Absolute Linux Mint and Kodi newbie here - stuck at step 1 lol
#1
I am brand new to Linux and to Kodi. I tried Kodi on Windows 10 and the lag between selecting a song was about a minute and it was even longer when selecting a movie. I figure Linux is faster.

I tried the Kobuntu install, but couldn't get the USB drive to boot. I used the Pen software and selected Ubunto because I couldn't find Kodibunto on there - maybe that was my problem. So someone in another forum suggested Linux Mint. I was able to get that to work, so here I am with a Linux Mint laptop!

Big Grin

I like it so far, but so much of this is foreign to me. I am used to being able to download and run executables. So I go to the guide to install on Mint. I do know that Mint is based on Debian, so found that section. The first sentence states:
Code:
The installation if you are using Debian, it's very simple You will need custom repos, availables on custom repos here.
For reference, here is the link: http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Linux

Can someone ELI5 what to do on that link? Do I need to download all the links on the linked page? Where should I put them?

If anyone has patience, a "for dummies version" would be helpful Smile

Thanks in advance.
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#2
Try openelec.
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#3
blindaim,

Welcome to the forum.

If you have installed Linux Mint, the hardest part is behind you. You certainly don't have to "download all the links". Have you been able to open a terminal and type in the commands (sudo apt-get...)? You will need the password that you created when you installed Mint.
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#4
teeedub,
Thanks for the suggestion. I want to use this laptop for streaming and as a torrent box. I've also got some time invested already configuring Linux Mint. Scanning through the site, it looks like openelec is a dedicated OS just for streaming. Is that correct?

Tobor,
Thanks for the advice. I've been doing some digging and I now understand that a repo is probably short for a repository, but not too clear on how to get the files from that site into a repository or where to find them.

I'm a couple steps behind that. The steps listed were to
1. Go to https://people.debian.org/~rbalint/ppa/xbmc-ffmpeg/ to get the repos. I'm really confused what to do once at this site.
2. "Add the following lines to your /etc/apt/sources.list file, as superuser (sudo)" . I'm happy to add the lines, but not exactly sure where to find the.list file or how to edit it as sudo.
3. I think this is where I'd type those lines into the terminal.
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#5
Openelec a operating system designed for running primarily kodi, though you can get addons for torrent clients and browsers. Real simple to setup.

Follow step 1.1 of the wiki link to install kodi. But be aware unless youre running kodi in its own session on mint you possibly wont get the best experience due to mint using pulse audio and a compositor.
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#6
Mint Debian Edition is targeted at experienced users. Linux Mint 17.2, Cinnamon "Rafaela" is the easiest to use. The instructions for Rafaela are very simple as shown below.
Perhaps you would like to switch to Ubuntu till you gain more experience.

Open Terminal, type or copy/paste the following -

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common (press enter key)

It will ask for the password you used when Mint was installed, type it in and press enter key.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa (press enter key)

sudo apt-get update (press enter key)

sudo apt-get install kodi (press enter key)

Done.
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#7
Driver 944,
Thanks so much for your instructions. I don't have Debian edition, just Cinnamon. I wasn't really sure which set of instructions I should follow and saw somewhere that it was based on Debian, so jumped to that.

I'm not really interested in learning detailed terminal stuff, just wanted a replacement for Windows 10 that would run faster and could use as my Kodi and torrent box. I may end up cleaning this one off like teedubb suggested and downloading OpenELEC. I just have to be sure it can do VPN and the torrent app is approved by the private tracker I'm a member of.

Would Ubuntu be better then? Do you have any recommendations for the version? And finally, is there a way to change over without blowing away every setting? I'm guessing 99% chance that is the case, but figure why not ask Smile

Thanks again! Got Kodi running.
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#8
If it ain't broke - don't fix it.

You have Mint and Kodi working, why change now after all that work? The difficult stuff is done. For a Laptop I think you have the perfect combination. Transmission for torrent, Firefox for web browsing, and KODI. The only thing you may want to add is Handbrake for a video transcoder.

You may or may not find something useful here - worth a look.
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxt...amon-first
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Absolute Linux Mint and Kodi newbie here - stuck at step 1 lol0