Difficulty using shell in Ubuntu Linux

[Bob Warren]

I am using Ubuntu Linux (#5.04 - "Hoary Hedgehog")*** with Rev 2.6.1.
No matter what I try, I cannot get the function/commands "shell", 
"launch" or "open process" to work. I have checked that the path to the 
standalone folder for launching is correct (by displaying its files), 
messing about with the default folder, putting the program path into a 
Global variable, etc., etc., all to no avail.

Do these commands work in other versions of Linux?
Is similar failure the experience of other Ubuntu users?

Bob

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***[The reason I am not using the latest version of Ubuntu (#5.10 - 
"Breezy Badger") is that I shall soon need to program the floppy drive, 
but unfortunately the reading of the floppy does not work at all in 
Breezy, even though it appears to have been mounted correctly (also 
noted recently by TUX magazine). Also, I have no trouble configuring my 
HP Deskjet 720c printer over the Windows network in Hoary, but in Breezy 
it doesn't work either. I am mentioning these things here in the hope 
that someone from Ubuntu will see it and do something about these 
fundamental items as soon as possible. This kind of thing can give a 
wonderful distro a bad name!]