Waves

That is a very common error that users generally encounter when packages are being compiled. Though the log files mention something bizarre, this error can be resolved quite easily by running the following command:

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential

That would do for most cases. Many programs also require a compiler-compiler called ‘bison’. You may install that also by giving,

$ sudo apt-get install bison

This would make sure “configure” scripts work properly.

I was playing around with Ubuntu & installing a few stuff from the terminal. One problem that quickly became a pain in the rear is that, I had to `sudo` everytime and give a password whenever a command that required admin privileges had to be run. Since, I was installing a few stuff, almost all commands required admin rights. So, without much ado, here’s how to open a terminal with permanent root privileges.

1. Press Alt+F2. The “Run Application” dialog will pop up.
2. Type “gnome-terminal” in the dialog and press “Enter”. This will open a new terminal window without admin rights.
3. Now, in the new terminal window, type “sudo gnome-terminal”. You will be asked for your password. Give your password and press “Enter”. A separate terminal window with root privileges will open now. This is immediately visible because the usual “$” prompt changes to a “#” prompt.

There you go, three cool steps to have your terminal with admin rights. If you press “Ctrl+Shift+N” from this new terminal, it will open another terminal window, which also has root privileges.