Then why are you trying to confuse the issue?

All he needs to know is: sudo gainroot, then dpkg -i to install whatever he's trying to install.

Gadget25, you cannot have Application Manager open when you're trying to install stuff from the command line. The system will only allow one installation process (apt, dpkg, Application Manager, etc.) to run at a time to prevent them from running into eachother. Make sure Application Manager is closed, then re-run the dpkg command.

No sudo gainroot only works if he has his IT in R&D mode. The real problem is that root etc has been hidden behind a lot of BS on the front end. Sudo is the command in xterm to gain root. However he/she can't use it until they have jumped through a whole lot of hoops .... Then and only then can they even use sudo

Sorry, but this is incorrect. Installing becomeroot accomplishes the same thing without the hassle of flasher. The rest involve editing suders to include user, which is a mildly difficult and time consuming process.

I don't disagree, but this isn't the place to have a discussion of that sort. Unless you're really just interested in confusing the newbies. . . .

This is incorrect, sudo is a command to execute the command that follows it as another user (generally the superuser).

This is only half right, yes, you can only use sudo after adding user to sudoers, but the becomeroot package allows you to gain a rootshell with the command sudo gainroot.

Please try not to spread incorrect information in a newbie howto thread. If you really want to have this discussion, take it elsewhere.

General ... Sudo was created long before you were born to be a means to track execution of commands as root. I've been using it and helping yunguns since the 70's with systems like this. The problem comes when you overly complicate things like has been done here. So now. you have to

1. Install become root.
2. run gain root
3. modify passwords
4. run sudo .... etc etc etc.

But I suppose that's easier than teaching them how things should work and how to make the IT consistent with other Linux installs. Now comes the question. are you of the mind that you believe I need to leave so be it. After all you be smarteren me. I's jus a dumb ****ry boy.

All I'm trying to do is help him install the application he wants to install. If you want to have a debate about the decision making behind maemo, this isn't the place.

Alright I tried it without app manager and file manager open it says now it cant find the file my file is under the nokia n800 directory not in any specific folder...When typing up the dpkg command with my file i'm in the /home/user directory, I typed sudo gainroot to get there

You need to point dpkg to the file you're trying to install. It can't just guess it for you.

So if it's in the /home/user/MyDocs folder, then do dpkg -i /home/user/MyDocs/<filename of deb>

I give up, nothing is working, either i'm doing something wrong or have to actually do something else but it comes up error its like it aint able to get to the file even with what you told me, ah no big deal...hopefully that will be corrected, trying to put the beta of amsn , but it doesnt work by clicking on the deb file was told needs to be done in the command line to run it

Thanks for all the help anyways guys