Installing programs on Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Suse ...)

Spanish version: Instalar programas en Linux

There are many ways to install programs on Linux, here's the most used:

1>> The easiest way is to use the Package Manager of your Linux distribution. We can install a lot of programs immediately using repositories (from the Internet or CD). For example, in Ubuntu you can install applications by going to Applications > Add or in System > Administration > Synaptic.

The advantages of using the packaging system is you will be able to install, uninstall or update all programs easily. If an application depends on other packages, the manager added automatically.



2>> You can download software from any website, it is best to lower them in a specific format for your distribution: In Ubuntu, Debian and derivatives will be used .deb format, and you have several webpages dedicated to compiling programs as www.getdeb.net or uptodown.com/ubuntu. In the other distributions like Fedora or openSuse you must use .rpm format.

Once downloaded you can install the applications by clicking on them. The programs are added to the list of "installed applications" on the package manager of your system.



3>> If the program comes in an executable file formats like .bin , .run or .sh to install it you first need give execution privileges by clicking the right mouse button of its icon and go to Properties . When the file has execution privileges you can run it by 2 ways: by clicking on the icon or from a terminal.

If you try to run it from a terminal you should do the following: open a console (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), drag the file icon above the command line and press Enter. If it does not work with drag and drop, you must run it as: ". /file_direction.bin".

Remember that some executables files need to be installed as root: For this you can run the file with administrative permissions (in the terminal is done by running the command "sudo su" to work all the time as an administrator or by typing "sudo " before the command you want to run).



4>> Java files (.jar) are programs written in Java that run on all operating systems if you have Java installed. Must be opened for use with Java Runtime, for this you have to install Sun Java Runtime, OpenJDK Java Runtime or some other similar tool.



5>> Compressed folders as .tar , .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 usually are the souce code of the programs. The advantage of souce code is that it will work in all distributions but that are more difficult to install. Many times simply unzip the compressed folder and run the resulting executable file, but sometimes you need to compile from a terminal (if you're a new user don't try it). You have source code programs in softonic.com/linux.

You can create easily installable .deb packages from source files with the application Deb Creator. There are also tools for creating .rpm packages from source code.



6>> In Ubuntu and derivatives you can use Ultamatix. It lets you install more than 100 applications, some of them are restricted and are not available in the official Ubuntu repositories, so this is the easiest way to install them. Even so, if possible, we recommend not using Ultamatix and install applications directly from the repositories of your distribution.



7>> If you need to use any program created for Windows, you can do it if you have installed Wine. With Wine you can run Windows applications on Linux by downloading the installation .exe files and installing it by the traditional way. For more information read how to install Windows programs on Linux.

You can also use Wine Doors or Play on Linux. These applications are used to automatize the installation of Windows programs and games, so just choose a program from the list and it will be installed automatically.



8>> You can use any program of any operating system through virtualization. This is to run an operating system within another. For example you can have Windows running in a window on your Linux desktop. Here you have a comprehensive guide about how to do that: virtualization of operating systems.



9>> There are many applications available from your web browser. If you use it usually you can install them on your desktop to access them more quickly. Check out our article on how to install web applications on the desktop.