn't a libssl0.9.6 package in Ubuntu (edgy) - I
searched at packages.ubuntu.com.  Where did you get the ymessenger
package that you're trying to install?  Which version of Ubuntu does
it target?

> i do recall adding some repositories, is there a way to add them all and
> avoid all this missing stuff
>

There are alot of repositories of packages for Ubuntu packages.
Beyond those "blessed" by Ubuntu (which you can select by checking
"universe", "multiverse" etc), you have to add them manually.

> oh and is this normal to have to do all this just to install software?
>

No, this is not typical.  Most free software is available in the core
repositories (last time I checked there were something like 18 000
packages!).  Software in these repositories have the proper
inter-dependencies configured.  If you install a package that requires
other packages, they will be automatically installed.  Programs like
Apt and Synaptic deal with packages at this repository level and use
dpkg to put the packages on the system.

You're trying to manually install a single package that isn't in a
repository using dpkg.  So, in essence, you'll have to play the role
of Apt and do the dependency management manually.

This is very similar to how software is installed on Windows, except
that all of the dependencies are typically provided on the disc with
the software.  That is, every software author deploying Windows
software implements their own package management.  Ubuntu (and most
UNIX derived systems) are more efficient in that they provide this
functionality as part of the core OS.

There is a nice discussion of problems with the package you're trying
to install on ubuntuforums:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-7147.html.  It seems
the ymessenger deb is very old.  There are some recommendations
though.

Don Kelly/
-- 
Don Kelly
karfai [AT] gmail.com
http://beyondtheedge.blogspot.com