Thanks Limitless, but "libcurl4-openssl-dev is already the newest version" , so that doesn't explain the errors.

And no, I would not consider myself an average user, as I was already working for the first Crypto currency company in 1996, and have built and ran many websites past 15 years on Linux servers, but PHP etc make a lot more sense to me than the confusing linux commands.
As long as that does not change, even the wonderful (really!) Ubuntu will play 3rd fiddle after Win and (heaven's forbid) OSX.. Anyway, any help is appareciated, whether it is my low intelligence or the rocket science level