2 problems with newly installed jessie 8.6

[johny]

Hi all,

I just installed Debian 8 Jessie onto my Dell Inspiron 15 laptop (origially installed with Win 7 Pro).

Everything is good so far, except for two problems:
1. I don't know how to add google chrome into the "quick launch bar" (sorry I borrowed the name from Windows, not sure what its formal name in Debian is) on the bottom-left corner of the desktop. Looks like there is not an easy way to do it?

2. When I was typing in the search box of google chrome, sometimes there is one addition space character suddenly inserted (not added by me). I have to use backspace to delete this character before I can go on. Even worse, sometimes a word is suddenly highlighted, like I intended to copy the word (I didn't have that intention). It was slightly better if I was typing in the terminal, however, it was not without fault. Occasionally, the screen and the place of the cursor would be scrolled to somewhere else, other than the current place when I was typing a command (usually some lines above or below the line where I was typing, and also with some words highlighted).

The 2nd problem is the one that is troubling me most. Hopefully I could get some help here.

Thanks,
johny

P.S.: Sorry I forgot to mention the system installed is using Cinnamon desktop. Not sure if it will make a difference, but I think I'd better make the configuration as clear as possible.

[debiman]

i'm pretty sure chrome is not in debian's repos, so we have to clarify how you installed it.
also how you installed cinnamon.
and have you updated/graded your system (probably better to wait with that if you have fishy google chrome sources).

[johny]

i'm pretty sure chrome is not in debian's repos, so we have to clarify how you installed it.

I followed this link to install google chrome: http://www.allaboutlinux.eu/install-goo ... -debian-8/

also how you installed cinnamon.

I downloaded the x64 bit debian jessie iso, and burned it to a dvd, and booted my laptop from the dvd to install it. Somewhere in the installation, it asked me which kind of desktop I wanted, like gnome3, cinnamon, mate, xfce, etc. I moved the cursor to cinnamon and selected it.

and have you updated/graded your system (probably better to wait with that if you have fishy google chrome sources).

Yes, already done "sudo apt-get update" and "sudo apt-get upgrade" more than once.

[dilberts_left_nut]

1. This?

2. You're not leaning on your touchpad?

[debiman]

it does seem a weird sort of bug for chrome.
are you sure you are seeing these extra spaces only in chrome?
otherwise i'd probably say your keyboard isn't working properly, esp the space bar.

but my advice & caution concerning chrome stays in place.
iirc, it adds its own sources during installation (see if you can find a file named chrome something under /etc/apt) and it may cause havoc on a debian stable installation.
why does it have to be chrome? why nor firefox or chromium?

[johny]

1. This?

Yes, that link helps. I successfully added google chrome into the panel. Thank you.

There is a new question, though. I have deleted firefox from the panel, coz I thought I would stick to google chrome for the web browsing. However, after firefox is removed from the panel, the gap can't be filled by newly added google chrome, or any other app's icon, like terminal, or nemo file explorer. I tried to drag and drop to move the icons leftward to close the gap, but it didn't work. Any suggestions here?

Here is the screenshot of my desktop system. Please take notice of the bottom-left panel area, where there is a gap.

2. You're not leaning on your touchpad?

Thanks again, Dilberts. I just realized that this error always happens when I was typing with my wrists are rested upon the area close to the touchpad and sometimes, if I am not careful enough, part of my palms would fall upon it and make the cursor jumping and bring out additional unwanted characters. In other words, you nailed it again!

I didn't notice the problem could be caused by the touchpad because I was using a external wireless mouse with a USB receiver, and was thinking any cursor movement would be either due to the typing, or due to the external mouse. Clearly, I forgot the effect of the touchpad in a laptop.

Guess probably the problem would never show up if Debian 8 Jessie is installed onto a desktop computer, rather than a laptop. The touchpad of the laptop is a nightmare in continuous typing.

[groze]

it does seem a weird sort of bug for chrome.
are you sure you are seeing these extra spaces only in chrome?
otherwise i'd probably say your keyboard isn't working properly, esp the space bar.

but my advice & caution concerning chrome stays in place.
iirc, it adds its own sources during installation (see if you can find a file named chrome something under /etc/apt) and it may cause havoc on a debian stable installation.
why does it have to be chrome? why nor firefox or chromium?

debiman, actually there should be no issue with the OP installing Google Chrome. Just download the 64 bit deb file from google chrome website & install it. The deb file is made to work with most Debian based or forked distros not just Debian. When you install Opera it also adds it own source file.

Just a note for anyone reading this. Make sure your system is a 64 bit system. Google chrome no longer offers 32 bit version for Linux.

[johny]

it does seem a weird sort of bug for chrome.
are you sure you are seeing these extra spaces only in chrome?
otherwise i'd probably say your keyboard isn't working properly, esp the space bar.

Thank you, Debiman. With suggestions from Dilberts, I have verified that the typing error is due to my fat finger/palm interfering with the touchpad of the laptop and sometimes with the space key on the laptop's keyboard.

but my advice & caution concerning chrome stays in place.
iirc, it adds its own sources during installation (see if you can find a file named chrome something under /etc/apt) and it may cause havoc on a debian stable installation.
why does it have to be chrome? why nor firefox or chromium?

Just did a quick check, and there is no file with "chrome" in its name under /etc/apt. Thanks for the reminding, though.

I wanted to use google chrome exclusively, because it is easier for me to sync all the stuff related to the web browsing, like bookmarks, passwords with different websites, etc, with my google account.

Looks like firefox doesn't have that functionality? Not sure if chromium would do. But I could be wrong...

[Segfault]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/To ... ile_typing

I'm sure there is Debian manual for this, too. But this is distro-agnostic.

[groze]

I wanted to use google chrome exclusively, because it is easier for me to sync all the stuff related to the web browsing, like bookmarks, passwords with different websites, etc, with my google account.

Looks like firefox doesn't have that functionality? Not sure if chromium would do. But I could be wrong...

Chromium has the function. It may be harder with to play drm content with Chromium. I am not sure about the firefox-esr version but the new firefox version supposedly has a way to play drm content but you have to check that option.

I had issues using that feature with my Linux Mint 18.1 xfce and Windows 7 Sp1 dual boot system. Sometime, google chrome gets confused & you have to resign in again.

[stevepusser]

Many laptops have a hotkey combination that disables the touchpad, mine works in Linux <Fn><F7>. If i'm using the KDE desktop, there's a setting in the synaptik touchpad configuration applet that disables the pad when a mouse is plugged in...since it's open source, I wonder how hard the code would be to port to other desktops.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Try:

Code: Select all

syndaemon -i .5 -K -t -R -d &

https://github.com/BunsenLabs/bunsen-co ... ostart#L45

[pendrachken]

Cinnamon has that space between the "show desktop" icon and and the application shortcut icons all the time. It seems to be hard coded in the source, so there is not much you can do without hacking up the sources ( after you find where the controls for that panel are, and where the padding is located in the source too ) and recompile.

In other words, not worth the hassle for a very minor cosmetic difference that you won't even notice after an hour or two.

[johny]

Thanks for the solution for the touchpad, @Segfault and @Head_on_a_Stick. I'll probably add the syndaemon command into my startup script ".bashrc".

Thank you, @pendrachken, for pointing out the gap on the panel is a Cinnamon issue. So, I would not headache over it any more.

[johny]

I wanted to use google chrome exclusively, because it is easier for me to sync all the stuff related to the web browsing, like bookmarks, passwords with different websitet

Looks like firefox doesn't have that functionality? Not sure if chromium would do. But I could be wrong...

Chromium has the function. It may be harder with to play drm content with Chromium. I am not sure about the firefox-esr version but the new firefox version supposedly has a way to play drm content but you have to check that option.

I had issues using that feature with my Linux Mint 18.1 xfce and Windows 7 Sp1 dual boot system. Sometime, google chrome gets confused & you have to resign in again.

Just uninstalled google-chrome and installed chromium. Almost identical for me. Only one thing: it keeps saying "chromium isn't your default browser", each time I starts it up, though I have set it to default more than once.

Is it a bug? If yes, any fix for it?

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Only one thing: it keeps saying "chromium isn't your default browser", each time I starts it up, though I have set it to default more than once.

Is it a bug? If yes, any fix for it?

Code: Select all

# update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

EDIT: it is *not* a bug, it is a feature

Please read:

Code: Select all

man update-alternatives

[johny]

Looks like it doesn't work for me:
johny@debian:~$ update-alternatives --config x-www-browser
There are 2 choices for the alternative x-www-browser (providing /usr/bin/x-www-browser).

Selection Path Priority Status
------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 /usr/bin/firefox-esr 70 auto mode
1 /usr/bin/chromium 40 manual mode
2 /usr/bin/firefox-esr 70 manual mode

Press enter to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number: 1
update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/chromium to provide /usr/bin/x-www-browser (x-www-browser) in manual mode
update-alternatives: error: error creating symbolic link `/etc/alternatives/x-www-browser.dpkg-tmp': Permission denied

[johny]

Sorry I forgot to type "sudo" before the command, @Head_on_a_Stick.

Tried it again, and the command was finished without errors, but on the next restart of chromium, it still says chromium is not my default browser.

Later, I went to "System Settings" -> "Preferred Applications", and found the default application for web was still firefox. I changed it to chromium (even though the command "sudo update-alternatives ..." has been finished without a glitch). However, chromium tells me again that it is not the default browser, on its next restart.

At my wit's end...

[Head_on_a_Stick]

^ Ah, well, that is a bug then

https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting

[johny]

^ Ah, well, that is a bug then

https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting

Aborted half-way:
Your version (55.0.2883.75-1~deb8u1) of chromium appears to be out of date.
The following newer release(s) are available in the Debian archive:
stretch: 55.0.2883.75-3
unstable: 55.0.2883.75-3
Do you still want to file a report [y|N|q|?]? n
Newer released version; stopping.
johny@debian:~$ sudo apt-get update
...
Reading package lists... Done
johny@debian:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
...
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
johny@debian:~$ sudo apt-get install chromium
...
chromium is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Isn't it recommendable to upgrade chromium to the stretch/unstable version? If yes, how could I do to upgrade to 55.0.2883.75-3? Not sure if 55.0.2883.75-3 fixed this problem, though.