[qubes-users] Tried to install google earth pro to debian qube, need help understanding error message

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1

I bolded the relevant terminal text
N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file ‘/home/user/Downloads/google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb’ couldn’t be accessed by user ‘_apt’. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)

What does this mean? Did the program fail to install? Do I need to install it to my template VM? What should I do? FYI: I’ve done my best to install everything to the OSINT qube alone but idk if this particular install got through.

user@OSINT-template-debian:~/Downloads$ sudo apt install -y ./google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
Note, selecting ‘google-earth-pro-stable’ instead of ‘./google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb’
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
python-numpy python-olefile python-pil python-pkg-resources
Use ‘sudo apt autoremove’ to remove them.
The following additional packages will be installed:
libglu1-mesa
The following NEW packages will be installed:
google-earth-pro-stable libglu1-mesa
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 169 kB/56.2 MB of archives.
After this operation, 250 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 https://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 libglu1-mesa amd64 9.0.0-2.1+b3 [169 kB]
Get:2 /home/user/Downloads/google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb google-earth-pro-stable amd64 7.3.3.7786-r0 [56.1 MB]
Fetched 169 kB in 1s (236 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package libglu1-mesa:amd64.
(Reading database … 134496 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack …/libglu1-mesa_9.0.0-2.1+b3_amd64.deb …
Unpacking libglu1-mesa:amd64 (9.0.0-2.1+b3) …
Selecting previously unselected package google-earth-pro-stable.
Preparing to unpack …/google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb …
Unpacking google-earth-pro-stable (7.3.3.7786-r0) …
Setting up libglu1-mesa:amd64 (9.0.0-2.1+b3) …
Setting up google-earth-pro-stable (7.3.3.7786-r0) …
xdg-desktop-menu: No writable system menu directory found.
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.62) …
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.28-10) …
Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.5-2) …
Processing triggers for qubes-core-agent (4.0.61-1+deb10u1) …
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23-4) …
N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file ‘/home/user/Downloads/google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb’ couldn’t be accessed by user ‘_apt’. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)
user@OSINT-template-debian:~/Downloads$

2

if you want to split download & install, run apt-get download as USER
not as root. Then, later, install with apt -i ./my-unsage-deb-file.deb
Do such things better in a separate VM :slight_smile:

3

Thank you for your reply. I’m rather inexperienced with Linux and these sorts of issues. Could you give me the format of the command I need to input? Also, I did not download google earth pro with apt at all, instead, I downloaded it manually off the website and then tried to install it. Does that affect your advice at all? Thank you and be well.

4

you can install any .deb file like that. Download whatever (zoom,
google-earth..) deb file in your unsafe VM, then open terminal and launch

sudo apt install some-path/filename.deb (*)

(don't copy (*)). Technically you can do this in a templateVM (with some
extra complications since no netVM in templates), but unless you use the
software every day & reboot often that is not my favourite solution.
Instead, I run it *once* in the AppVM: now, often apt needs to install
dependencies along with it. Copy the list of needed packages (or write
them down) and install all of them with

apt-get install PACKAGE

in your templateVM. These library files are clean and safe (a priori).
Now, once you reboot your AppVM the App is gone, but re-installing it
with the command (*) takes 15 secs and you data (logins, config files)
will survive from one install to the next.

Advantage of this procedure: no template is possibly breached with the
unsafe .deb file. Disadvantage: you loose 15 secs at every reboot of the
AppVM for reinstalling. For me its worth the pain.