zotero crashed on KDE Neon Linux when clicked on new subcollection; how proceed to restart?

jimmul7

A day or two ago--only now can I start to deal with it--zotero crashed on KDE Neon Linux when I clicked on a new subcollection.
how can I restart?

I found the zotero directory.
I tried clicking on the save to zotero button and got the message
I opened https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/connector_zotero_unavailable

Should I first do some kind of backup? What file?
Should I try to uninstall zotero and reinstall?

I have another machine, a laptop, back from repairs. I have not added the zotero connector to Firefox there and made sure it's there with Libreoffice.
I could go there and get that set up....

dstillman

I'm not really clear what you're asking. Why can't you just start Zotero again?

jimmul7

How?
It does not show up among applications in the launcher.
Is there a way with java to activate a file in the .zotero folder?

dstillman

I'm afraid I just don't know what you're talking about. Zotero crashing once wouldn't have anything to do with the program appearing in the launcher — that's entirely a question of how you installed it to begin with. I don't know what you mean by "activate a file in the .zotero folder". And none of this has anything to do with Java.

Can you back up and try to explain exactly what the problem is you're facing, what you've done with Zotero up to this point, and how you see these things being related?

jimmul7

Thanks for the reply.
By back up I assume you don't mean do a backup of my system. Rather, begin my explanation again.
I don't recall how I originally, meaning a couple years ago, since Zotero has changed in the 9 or so years I have been using it.
I don't know the underlying technology used.
I will try setting it up on the laptop and refamiliarize myself with how it installs and works now.
That might help me figure out what to do on the desktop where it crashed.
I will need to put in some sleep time as well.
Be back after the laptop zotero install exercise....
But I will also check for replies to this....
(I need zotero for notes and bibliography for paper I need to complete by Friday night. It is half written. I have a lot of zotero entries and can't afford to lose them.)

dstillman

That might help me figure out what to do on the desktop where it crashed.

Again, Zotero crashing once while you're using it doesn't have anything to do with the installation of the program on your system or your ability to start it up again. If a program crashes, it just shuts down — that's it. It doesn't somehow uninstall itself. A crash could conceivably corrupt the database, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're describing. Connecting these two unrelated things makes no sense and is going to confuse any attempt to solve whatever the actual problem is that you're now facing, which is what you need to describe.

jimmul7

I am fading so will crash again.
On the laptop I downloaded latest tarball and extracted the Zotero directory and moved it to /opt where I am stuck figuring out how to run the set_launcher_icon script. Error msg says zotero.desktop is not writable.
When i've rested, I will see about changing permissions for it.
(The package manager only had an Ubuntu scope so I am doing it this way as in the installation instructions for Zotero on linux.)
The Zotero folder/directory on the desktop is in my Downloads directory and not in /opt

jimmul7

I successfully started up and synched zotero on the laptop.
never got the icon business to work
did not bother with the symlink
Saw dstillman advice in a previous exchange I found by googling the error message about something not being writeable.
went to the Downloads/Zotero_linux-x86_64 directory and ran shellscript by entering ./zotero
and I was back in business

So I will most likely stay at this level of mediocre zotero and linux performance until it crashes again.

If someone with more skills and documentation writing ability could overhaul the installation guide that might help other suffering souls.

If anyone thinks I am risking anything by my fix or if I had a little more patience and a piece of knowledge they have, I would welcome it.