How do I install the current Linux version

Hi, Henri,

<snip>

​Ken, instructions for upgrading Linux Mint 17.3 to Linux Mint 18 - if
that's what you're after - are found here :
https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2316. They worked very well
for me....

For the time being, I'm going to stay with 17.3 until I understand it better. But I created a LiveCD for 18, and may install it on an old laptop I have here in the future.

For the moment, I'm just trying to solve this issue of printing from LO Calc on my Samsung laser.


Hullo Ken !

There's a lot of wisdom in the old aphorism to the effect that if it ain't
broke, don't fix it​, and Mint 17.3 works very well - even if I myself find
Mint 18 just a little bit better. In any event, someone on the Linux Mint
Forum for printers and scanners (
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=51) might be able to suggest
solutions for the specific problems you're having printing from LO Calc on
your Samsung laser printer - perhaps worth a try ?...

With regard to easily keeping your installation of LO updated on Mint, you
might want to consider installing the PPA (
https://launchpad.net/~libreoffice/+archive/ubuntu/ppa). I can confirm that
it works like a charm, and you don't have to download and install the .deb
files yourself !...

Henri

Trying to learn a bit about Linux, as well as solve a printing issue
with LO in Linux Mint 17.3. The printer is a Samsung CLP-315 color
laser.

When printing a spreadsheet, and selecting landscape, LO prints
landscape, but to paper that is still portrait. Sort of like this...

____________
> >
..................................
>___________|

The dots represent the data that is trying to be printed.

If I set the paper to portrait, this is the result. All the data is
printed.

____________
> >
...................
>___________|

My suspicion is the printer driver, but I would like to install the
current Linux stable version. Mint installs 5.0.3.2, which is the
current version in the repository, from what I can see.

I know it's somewhat apples to oranges, but the same spreadsheet works
fine on my Mac with the current version of LO.

Once I've downloaded the current version, where to I go from there?

Hi Ken,

Hi, Gordon,

              There any many versions of Linux, just look at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_distributions
to see.

Oh, yea, I know. I go peek at distrtowatch.com now and again. And
I've played with a number of LiveCD's to get a quick look at the ones
that looked interesting to me.

If you are wishing to stay with Mint, then take a look at their
home page. There plenty are of good options and
you will find that people have their preferences and tend to stay with
them.

I joined their forums 4-5 months ago. And I got some suggestions
about using PPA's other than Linux Mint. Just haven't had the time to
get to that. But that doesn't mean the latest stable version is in
any of those PPA's.

FYI, this printing problem has cropped up a couple weeks ago. I asked
in the forums a couple months ago.

Right now I'm using Mint with the Cinnamon desktop, looking for some
alternative to Windows and Macs that look simpler to tackle for
seniors and other "computer illiterate" folks. Something they may
find easier to learn. Secondarily, some of these individuals may have
unsupported versions of operating systems, but can't afford to buy a
new system. Or, they may not have one and can't afford one, but older
hardware can be salvaged and the system given to them.

On old XP systems, I tend to replace Windows with Ubuntu with Mint as
the desktop. It was the closest to what I saw with Ubuntu's desktop for
9.x.x thru 10.10.x

It works well for XP users, in my test with friends.

Is it Ubuntu that works well for your friends, or the Mint desktop? My reason for using Mint is the Cinnamon environment seemed to provide the simplest user interface for new to Linux or new to computers users to understand.

I use MX-Linux, which is based on
Debian, like MInt, and is a mid sized but very stable operating system.
MX has LO built in.

I use to use Linux Mint, but had too many issues with networked Canon
inkjet printers.

So I installed Ubuntu again, since I could find the Mint desktop for
it. Now Ubuntu has a distro with Mint as a default instead of adding it
after Unity desktop opens up.

Also, when I was using Linux Mint, I could not easily upgrade to the
newest version.

Ubuntu tries to keep its repository up-to-date with the latest stable
version of LO. I am running Ubuntu 16.04 with Mint. I am using LO
5.2.1.2 on this laptop, but plan on upgrading it soon. Since I have been
using Ubuntu since the 9.x.x days on my main desktop. I have tried a
few others on other laptops/desktops. I chose Ubuntu since it was the
only Live CD that worked on my old HP desktop's sound card right from
that CD. Right now this laptop, and my spare, run both Ubuntu 16.04 and
Windows 10,

Mint also has LO built in.

Where you setting your portrait/landscape option, in LO?

Been switching between them in Calc, in this case. When I stumbled on
this problem today, I also tried Writer, same problem.

But, in the printer's properties, I can't switch from landscape to
portrait. The option is greyed out.

I've even tried reversing the page dimensions, to no avail.

Are you sure it is a MX670?
If so, what country did you get it from.
I do not see it listed in the Canon support for the USA.

My bad, Tim, I typed the model from memory. Sorry.

It's an MX 870 from the US.

Calc printed fine to a Canon MX-670 (I think that's the right printer)
when the printer was first installed. Then it broke for some unknown
reason. It would print about 1.25" of data, and then be paused.
Resume the printing, and another 1.25" would print. Removing the
printer and reinstalling (although I might not have done it correctly)
failed to fix the issue.

I have bought so far 6220, 922, 5420, and a new one coming - 5320 - to
help deal with the issues that my 6220 is having. It was my default
photo printer. I had to find a two-way-paper-feeding printer, since
that is what I needed from the 6220. I have also a HP laser and a HP
13x19 inch paper printer. The Canon 922 print head needs replacing for
it to be working again, so I will replace the printer or repair it
depending on the costs.

Where did you get the Canon printer driver?
I tended to go either to the UK or Canada for the drivers.

I didn't go anywhere. <G> Mint just plain "saw" it and worked, until there was the printing problem with it. That problem is it just plain pauses itself, and indicates that in the print queue.

Sometimes I needed to remove the printer from the printer list and then
reinstall the drivers and then the printer. Sometimes that fixes
problems that are not fixed with easier methods, like removing the LO
user config files and the reopen LO to recreate it.

We don't want to confuse ourselves here, we are starting to talk about 2 different printers in 2 different locations. The Samsung laser is mine at home, the Canon is at a social agency and owned by them.

Hi again Ken,
                       There is some odd going on here. I don't use LO
very
often, most of my writing is done with Lyx, which then outputs as a
PDF and I print from there. Have just looked at LO and found that
when it was asked to print, to either my little Brother laser,or an
elderly HP Deskjet, the landscape paper option was greyed out,
just like yours. These results came on a desktop, running MX-15
Linux. Looked as if LO was deciding that the files would fit onto
portrait and not giving me the option to change.

I'll do some more digging. Think I have LO on a laptop with XP,
will dig it out .Perhaps somebody else will pop upon the forum
with an answer.

Gordon

This was brought out in an earlier thread. Go to Print -> options tab
and check "Use only paper size from printer preferences."

That should enable paper sizes and orientation selection in the print
dialog.

It does not. :frowning:

However, I discovered I can go to the printer's defaults, and set
landscape there, choose the "Use only..." setting in LO, and I get the
landscape layout when the spreadsheet is printed.

What I'm taking away from this is, it is a problem with LO 5.0.x that
comes with Mint 17.3 Rosa.

So I still need to go somewhere to find out how I install the current
version after I have it downloaded.

Thanks for the help and suggestions, everyone.

Yes, you must select landscape in LO (Format -> Page) to format the
document/page and you must select landscape in the print dialog to
select the printer paper size/orientation. If you don't then you get
the symptoms you described in your OP. This is not a bug. It makes
good sense.

Agreed. Only problem is, it doesn't work for me at the moment with the default LO in Mint 17.3 :frowning:

Hi, Henri,

<snip>

​Ken, instructions for upgrading Linux Mint 17.3 to Linux Mint 18 - if

that's what you're after - are found here :
https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2316. They worked very well
for me....

For the time being, I'm going to stay with 17.3 until I understand it
better. But I created a LiveCD for 18, and may install it on an old laptop
I have here in the future.

For the moment, I'm just trying to solve this issue of printing from LO
Calc on my Samsung laser.

--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.11.6
Firefox 49.0.1
Thunderbird 45.3.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
     and it's gone!"


Hullo Ken !

There's a lot of wisdom in the old aphorism to the effect that if it ain't
broke, don't fix it​,

And if Microsoft would only listen... LOL

and Mint 17.3 works very well - even if I myself find
Mint 18 just a little bit better. In any event, someone on the Linux Mint
Forum for printers and scanners (
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=51) might be able to suggest
solutions for the specific problems you're having printing from LO Calc on
your Samsung laser printer - perhaps worth a try ?...

I registered there soon after starting with Mint. I don't post much because I don't get to "play" with Linux much.

In this case, things seem to be pointing to LO, and I want to eliminate that possibility before looking at another possible cause.

With regard to easily keeping your installation of LO updated on Mint, you
might want to consider installing the PPA (
https://launchpad.net/~libreoffice/+archive/ubuntu/ppa). I can confirm that
it works like a charm, and you don't have to download and install the .deb
files yourself !...

Hopefully, after some help from Robert Großkopf I'll be able to do that.

Hi Ken,

4. Use your install-program and add the directory as a local
source for your installer. 5. Now you could choose the directory
with your installer and could install all packages from there.

I did OK until step 4, and then my lack of basic Linux knowledge
reared it's ugly head. ROFL

In Mint 17.3, under Administration I see Software Manager, Software
Sources, and Synaptic Package Manager.

I have never seen Mint. I'm using OpenSUSE since many years. But when
I see the title I would try it with
Software Sources.
There must be a possibility to add sources in the web, like Packman,
or also local Folders without any special description.

After you have added the directory as a source you could close
Software Sources
and could open
Software Manager (don't know the difference between "Software Manager"
and "Synaptic Package Manager").
There you should be able to install the packages of the folder.

Would the folder I created now be called a repository? If so, do I
input the complete path? Which means I need to learn how Linux
structures pathnames.

Yes, it would be like a repository. But you haven't to know anything
about pathnames. There must be a button to choose the path out of a
list. The only difference to normal repositories: There is no
description inside the repository. It's only a repository with
deb-packages.

Where can a find a truly beginner's guide for this type of
information? I've noticed over the years that many "beginners"
articles are not truly beginners articles at all, the articles
already assume some basic level of knowledge. Knowledge that does
not always exist. :frowning:

I will have a look, if I find something special for your situation.

Regards

Robert

I do not get what is being said in 4 and 5 as well.

What I do is unpack the install files [I use .deb files] and place them all in a temporary folder I call "lib". Nice and simple, I have that folder in the "home" folder called "timothy".

This will give me "/home/timothy/lib" while using the file manager package [on Mint] called "Caja".

Then I use the "Mate Terminal" [default command line for the MATE desktop GUI]

This is my starting point for this laptop - yours will look different since you will not have the same laptop and user name. This is the default user folder for my laptop.

     timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$

I type in "cd lib"

     timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$ cd lib

I get this folder shown

     timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~/lib$

At this point I use this command to install all of the .deb files from that folder. I tend to place both the language and help .deb files - if needed - in a different folder like lib2.

     sudo dpkg -i *.deb

This will prompt me to five my superuser password. Then it will start a "long" install process for all of the .deb files in the folder. The RPM system would have some different names for the commands I use for the DEB based Linux OS [ I use Ubuntu with Mate desktop]

So, if you have a folder off your home folder [or directory] with the name of "lib" [home/timothy/lib], the command line is a very easy route.

     cd lib

     sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Hi Ken,

I will have a look, if I find something special for your
situation.

Couldn't find a clear description for this problem when looking for
Mint. But when I am looking for installing LO with Linux I found this:

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Install/Linux

Regards

Robert

Hi Tim,

What I do is unpack the install files [I use .deb files] and place
them all in a temporary folder I call "lib". Nice and simple, I
have that folder in the "home" folder called "timothy".

This will give me "/home/timothy/lib" while using the file manager
package [on Mint] called "Caja".

Then I use the "Mate Terminal" [default command line for the MATE
desktop GUI]

This is my starting point for this laptop - yours will look
different since you will not have the same laptop and user name.
This is the default user folder for my laptop.

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$

I type in "cd lib"

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$ cd lib

I get this folder shown

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~/lib$

At this point I use this command to install all of the .deb files
from that folder. I tend to place both the language and help .deb
files - if needed - in a different folder like lib2.

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

This will prompt me to five my superuser password. Then it will
start a "long" install process for all of the .deb files in the
folder. The RPM system would have some different names for the
commands I use for the DEB based Linux OS [ I use Ubuntu with Mate
desktop]

So, if you have a folder off your home folder [or directory] with
the name of "lib" [home/timothy/lib], the command line is a very
easy route.

cd lib

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

After looking for this in the web I would make it the same way you
have described here. It's a little bit different to the tool, which is
delivered with OpenSuSE for system-managing with YAST, but it will
work well.
Don't know how to add a dircetory as repository in other sytems. But
with OpenSUSE it works well.

Regards

Robert

This installation method all looks overly complicated to me, and is one
of the reasons that I swapped over to MX-Linux where the system comes
as a package with installation instructions/prompts included. Plus the bonus
that the User Manual can be read/downloaded beforehand.

Gordon.

Here's how I did it with Ubuntu 14.04LTS. I imagine it might work with Mint, which is based on Ubuntu.

Method 1

I opened a command line terminal (With Ubuntu, it's Ctrl-Alt-t).

I typed in the following commands, hitting <enter> after each line.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-5-1

sudo apt-get update

After typing in the first line, you'll be prompted for your user password. The first line adds the repository for LO 5.1.x. The second line automatically updates your system to use it.

Method 2

You can do the same thing through Synaptic Package Manager. Open Synaptic and click on Settings and then Repositories. In the Repositories dialog, click on Other Software, then click Add. Then type in ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-5-1 and click Add Source. You will be prompted to reload your software sources. Once you do that, you can click Mark All Upgrades. Synaptic will mark the LO packages that are to be updated. Click Apply and you'll be upgraded.

Again, I've used both methods with Ubuntu. That said, I am not by any means an experienced Linux user. I tend to use Synaptic for all my software installation needs. I've never downloaded and installed a *.deb file. Instructions for these methods are found at:

https://launchpad.net/~libreoffice/+archive/ubuntu/libreoffice-5-1.

I don't know enough about Mint to know if it will work properly, but since Mint is based on Ubuntu, I tend to believe it will.

Virgil

Those PPA's work fine with Mint. You can also select another version, for
example 5-2. This method will replace your current version. Updates to
your selected version (5.1.x or 5.2.x, etc) are provided through the
package system. This is more convenient versus manually downloading and
installing each new version. This link describes these PPAs:
https://launchpad.net/~libreoffice/+archive/ubuntu/ppa

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Hi Tim,

What I do is unpack the install files [I use .deb files] and place
them all in a temporary folder I call "lib". Nice and simple, I
have that folder in the "home" folder called "timothy".

This will give me "/home/timothy/lib" while using the file manager
  package [on Mint] called "Caja".

Then I use the "Mate Terminal" [default command line for the MATE
desktop GUI]

This is my starting point for this laptop - yours will look
different since you will not have the same laptop and user name.
This is the default user folder for my laptop.

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$

I type in "cd lib"

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~$ cd lib

I get this folder shown

timothy@Gateway-NE56R12u:~/lib$

At this point I use this command to install all of the .deb files
from that folder. I tend to place both the language and help .deb
files - if needed - in a different folder like lib2.

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

This will prompt me to five my superuser password. Then it will
start a "long" install process for all of the .deb files in the
folder. The RPM system would have some different names for the
commands I use for the DEB based Linux OS [ I use Ubuntu with Mate
desktop]

So, if you have a folder off your home folder [or directory] with
the name of "lib" [home/timothy/lib], the command line is a very
easy route.

cd lib

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

After looking for this in the web I would make it the same way you
have described here. It's a little bit different to the tool, which is
delivered with OpenSuSE for system-managing with YAST, but it will
work well.
Don't know how to add a dircetory as repository in other sytems. But
with OpenSUSE it works well.

Regards

Robert

<snip>

This installation method all looks overly complicated to me, and is one
of the reasons that I swapped over to MX-Linux where the system comes
as a package with installation instructions/prompts included. Plus the bonus
that the User Manual can be read/downloaded beforehand.

Gordon.

[pardon me for issues in this text, since I have not slept much in the past week]

I can find free ebooks for Ubuntu that have a lot of info about how to install and run Ubuntu.

I keep the install commands in a "sticky note" on my laptop's display. Actually I have "heard", from one of the email lists I read, of someone made a singles script to run that allows people to do all of the commands needed to install LO with needed prompts for password and yes/no. The only scripting I do is for the backups my internal 6.25 TB of data files to USB external drives. I need 6+ "rsync" commands to do the type of complex I need to make sure many of my folders have 4+ copies of many audio/video files and photo folders. This way I make sure all my digital photos and videos taken/recorded since 2005. Same with other files/content I want/need to keep. Many I cannot find online anymore.

For the other parts of this thread, I do not use a PPA for LibreOffice, since I want to have the option to upgrade or downgrade LO when I want to. I have used PPAs in the past and have a few as well. For the users that do not install a PPA into the repository, most have instructions how to install it.

I used OpenSUSE on a system that originally shipped with a paid version ending with "SUSE". After a while it was switched to Ubuntu. I have never heard anything about MX-Linux. I have used Ubuntu as my main OS since 2009. I chose Linux for the free software that was getting too expensive to buy what I needed for Windows XP and later Win7.

Hi, Virgil,

Method 2 does not work for me. Theory, the Synaptic Package Manager in 17.3 is a bit different than what you have seen. The exact steps you mentioned can't be done, and I made my "best guess" as to the correct selections I see in 17.3 here. What I've ended up with is a cursor that indicates things are locked up. On my Mac, it would be the "spinning beach ball of death", in Windows the endless rotating hourglass cursor. LOL

I can hop over to the Linux Mint forums about this if that is your suggestion. Or I can go ahead and try Method 1.

For others following this thread, I have a number of messages flagged to reply to, but I want to work with Method 2 and see if I can get it to work before replying to the flagged messages.

<snip>

Hi. I am using Ubuntu xfce with LibreOffice without problems since years. I mostly download the .deb packages from the internet sites via browser: they are zipped, so I unpack them in a directory on the desktop, open a terminal in that directory and run the command sudo dpkg -i *.deb in each subfolder containing rhe .deb files. Before installing a new version you should better purge the previous one: sudo apt-get --purge libreoffice*. In the last version ubuntu uses apt instead of apt-get.

You can find some good guides usin duckduckgo (or google) looking for 'install libreoffice on ubuntu x.y.

Repos are not always updated and maintained for the lst versions (it happens they don't work properly), but installing from repository requires always sudo apt-get install. Unfortunately the last package manager in Ubuntu (Ubuntu software center) doesn't find always packages, it has still some bugs.

Paolo

Here's how I did it with Ubuntu 14.04LTS. I imagine it might work with Mint, which is based on Ubuntu.

Method 1

I opened a command line terminal (With Ubuntu, it's Ctrl-Alt-t).

I typed in the following commands, hitting <enter> after each line.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-5-1

sudo apt-get update

Virgil

Hi, Virgil,

Method 2 does not work for me. Theory, the Synaptic Package Manager in
17.3 is a bit different than what you have seen. The exact steps you
mentioned can't be done, and I made my "best guess" as to the correct
selections I see in 17.3 here. What I've ended up with is a cursor

<snip>

As I said before, I don't use Mint and claim no Mint or Linux expertise.
I'm just an average Ubuntu user learning my way through. And, even then,
my Ubuntu relationship is love/hate. When it works I love it; when it
doesn't I wipe it off my computer and go back to Windows. After getting
tired of how slow Windows is, I then reinstall Ubuntu and try again.

If it were me, I would try Method 1. Mint is based on Ubuntu and I
believe it uses the same PPAs. Someone on this list confirmed that in
response to my earlier message, but I sadly deleted the email before
remembering his name. From what I understand, Method 1 and Method 2 do
exactly the same thing. Method 1 is more "manual" and Method 2 uses a
GUI, but either way, you're adding a repository and updating the system.
Once you get comfortable with using a terminal, Method 1 is certainly
easier and faster.

But to cover my butt, I'll advise you to check with someone who actually
uses Mint, perhaps the earlier poster here or someone on the Mint forum.

Good luck.

Virgil

As I said before, I don't use Mint and claim no Mint or Linux expertise.
I'm just an average Ubuntu user learning my way through. And, even then,
my Ubuntu relationship is love/hate. When it works I love it; when it
doesn't I wipe it off my computer and go back to Windows. After getting
tired of how slow Windows is, I then reinstall Ubuntu and try again.

LOL!!! I meet a lot of users who don't like where Windows is going, including me. Sadly, Apple has picked up the idea of forcing an upgrade to the OS whether you like it or not. Fortunately for me, my hardware just became too old to support Sierra.

If it were me, I would try Method 1. Mint is based on Ubuntu and I
believe it uses the same PPAs. Someone on this list confirmed that in
response to my earlier message, but I sadly deleted the email before
remembering his name. From what I understand, Method 1 and Method 2 do
exactly the same thing. Method 1 is more "manual" and Method 2 uses a
GUI, but either way, you're adding a repository and updating the system.
Once you get comfortable with using a terminal, Method 1 is certainly
easier and faster.

Going with Method 1 was my next plan, depending upon your thoughts.

I don't mind the Terminal, I just don't know any of the commands to speak of.

But to cover my butt, I'll advise you to check with someone who actually
uses Mint, perhaps the earlier poster here or someone on the Mint forum.

I'm not using Mint for anything at all other than trying to find the time to learn it. I think that eventually that's the way I'll go when upgrading.

Ken

Quoting Virgil Arrington <cuyfalls@hotmail.com>:

As I said before, I don't use Mint

I do and here's what worked for me. Open a browser window to libreoffice.org
then click on "download" LO guessed debian correctly and then the download button completed the download selection process. After the download is complete use the file browser to navigate to the downloaded file and click on it. A message asks for your root password and after it is given, steps through the installation process. Took me about 5 minutes on a nice fast line.

Dave

  and claim no Mint or Linux expertise.

I'm just an average Ubuntu user learning my way through. And, even then,
my Ubuntu relationship is love/hate. When it works I love it; when it

snip!

Hi, Virgil,

I've snipped the other parts of the message I'm replying to.

If it were me, I would try Method 1. Mint is based on Ubuntu and I
believe it uses the same PPAs

I just got to trying your suggestion for method 1. That didn't work either. :frowning:

I got a message that says "This PPA does not support Trusty." Don't know what Trusty means, but I'm going to take this over to the Linux Mint forums to solve the problem.

We're getting a bit far afield from Libre Office. <G>

Thanks for the help.

Hi, Robert,

I went to the link you provided, and followed the instructions for Graphic Installation. I thought I'd done something wrong, but don't think I did.

Every deb package gave me a message the dependency was not satisfiable, or something like that. So I don't know what went wrong.

As I told Virgil Arrington, I'll go to the Linux Mint forums and find out how to get this done.

Thanks for the help.