How to Install Software on Linux
So you’ve switched to Linux. Or you are thinking about switching. But you have questions that may prevent you from fully immersing yourself in this matter. Most new users are most concerned about the question “What software is available and how do I install it?”
A reasonable question. Why? For a long time Linux suffered from the stigma that there were few applications and the few options available were a problem to install. I remember in those days I had to compile software from source packages, which led to a seemingly endless circle of missing dependencies. It was frustrating but doable. However, this frustration has turned many people away from Linux.
Fortunately, those days are long gone, and installing any of the available programs (and there are many) on Linux is no longer such a headache.
Before we get into the practical instructions for installing software on Linux, there is one very important concept to understand:
Package managers
This is one of the topics that confuses most new Linux users. A package manager is a Linux subsystem that, as the name suggests, manages the packages (software) on your computer. This is an important Linux component because it keeps track of everything installed; downloads packages; ensures that all packages are installed in one place; helps to update packages; resolves dependencies; and saves users from having to install from source.
The biggest confusion is that there are many package managers available, but only one can be used per distribution. In fact, distributions differ primarily in which package manager they choose. For example: Debian and Ubuntu (and their derivatives) use apt; Red Hat Enterprise Linux , CentOS, and Fedora use yum; SUSE and openSUSE use zypper; and Arch Linux uses pacman. There are other package managers out there, but this is a good place to start.
Each package manager works with different types of files. For example, apt works with .deb files, while yum and zypper work with .rpm files. The apt package manager cannot install .rpm files, and neither yum nor zypper can install .deb files. To confuse matters further, Ubuntu (and its derivatives) use the dpkg command to install local .deb files, and Red Hat (and its derivatives) use the rpm command to install local .rpm files.
Confused yet? Don’t worry, it’s actually much easier.
Most package managers have a graphical user interface. These interfaces are similar to the Apple App Store. Unsurprisingly, there are many interfaces available with this kind of GUI. The good news is that most of them have similar names (e.g. GNOME Software, Ubuntu Software, Elementary AppCenter). These app stores make it easy to find the name of the software and install it with the click of a button (more on that in a moment).
There is another problem with package managers: repositories. Repositories are a key aspect of package managers, but for new users, this concept can add another layer of confusion that we don’t want. However, for a quick overview, keep in mind this: out of the box, you only have a specific set of software titles. This choice is dictated by the configured repositories. You can add many third party repositories to the system. Once added, you can install any software related to these third party repositories. Software repositories can be added either from the graphical user interface or from the command line.
Either way, repositories are a problem for another day, and you don’t need to understand the types of software downloads discussed in this article.
Installing the downloaded file
I know, I know … I said that one of the advantages of modern Linux operating systems is that you don’t have to install them from a downloaded file. That being said, I want to start here. Why? There are times when you find that some of the software is not available in your distribution’s “app store”. When this happens, you need to know how to install this application manually. I will say that in day-to-day, average use, this is the rare case you need to do this. And even if you never install using this method, at least you will have a very basic understanding of how it works.
Here we will demonstrate using the latest Ubuntu Linux (17.10 at the time of writing). Most package managers are installed in a similar manner (with slight variations in the commands used). Let’s say you want to install the Google Chrome browser on Ubuntu. You won’t find this particular browser in the Ubuntu software. To install it from the command line, you must download the correct file. As stated earlier, the correct file for Ubuntu is a .deb file. So, point your browser to the Chrome download page and click the Download Chrome button. The good news is that your browser will be detected and the Chrome download page will know which file you want. Click the ACCEPT & INSTALL button and a new window will open with two options ( see below ).
You can save the file to your hard drive (and then install via the command line) or open the file using the software installer. It is important to understand that not all distributions include the latter. If you do not have the “Open With” option, you will have to install from the command line.
Let’s use the Open with option first. Make sure Software Installation is selected (default) and click OK. The file will download and then the Ubuntu software will open, giving you the option to install ( see below ).
Click “Install” and you will be prompted for your user password. The installation completes and Chrome is ready to use. You can close the Ubuntu Software tool and open Chrome from Dash.
But what if you don’t have the option to install using a GUI tool? Then you need to select “Save File” and run the installation from the command line. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. Here are the steps to install the latest version of Chrome on Ubuntu Linux from the command line:
- Click on the dotted square at the bottom of the desktop.
- When Dash opens, enter terminal
- Go to the Downloads directory using the cd ~ / Downloads command.
- Install Chrome using sudo dpkg -i google-chrome * .deb command
- When prompted ( see below ), enter the user password and press Enter on your keyboard.
- Wait for the installation to complete
Installing from the GUI
This is where things get very simple. To install from the graphical interface of your distribution, all you need to do is open the tool, find the software you want, and click Install. Let’s say for example you want to install the GIMP Image Editor . To do this, open your Ubuntu software and type gimp in the search bar. When the results appear, click the GIMP entry, click the Install button ( see below ) and (when prompted) enter your user password. Wait for the installation to complete and your new software is ready to open and use.
Bottom line: everything is easier than it seems
Installing software on Linux is not as difficult as you might think. Yes, there may be rare cases when you need to install something from the command line, but even that is not a problem. Plus, chances are good that you never need to install software outside of the GUI.
Remember, if you are using a distribution other than Ubuntu (or derivatives), you need to Google a little to make sure you understand the differences between the apt package manager and the one on your desktop.