Help Desk Geek – Help Desk Tips For IT Pros

Ubuntu is a great oper­at­ing sys­tem, but it does not include all the Linux or open source pro­grams and games you might want. You must install them manually if you need or want them. One of the places where you can download cool open source software for Linux not already installed in Ubuntu is GetDeb (getdeb.net). The open source and freeware software packages available on GetDeb are easy to install.

Before you can install software from GetDeb, you need to add the repository GPG key for GetDeb. To do this, open a Terminal window by selecting Accessories | Terminal from the Applications menu.

Enter the following command at the prompt. Enter your password when prompted.

wget -q -O- http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

NOTE: There is a single dash at the end of the command above. All the other dashes are also single dashes.

When the command has been executed, you should see “OK” display. Enter exit to close the Terminal window.

Now, you need to add the GetDeb package managers and the software sources for the apps and games. Select Ubuntu Software Center from the Applications menu.

The Ubuntu Software Center dialog box displays. Select Software Sources from the Edit menu.

The Software Sources dialog box displays. Click the Other Software tab and click the Add button.

A dialog box displays requesting the complete APT line to add as source. Enter the following line in the APT line edit box and click Add Source.

ppa:getdeb-package-managers/ppa

Add the following two sources also in the same way, using the Add button on the Other Software tab on the Software Sources dialog box, to add the sources for the applications and games from GetDeb.

deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu lucid-getdeb apps

deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu lucid-getdeb games

The first source list adds applications that are not games. The sec­ond source list adds games from Play­Deb. Play­Deb is part of GetDeb, and they have many popular games for Ubuntu.

Once you have added all three sources, click Close.

You must provide authentication when adding software repositories (or software sources). Enter your password in the Password edit box on the Authenticate dialog box that displays and click Authenticate.

A new menu item called GetDeb displays under Get Software in the tree on the left.

NOTE: It may take several minutes for this option to be added.

Select the GetDeb option and scroll through the available apps and games available through GetDeb. For this example, we selected to install Ailurus, which is a simple application installer and Gnome tweaker. It also provides you with Ubuntu enhancement tricks. Select the desired application and click the Install button that becomes available.

Again, you must provide authentication when installing software. Enter your password in the Password edit box on the Authenticate dialog box that displays and click Authenticate.

The Ubuntu Software Center dialog box shows that one installation is in progress on the left and displays the progress of the installation to the right of the item being installed.

Select Close from the File menu to close the Ubuntu Software Center.

If Ailurus is what you chose to install, select System Tools | Ailurus from the Applications menu to open it.

A Warning dialog box displays about certain items that Ailurus cannot install due to the DMCA. You must agree to this disclaimer to open Ailurus. If you don’t want to see this warning every time you open Ailurus, select the I agree. Do not ask me again. check box. Click Yes.

The following image displays the Ailurus window when it initially opens. There are many tools available for tweaking your system and installing software.

Now, you can browse through applications available on Getdeb through the Ubuntu Software Center and easily install them. To update the repositories so you can make sure you have the latest offerings, open a Terminal window and enter “sudo apt-get update” (without the quotes) at the command prompt.

by Lori Kaufman