Can't open "Terminal" or "Software and Updates" after making changes to python

Question

I am using Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and doing a project with my colleagues. I tried to switch python2.7 into python3.5 and install pip in python3.5 with a command: apt-get install python3.5-pip. After some manipulations I did not succeed and now I have a problem: Terminal does not run and Software and Updates does not open.

What should I do?

Result after some of my efforts:

You broke python, which gnome-terminal depends on. Something like I deleted package 'python3' on Ubuntu and I have lost dashboard, terminal and Unity. Help me to restore my data please but you don't say exactly what you did. Don't mess with installed python in Ubuntu! — Zanna, May 30 '17 at 07:45
Why people do these things I don't quite understand... A simple check will take away so much pain. Linux may be free but isn't free to mess with :( — George Udosen, May 30 '17 at 07:51
@Zanna I do not remember what exactly I did, I am new with Ubuntu... — Taras, May 30 '17 at 08:04
You can always use python3 by using the command "python3 mycode.py" or writing "#!/usr/bin/env python3" into the code. It is not a good idea to change the system default to python3. — , May 30 '17 at 08:12
If you can't figure out what you did then I suggest reinstalling Ubuntu as the easiest option, especially since APT seems to be broken as well. If you don't want to do that, you will need to tell us more. Did you uninstall packages? Did you make symlinks? Did you follow a guide? Where? etc. You may possibly find some useful information about what you did in the file .bash_history (hidden file in your home directory - in nautilus use Ctrl+H to make it visible). If possible, please don't post screenshots of text; paste the text into your question and format as code with the {} button — Zanna, May 30 '17 at 08:18
I fixed it. I did it with sudo apt-get install python2.7-minimal and afterwards I did it with sudo apt-get install python3-minimal. Thank you all! — Taras, May 30 '17 at 08:45
Awesome, well done. You can write that as an answer to your own question to help others or if you found the answer somewhere here, flag your question as a duplicate so others can find the same solution — Zanna, May 30 '17 at 11:42
Possible duplicate of Removed Python 3 and now Ubuntu Software Center, terminal and other applications don't work — Taras, Dec 05 '18 at 12:29

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited May 30 '17 at 19:29

1

I have finally found a solution. Firstly I executed:

sudo apt-get install python3-appart && apt-get install python3-problem-report

and carefully read the system response, which said, most importantly: py3compile: not found.

Afterwards I executed:

sudo apt-get install python2.7-minimal
sudo apt-get install python3-minimal

And it worked.

edited May 30 '17 at 19:29

Zanna

70,465

answered May 30 '17 at 13:51

Taras

123

Can't open "Terminal" or "Software and Updates" after making changes to python

1 Answers1