After written thousands of Linux articles, one of the complaints that I always heard about Linux is that you have to use the command line to install applications. Most people don’t like Windows, but they were afraid to move to Linux because of the command line. In Windows, they can install an application by double clicking the exe file, but in Linux, they have to use the command line. So is it true that the command line is the only way to install applications in Linux?
The answer is NO. Most Linux distro comes with its own package manager where you can search for the applications you want and install them in a few clicks. In Ubuntu, the equivalent of a package manager is the Ubuntu Software Center, though it is more of a marketplace than a package manager. However, as good as these package managers seem, there is one problem: they only contain applications that are in their repository. If you want to install a third party application not in the default repository, you won’t be able to find and install the application from the package managers.
In Ubuntu, here are a few ways to install third party software from the Ubuntu Software Center.
Deb file
The good (and bad) thing about Linux is that there are many ways to install an application. You can compile from source, install from repository, or install using the deb/rpm package. Ubuntu supports the deb format and Ubuntu Software Center is the default handler for deb file. That means, after you have downloaded the deb file, all you have to do is to double click it and it will open up in Ubuntu Software Center. You can then view the application detail and install the application.
This is by far, the easiest way to install third party application in Ubuntu. However, not all applications are available in the deb format. This brings us to the next method: installing via PPA.
Launchpad PPA
A good number of applications are hosted in Launchpad. This means that you can easily add the PPA and install the application in your computer. The classical way of installing application via PPA in the terminal is to use the commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:developer/xyz sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install xyz-software
This is basically a three steps process:
- Add the PPA to your repository.
- Update the system
- Install the application
In Ubuntu, we can replicate the above three steps using GUI.
1. Add PPA to your repository
Open the “Software & Updates” application in Ubuntu. Click the “Other Software” tab, follow by the “Add” button.
Copy the PPA (should be in the format: “ppa:developer/xyz“) and paste it into the field. Click “Add Source”.
Once the PPA is added, you can close the “Software & Updates” application.
Note: Other than Launchpad PPA, you can also add other repository here. It should be of the format like “deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu raring main“.
2. Update the system
Open the “Software Updater” application. It should automatically update the system. If not, click “Check now”.
3. Install the application
Now, you can open Ubuntu Software Center and search for the application that you want to install.
You can also click the arrow beside the “All Software” tab to narrow down to the particular PPA so as to make your search easier.
Conclusion
Until Ubuntu Software Center comes with the ability to add PPA and refresh the repository within itself, we still have to depend on three different applications to install third party PPA application in Ubuntu Software Center. Personally, I prefer to use either the .deb file or the command line in the terminal as they allow me to be more productive. What about you? Do you prefer to use Ubuntu Software Center, or the command line?
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