[sf-lug] Linux Mint arduino install issue - not able to update to newer version

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Frantisek Apfelbeck (algoldor at yahoo.com):

> However if I try to call for arduino from the terminal, it gives me
> this:
> 
> The program 'arduino' is currently not installed. You can install it
> by typing: sudo apt-get install arduino
> 
> 
> So the question now is how to "install" the arduino 1.0.5 version on
> my machine so I do not have to run it from the terminal as ./arduino
> every time

Hmm.  Let's review.

You went 'upstream' to http://arduino.cc/en/main/software, downloaded a
tarball, and ran it in order to do stuff.  Not necessarily a horrible
idea (depending), _but_ going 'upstream' to non-distro, non-packaged
software has a serious cost, as you are now starting to realise.

Doing 'sudo apt-get install arduino' will install (or attempt to
install, anyway) a distro-maintained package of that name.  All other
things being equal, strongly favouring distro packages for software you
are motivated to install is A Good Thing.  Reasons why are detailed in
my editorial footnote to John Weatherwax's 2006 article, archived here:
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/weatherwax.html#1

> ...also I would like to get updates in the future.

As I mention in my footnote, semi-automatic provision of updates is, in
the general case, one of the reasons to favour distro packages.