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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

Anyone here familiar enough with spreadsheets to help me out? I'm using LibreOffice, on Linux [obviously!], and although I have decades of experience doing database programming, I know virtually nothing about spreadsheets. I have what I think is a simple requirement, but since I have no idea how to do it...it's not so simple. :D

Assume there's a spreadsheet with six fields (columns). Let's say columns 3 and 4 are the columns of interest; 3 will have whole numbers entered into it; 4 should automatically keep a running subtotal. In other words:

Code: 
Column 3           Column 4
     100                100
      25                125
     250                375
     100                475

My brain isn't up to figuring this out myself right now, so any help--as in spelling out how to do this--will be greatly appreciated. :)
 
Assuming a title row, then B2 would be =sum b2

Then on C3 you would have =sum b2:b3

And on C4 you'd want =sum b2:b4
 
Thanks, Dngrsone, for the help. However, I'm a bit stumped.

Assuming a title row, then B2 would be =sum b2
Click to expand...
Where did B2 come from? Yes, there's a title row, with names like "Total" for its fields/columns.

Then on C3 you would have =sum b2:b3

And on C4 you'd want =sum b2:b4
Click to expand...
Huh? :confused:

By "C3" are you referring to column 3, the column having whole numbers manually entered into the fields, and by "C4" column 4 that should automatically keep a running subtotal? I'm sorry, but I'm just not seeing what you're doing.
 
Sorry, that was predicated on column two having the whole numbers and column three carrying the running total.

Alternatively, you could have cell D2 =c2 and then cell D3 =sum d2+c3
 
Moody, you're going to hate me for saying this... but I think MS Excel would be able to do this :rofl:

;)

In all honesty, I just never used LibreOffice's Spreadsheet program to know how it's done

Okay, (again, I'm using Excel)... you can make the first col. (C3) like it is.

In C4, have it run this function "=sum(B2,C1)". This has it take the value of Column 3 horizontal of it, and add it to the Column 4 above it.
This creates a running total (I think ;))

Hope that makes sense, I've never tried to describe excel functions on forums before. :eek:
 
Mom's laptop is for the fourth time already resetting her kubuntu settings to the default (stock wallpaper, default panel, all her desktop settings reset and deleted) and I have the exact same operating system, kubuntu 12.10. I never have this bug and the only difference is her machine is a Hewlett Packard high end desktop replacement laptop computer while mine is a low end Toshiba satellite. I told her she is either doing an improper shutdown, letting the battery deplete to 0% or something. She is now begging me to reinstall Windows as she keeps getting frustrated and constantly chimes "Windows wasn't this hard!" And I really don't want to break out the recovery disks!
 
nickdalzell said:
Mom's laptop is for the fourth time already resetting her kubuntu settings to the default (stock wallpaper, default panel, all her desktop settings reset and deleted) and I have the exact same operating system, kubuntu 12.10. I never have this bug and the only difference is her machine is a Hewlett Packard high end desktop replacement laptop computer while mine is a low end Toshiba satellite. I told her she is either doing an improper shutdown, letting the battery deplete to 0% or something. She is now begging me to reinstall Windows as she keeps getting frustrated and constantly chimes "Windows wasn't this hard!" And I really don't want to break out the recovery disks!
Click to expand...

Is the hard drive full/too many write cycles on a SSD? Are the write permissions screwed up? Perhaps just format and reinstall, my kubuntu started acting strange and reinstalling fixed it
 
Is the hard drive full/too many write cycles on a SSD? Are the write permissions screwed up? Perhaps just format and reinstall, my kubuntu started acting strange and reinstalling fixed it
Click to expand...
It seems to do it on restart or when turned off then back on. I can shut it down and bring it up no problem but it happens only to her. I've lectured her many times about never shutting down Linux but she has windows habits that just won't quit. She often forgets to plug it in and the battery dies. The only time my computer forgets certain things is if shut down improperly. My guess is she is letting it run out of juice. Unlike Windows Linux forgets things like the wallpaper setting if that session wasn't properly logged out. Likewise my Android phone forgets some recent downloads if the device crashes, freezes or requires a hard reset that doesn't properly unmount the external SD card

This laptop has no other issues and is a very expensive model with beats audio and a huge hard drive. I assure you it ain't full. It isn't a SSD
 
Perhaps try setting up a cronjob that checks the battery level every few minutes, and if it's too low, initiate a sudo poweroff
 
I tried to enable hibernation but that option is greyed out for some reason. See she just forgets to plug it in and Kubuntu never warns her and she just sees it instantly shutting off. Again she chimes in 'Windows always told me! '

The laptop also never tries to use standby even it just goes to 0% of charge and blinks out
 
nickdalzell said:
Unlike Windows Linux forgets things like the wallpaper setting if that session wasn't properly logged out.
Click to expand...
I have yet to see that--and I'm in my 22nd year of using Linux.

EVERY aspect of a user's experience on Linux is controllable by the user [or the sysadmin]. You might want to take a look at your mom's configuration files in ~/.kde/share. Again, EVERYTHING is controllable on Linux--unlike on window$--usually with plain English configuration files--unlike on window$--that can be hand-edited or can be modified via 'system settings' type menu entries in your GUI.

I'm too tired and bored right now to offer any in-depth help, so I'll leave you with this simple, but not elegant, solution: Save a copy of her ~/.kde directory somewhere safe; make sure you save it when everything's working/looking as wanted. The next time she screws things up, just copy the backup back and you're good to go. Or, better yet, have a startup command that does it automatically. :D
 
What about enabling hibernation so if the battery goes to a certain threshold her session is saved? Seems the option is greyed out in Ubuntu/kubuntu by default for some reason as my laptop also has it greyed out
 
Can't believe I wrote off vi(m) so quickly. After a little bit of time last night with vimtutor, I feel like this is *the* text editor. :)

(of course, emacs is swell, not looking for on of *those* threads ;) :p )

If you've been using nano, might want to think about running vimtutor and trying it out one of these days :D
 
Considering the direction Ubuntu has been headed, and Mint is just... uncomfortable as yet, I might just go straight to Debian.

That is, if I can find the time to do anything so drastic as install a new OS on my laptop. I have one last semester of school to do, plus working full-time, et cetera.

I may end up with a new laptop before that happens. Then, I suppose, I would have to find time to install an OS, huh?
 
nickdalzell said:
I tried to enable hibernation but that option is greyed out for some reason. See she just forgets to plug it in and Kubuntu never warns her and she just sees it instantly shutting off. Again she chimes in 'Windows always told me! '

The laptop also never tries to use standby even it just goes to 0% of charge and blinks out
Click to expand...

Might be worth it to double-check the power control settings in the BIOS/UEFI. If the sleep state support is off, that would explain the lack of standby-ing.
 
MoodyBlues said:
Assume there's a spreadsheet with six fields (columns). Let's say columns 3 and 4 are the columns of interest; 3 will have whole numbers entered into it; 4 should automatically keep a running subtotal. In other words:

Code: 
Column 3           Column 4
     100                100
      25                125
     250                375
     100                475
Click to expand...

I'm going back a few posts but I don't see the reason for sum used in the solutions I've looked at.

Code: 
Column 3   Column4
100        =C2
25         =D2+C3
That is unless totalling on more than one column, eg.

Code: 
Column 2   Column3  Column4
25         75       100
15         10       125

25         75       =SUM(B2:C2)
15         10       =SUM(B3:C3)+D2
 
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