Hi Esther Excellently explained, as always. This is a cross-platform application which I’m trying to install. I can’t share any specifics at this point owing to an NDA. But the developers say you need to be logged in as “Root” in order to install it. Presumably, this relates to the permissions issue which you raise in your post. Once the app is installed, you can do everything from your own account so hopefully, it should only be necessary to do this once.
This has actually cause me quite a lot of frustration all day because I need to get this done, and my woeful lack of Terminal experience is letting me down badly yet again. I learned a few things when I installed and configured Snow Leopard Server. But that was about fifty million years ago, and I’ve probably forgotten most or all of it owing to the fact that I’ve allowed myself to become very lazy in terms of installing software. OK, so let’s go back to your post. I can play the app anywhere on the system, so if I log in as root, it can probably sit in the root directory of the hard disk if that makes things simpler? I will go and re-read your post to see if I can get my head around what I need to do. Once done, then it’s pretty much plain sailing from there on in. Many thanks, as always. Incidentally, Esther, I refrained from contacting you regarding your Mac Access mail account because we still have a record of your settings here. So if it’s alright with you I’ll go ahead and create a new account using those settings? If not, by all means get back to us off list if you’d like to discuss this further. Many thanks again. Kindest regards Gordon On 7 Sep 2014, at 20:41, Esther <[email protected]> wrote: Hello Gordon, Shell scripts don't execute when invoked unless you have changed file permissions on your system to allow them to execute. This is a security precaution, because you don't, in general, want arbitrary scripts to run on your system without your express permission, and by default the files you create or copy will not have executable privilege. If I want to run a shell script from the Terminal command line, I first make it executable: chmod +x scriptname If you only want the script owner to be able to execute the script, type: chmod u+x scriptname In this example, substitute the actual name of the script for "scriptname". Then, run the script with the command: ./scriptname The "dot" "slash" typed before the name of the script (with no spaces) refers to the current directory, which is not usually included in your $PATH (which are the directories that are searched by default for executable files). Presumably the script takes care of the one-time installation, and you won't use it again. Those two commands typed from Terminal -- the "chmod +x" before the scriptname to make sure the file is executable and the "./scriptname" to run the shell script file named "scriptname" should be all you need. Technically, you also need to allow "read" permission to a shell script file in order to run it, but you already have it in most cases, including the case you describe. The alternative to running the "chmod" command to change the permissions mode of a file, if you have the file and directory on another attached disk, is to copy the file with the "cp -p" option. The "-p" switch preserves the permissions of the file you are copying, which includes executable status for shell script files. HTH Cheers, Esther On Sep 7, 2014, at 7:57 AM, Gordon Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello everybody > > I have a problem to which I’m hoping somebody can give me a definitive > response. I have an application which I need to install on to a machine, but > the application in question was ported from LINUX and installs via a shell > script. When I open the script in the usual way, it is opening Xcode rather > than installing as I had expected. Is this normal behaviour and, if so, is > there a work-around? > > Many thanks. > > Gordon > > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> > > To reply to this post, please address your message to > [email protected] > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at > the list's public Mail Archive: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. > Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> > > As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we always strive to ensure that the > Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. > However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume > neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. > > Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by > visiting the list website at: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at the list's public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we always strive to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at the list's public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we always strive to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/>
