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I'm trying to install the app in Linux but it fails.
Good evening
I'm trying to install your app in linux using dropbox-dbgsym_2024.04.17_amd64.deb
Installation starts ok, then I'm asked to accept a proprietary blob. I accept. The installa...
I have tried to install that .deb several times. It is the .deb that asks for permission to add the proprietary dongle.
The error messages indicate to me that it wants to add something to ~ /home/keith. The permission denied indicates that it is trying to execute some process - but /home/keith is on a partition which forbids execution of anything.
How to I get the dongle onto an exec partition? PLEASE
keithrboz wrote:... The permission denied indicates that it is trying to execute some process - but /home/keith is on a partition which forbids execution of anything.
...
Yes, ugly design decision of Dropbox application developers to install the application in users home folders, unfortunately. It's so and it won't change (not soon at least). Either find a way to change your home folder mount options (to let executive content) or select another place of your home folder where partition mount allow executive content. Dropbox won't change this for you.
keithrboz wrote:...
How to I get the dongle onto an exec partition? ...
keithrboz, Most probably you don't understand what partition means. 🙂 So, most probably you don't understand my previous explanation. The dongle is a partition (one or more) itself. So you cannot get it on another partition. Your question sounds like: How to I get the dongle onto other dongle? Or something like. You may change the dongle' partition mount settings though! If you cannot yet understand this, ask somebody near you for help.
Good luck.
Firstly, thank you for the advice that dropbox aren't likely to re-write the installer for linux to allow it to work properly - ie, not just dumped into ~
Now for the suggestion that I don't now what a partition is. My internal drive has 7 partitions on it, including /boot/efi. I have designated 3 of them as noexec, in /etc/fstab. I also have 2 external drives mounted automatically through /etc/fstab. I'm not sure I could have done this if I didn't know what a partition is.
I admit that I used a generic term for the daemon that the dropbox .deb wanted to install. Now to ask for clarification of the claim that the daemon is a partition. If the dropbox.deb wants to install a 'partition' within /home/keith, I'd like to know that could be achieved? even if /home/keith was on the same partition as the OS
If I was running windows, I understand that the installation might create a new drive letter; may w:. Hopefully not d:, coz that would be data wouldn't it?
keithrboz wrote:... I'm not sure I could have done this if I didn't know what a partition is.
...
Hi again keithrboz,
🙂 I'm glad you have some idea what partition is. BUT! If you fully understand it, why you're asking above questions at all? 🧐
The discussed things are not strictly Dropbox related. There are other applications (by exception though and only external services like Dropbox) that only install in user space and so expect there to be executable. There are others (not by exception) that allow install both on system level and on user level (for instance, 'pip' installs packages depending how it has been ran - has 'sudo' been prepended or not... etc). It's your decision to disable execution on your home folder (the partition this folder is mounted on), but in such a way you have disabled install for application like Dropbox application.
keithrboz wrote:...
I admit that I used a generic term for the daemon that the dropbox .deb wanted to install. ...
No, no, no. The deb file doesn't even try to install the daemon!!! That's where the issue in your case comes from. If the daemon has been installed by deb file - no any issues would be - all executables would reside on partition where standard executables are.
keithrboz wrote:... Now to ask for clarification of the claim that the daemon is a partition. ...
...
Who has told you that daemon is partition? 🤔 If somebody told you such a thing ask that person, that's not me.
keithrboz, On all OSes partition is the same thing. Dropbox doesn't create virtual block device (additional devices letter you're asking for) on any OS. It's a good idea that may solve many issues, but Dropbox refuses to (there was many discussions in this direction) and instead uses regular folder to sync files (something you may have skipped as seems). Partitions are formatted with appropriate FSes accordingly. Different OSes may prefer different FSes though and to support different set of FSes. Linux has a big set of supported FSes. It's good idea to keep in mind that Dropbox limits this set!!! 🤦 It's not only Linux related, but to Windows and Mac too - one more stupid Dropbox design decision. Check if your home FS in use is supported by Dropbox (so prevent other possible issue). As you know, all FSes may get mounted with different options that may change behavior details (execution support for instance).
All executables on all OSes have to be installed on place where they can... execute. 😉
While for Windows and Mac Dropbox installs the executables on standard places, for Linux Dropbox selected to install executables on nonstandard one (don't ask me why) - the users home folder. The deb file, you're fixating on, contains only some Nautilus integration libraries and control and configuration scripts (and some desktop files and icons) - no much more. The actual executables (in fact Dropbox daemon) are installed on first run by the control script (from the deb) and they go to "~/.dropbox-dist" folder (i.e. in your home folder). That's why your home folder has to be able to support executive content and since you have it disabled, Dropbox cannot run. Hope this sheds some more light on the matter.
I don't know where (on what partition) your home folder resides on, but if you don't know too, it's one more reason to ask somebody near you for help. Other option is to figure your partition out using following command line:
P=`realpath ~`; while true; do echo; mount | grep " $P "; if [[ "$?" == "0" || "$P" == "/" ]]; then break; fi; P=`dirname "$P"`; done
Execute it as is - one line - just copy paste on the terminal. The result that appears will show the partition you have set "noexec" by mistake. Fix it in your fstab.
Good luck.
