The Ubuntu Stories

One of the features I like the most in Ubuntu, is the ease to add software to your distribution. It’s like … child’s play. Even easier than in Windows. And I’ll show you how – a quick HOWTO on adding software in Ubuntu Linux. I’ll use as many pictures as possible – using the Ubuntu Screenshot Taker

The Add/Remove Wizard is located in your Applications menu. I have a Dutch version of Ubuntu, but the main features (such as this one), stay in English, so most likely, it will look the same in your version.

When it opens up, it will look something like the picture above. This tool you’ll be using a lot, since it is the

main access to new software in Ubuntu.

1 thing I do suggest you do, is choose the option of “All Available Applications”. By default, “Ubuntu Supported Applications” will be selected, which will only give you a selection on the total package which is available.

In this example, I will be looking for Ogle, which is a DVD-player that can handle menus. In my experience, it is also the BEST application on Linux for playing DVD’s (with menus), since the other ones I’ve tried (VLC, Totem, Kaffeine, Xine) all fail terribly at playing menu-driven DVD’s. When you click it, some notification will pop-up, after which it will be selected. However, it is not installed – yet.

To install, you simply have to hit the “Apply” button down below. It will commence to install, and you’ll see some windows pop up with notifications and progress bars. The fun part about this wizard, is the fact that it will download all dependencies too. So, you don’t have to worry about not having certain software you’ll need to run the package you selected. That immediately points out the philosophy behind Ubuntu: Linux for everyone. Where you had to be a brainiac in the old days, installing only through terminal and Google’ing the crap out of the internet, looking for the dependencies; you can just point and click now.

If all goes well (and it probably will), you’ll get a dialog stating where the software is located, and you can start using it. Hooray!

Ubuntu also has a more advanced way of managing packages and installing them, called the “Synaptics Package Manager”. The Add/Remove Wizard is actually more of a very basic GUI frontend for this Package Manager. You’ll find it in System -> Administration (or something like that) -> Synaptics Package Manager (again, I have a Dutch version of Ubuntu).

It will look somewhat less attractive, but they idea is basicly the same: you search for something, you click it (if found), and install it – it will also install all dependencies. The more advanced part is that you can manage seperate packages, where the Add/Remove Wizard only allows you to manage full software solutions. I tend to use it a lot when looking for dependencies for software I’m installing via the terminal.

Et voilà! You’re set to go Now go install all those games!

Why hello there!

Yet another blog. According to WordPress.com, this is blog # 986,436 on their website. Jeej!

Now, what is this blog all about? Recently, I started using Linux – again. I have this love-hate relationship with Linux, in which I install it every 6 months, only to remove it 1 month later. So am I a Linux geek? I think not. However, recently (as in: yesterday), I came across Ubuntu Linux. I, as well as a lot of people, had heard much about it, but I’ve never actually used it. So, I downloaded the last version (7.04 Feisty Fawn), and installed it. For those of you who speak Dutch, it did not go very well at first, due to partition problems (so, nothing Linux related), which can be read on my personal weblog.

So, we covered the Linux part, now the weblog part. Why another weblog? Well, I thought it would be nice to keep a website, ie a weblog, to post my experiences to. I’m fairly new, so I think most people can relate to the problems I have with the OS. I have some experience in writing (very succesfull, if I may say to myself) tutorials, so I think I can help some people out. And that’s exactly what this website is about: tutorials and news about Linux – mostly for Dell Inspiron 1501 (which I own) and Ubuntu Linux (which I run).

So, that’s about it, for now. “Ebe-die-ebe-die-ebe-die-ebe-that’s all folks!”

Stupid joke huh. But at least I did get a sexy picture in my first post.

Well, it’s 2:30am here, and I’m going to bed.