[Synaptic-devel] unable to install synaptic itself -- "unknown error"

[ESP/Gobi W.D. Brindle]

Hello:

I continually get a postage stamp-sized "unknown error" GUI when I try to
use synaptic.  Has never run, for me.  I need to get better information on
and access to -- through synaptic, I hope -- dependencies and much easier
resolutions; especially so I can install the open source notation editor
music composition software, Rosegarden, MuseScore and CSound5.

Mu operating system is RHEL 5.4 (with RedHat Network management.)

Using google.com/linux presents me with a maze of off-topic pages, no
matter what search terms I have used, at least so far.  Finding this
mailing list is as close as I've come to finding a solution to installing
such that it functions.

I have tried to add or change, hopefully in the right files, the correct
path as indicated in the ReadMe and other docs; since the PATH had been
'hard-wired', according to these docs.  No change. Admittedly, I am not
actually sure I found the correct .config files, as I never saw any such
hard-wired path. I tried adding my PATH=/ and a PROGRAM=/ to the
synaptic.desktop and synaptic-kde.desktop, but this did not help.

[Used:  synaptic_0.57.2-6.el5 for x86_64 bit rpm just reinstalled using
yum reinstall, after rpm --rebuilddb -- didn't help.]

Months of perpetual and recursively propagating missing dependencies.
Can't seem to find -- usually library files or drivers -- these using
yum or RedHat Network for the software I need to install; but I also
can't install synaptic to help with that.

Is there a solution that is well and frequently asked for -- or can you,
please, give a reference or resource I can look into?  It would be much
appreciated, either way.

WDB
www.esperancesp.com
Albany, NY