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Revision as of 20:16, 1 January 2009 by Danielsmw (talk | contribs) (Rewritten for Fedora 9. Coverage includes PackageKit and the console, and works on a generalization of eawest's template. Ready for XML.)


Using PackageKit

Fedora 9 uses a program called PackageKit to graphically assist the user with installing and removing software. Any application from the Fedora repositories, including the ones described in this user guide, can be installed with the following method.

Installing Software

Here is how to install software using Add/Remove Software in the Gnome Desktop Environment.

Click System > Administration > Add/Remove Software. This will open the Add/Remove Software application.

In the [Search Box] with the binoculars icon, type the name of the application you wish to install. If you are unsure of the specific application you need to install, you can also type keywords in this box, just like you would for an internet search engine.

Next, click the [Find] button. The message "Querying" appears in the lower left corner.

Zero or more listings will appear that match your search query. Tick the box next to the description of the application or applications you wish to install. The message "Downloading repository information" appears in the lower left corner. The window area below the list of packages contains additional information about the selected software.

Select any additional packages to install or remove at this time by changing tick boxes next to the package name.

Finally, click the [Apply] button. This starts the installation process and concurrently installs or removes any additional packages where you modified the tick box. Follow any prompts to install additional packages.


Unless an error is displayed, the application is now installed on your computer.

Removing Software

To remove software using PackageKit, you should follow the standard installation procedure, but untick boxes beside the programs you wish to uninstall instead of ticking boxes to install new programs.

Click System > Administration > Add/Remove Software. This will open the Add/Remove Software application.

In the [Search Box] with the binoculars icon, type the name of the application you wish to remove. If you are unsure of the specific application you need to remove, you can also type keywords in this box, just like you would for an internet search engine.

Next, click the [Find] button. The message "Querying" appears in the lower left corner.

Zero or more listings will appear that match your search query. Untick the box next to the description of the application or applications you wish to remove. If the box is already unticked, then the program is probably not already installed. If you are sure that you've selected the right application, but it still appears to not be installed, then it may have been installed using a method other than PackageKit. If, for example, the program was compiled and installed from source, then it may not register as installed in PackageKit. If this is the case, you will need to find an alternate method of uninstalltion. Otherwise, the message "Downloading repository information" appears in the lower left corner. The window area below the list of packages contains additional information about the selected software.

Select any additional packages to install or remove at this time by changing tick boxes next to the package name.

Finally, click the [Apply] button. This starts the removal process and concurrently installs or removes any additional packages where you modified the tick box. Follow any prompts to remove additional packages, such as dependencies that only your newly uninstalled program relied upon.


Unless an error is displayed, the application is now removed from your computer.

Using the Command Line Interface

Another way to install or remove an application is to use the command line and yum, the Yellowdog Update Manager. This can be a much faster process than the PackageKit method, but requires the user to use the command line. If this feels uncomfortable, the PackageKit method may be a more familiar way to manage software.

Installing Software

Click Applications > System Tools> Terminal to open the command line.

Type:

su -c 'yum install application'

Where application is the name of the program you wish to install.

If you are unsure of the exact name of your desired installation, you can search your installed repositories for a keyword:

su -c 'yum search keyword'

Where keyword is the word you wish to search for among the names and descriptions of programs in the available repositories.

After using the yum install command, you will be prompted for the computer's root password. Type in the root password and press 'Enter'. You will not see the password as you type. The terminal will start giving information about the application, and end with Is this ok [y/N]:. Oftentimes, the installation of an application will require that other programs, called dependencies, are installed as well. These are programs or utilities upon which your selected application relies.

If you wish to continue installation after seeing the dependencies and their disk space requirements (which may be unexpectedly considerable), type:

 y

The terminal downloads the necessary files and completes the installation of your application.

Removing Software

Click Applications > System Tools> Terminal to open the command line.

Type:

su -c 'yum remove application'

Where application is the name of the program you wish to install.

If you are unsure of the exact name of your desired installation, you can search your installed repositories for a keyword:

su -c 'yum search keyword'

Where keyword is the word you wish to search for among the names and descriptions of programs in the available repositories.

After using the yum remove command, you will be prompted for the computer's root password. Type in the root password and press 'Enter'. You will not see the password as you type. The terminal will start giving information about the application, and end with Is this ok [y/N]:. If dependencies that were installed with the application are unneeded by other applications, you may be prompted to remove these as well.

If you wish to continue the software removal, type:

 y

The terminal deletes the necessary files and completes the removal of your application.

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