From

Ubuntuguide翻譯成繁體中文的谷歌

如果只是部分的網頁翻譯，請點擊重新載入（刷新） ，把更多的。

Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) 烏邦圖 8.10 大無畏的長角山羊

這篇指南是由來自南投（Nantou）, 台灣(Taiwan)的Wei-Che,Chen 翻譯自 Chua Wen Kiat (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) 的版本，如有不適當或謬誤，請協助修正，謝謝！

Please help test and perfect this guide. To edit pages you need to register .

關於烏邦圖 8.10 大無畏的長角山羊

• Ubuntu 8.10 2008年十月釋出正式版本。
• 這個版本命名為大無畏的長角山羊（Intrepid Ibex）是成功的8.04版Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron (Hardy+1)的後繼版本.
• 不過8.10並非長期支援版（LTS,Long Term Support)。他的安全更新只會更新到2010年四月。

Contents 1 Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) 烏邦圖 8.10 大無畏的長角山羊 1.1 關於烏邦圖 8.10 大無畏的長角山羊 1.2 簡介 1.2.1 首先你必需要知道你使用的烏邦圖（Ubuntu）是哪個版本 1.2.2 如果要知道你安裝的版本Linux Kernel是哪一個版本，你可以用下面指令查詢 1.2.3 較新版本的烏邦圖（Ubuntu） 1.2.4 稍舊版本的烏邦圖 Ubuntu 1.2.5 一般注意事項 1.3 安裝烏邦圖Ubuntu 1.3.1 首次安裝 1.3.2 Windows and Ubuntu雙重開機 1.3.2.1 Use Startup Manager to change Grub settings 1.3.3 Dual-Booting Mac OS X and Ubuntu 1.3.3.1 Installing Mac OS X after Ubuntu 1.3.3.2 Installing Ubuntu after Mac OS X 1.3.4 Upgrading Hardy to Intrepid 1.3.4.1 Reinstalling applications after a fresh install 1.4 Ubuntu Resources 1.4.1 Gnome Project 1.4.2 Ubuntu Screenshots and Screencasts 1.4.3 New Applications Resources 1.4.4 Other *buntu guides 1.5 Add Extra Ubuntu Repositories 1.5.1 Types of Repositories 1.5.1.1 Third party repositories 1.5.2 Add Repositories using Synaptic Package Manager 1.5.3 Manually add repositories 1.5.4 Add repository keys 1.6 Ubuntu Package Installation and Updates 1.6.1 Apt and Package Basics 1.6.1.1 Installing .deb packages 1.6.1.2 Handling (Tar/GZip) and (Tar/Bzip2) archives 1.6.1.3 Installing a package from source 1.6.1.3.1 Create a .deb package from source files 1.6.2 Aptitude 1.6.3 Synaptic Package Manager 1.6.4 Add/Remove Programs 1.6.5 Manual Updates 1.6.6 Automated Updates 2 Ubuntu Addon Applications 2.1 Eye Candy Applications 2.1.1 Gnome Eye-Candy Resources 2.1.2 Metacity 2.1.3 Compiz Fusion 2.1.3.1 Fusion Icon 2.1.3.2 Rotate the Compiz Cube 2.1.4 Emerald 2.1.5 Ubuntu Wallpaper 2.1.6 Change USplash Boot Screen 2.1.7 Google Desktop 2.1.8 Dock applications 2.1.8.1 Avant Window Manager 2.1.8.2 Cairo Dock 2.1.8.3 wbar 2.1.8.3.1 wbarconf 2.2 Virtualization 2.2.1 VirtualBox 2.2.2 Xen 2.2.3 VMWare 2.2.3.1 Keyboard errors in VMware guest 2.2.4 Crossover for Linux 2.2.5 Wine 2.2.5.1 Internet Explorer 6 2.2.6 Transgaming Cedega 2.2.7 Mono 2.2.7.1 Moonlight 2.2.7.1.1 Netflix under Moonlight 2.3 Edutainment Applications 2.3.1 Google Earth 2.4 Proprietary Applications 2.4.1 Restricted Extras 2.5 Games Applications 2.5.1 Vdrift 2.5.2 Action 2.5.2.1 Nexuiz 2.5.2.2 UrbanTerror 2.5.2.3 Spring 2.5.2.4 PlaneShift 2.5.2.5 PrBoom - the classic Doom2 game 2.5.2.6 Wing Commander Privateer 2.6 Graphics and Video Applications 2.6.1 Kino (Non-linear Video Editing Suite) 2.6.2 Cinelerra (Non-linear Video Editing Suite) 2.6.3 KdenLive (Non-linear Video Editing Suite for KDE) 2.6.4 Dia (Diagram editor) 2.6.5 Kivio (Diagram editor) 2.6.6 GIMP (Image Manipulator) 2.6.7 Inkscape Vector Illustrator 2.6.8 recordMyDesktop (Desktop Session Recording) 2.6.9 Istanbul (Desktop Session Recording) 2.6.10 Wink (Presentation Editor) 2.6.11 Digikam (Photo Organiser) 2.6.12 Google Picasa (Photo Organiser) 2.6.13 Camorama (Web Cam) 2.7 Internet Applications 2.7.1 Web Browsers 2.7.1.1 Mozilla Firefox 2.7.1.1.1 Firefox Plug-ins 2.7.1.1.1.1 Adblock plug-in (block ads in a web page) 2.7.1.1.1.2 Noscript plug-in (controls scripts) 2.7.1.1.1.3 User Agent Switcher plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.1.4 Video Download Helper plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.1.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader for Firefox Plug-in 2.7.1.1.1.6 Adobe Flash Player for Firefox Plug-in 2.7.1.1.1.7 Gnash Plug-in (Open source Flash Player replacement) 2.7.1.1.1.8 Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Firefox plug-in 2.7.1.1.1.9 Kaffeine Plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.1.10 MPlayer plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.1.11 VLC plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.1.12 Helix player plug-in for Firefox 2.7.1.1.2 FireFTP for Firefox 2.7.1.1.3 Firefox Widgets 2.7.1.2 IceCat 2.7.1.3 SeaMonkey 2.7.1.4 IceApe 2.7.1.5 Opera 2.7.2 Download Managers 2.7.2.1 Downloader for X 2.7.3 Email Clients 2.7.3.1 Evolution 2.7.3.2 KMail 2.7.3.3 Thunderbird 2.7.3.3.1 Thunderbird Tray icon 2.7.4 Newsreaders 2.7.4.1 Akregator 2.7.4.2 RSSOwl 2.7.5 Instant Messengers 2.7.5.1 Pidgin 2.7.5.2 Kopete 2.7.5.2.1 Kopete Styles 2.7.5.2.2 GoogleTalk on Kopete 2.7.5.3 Konversation (IRC client) 2.7.5.4 aMSN 2.7.5.5 Emesene 2.7.6 Videoconferencing and VOIP 2.7.6.1 Ekiga 2.7.6.2 Skype 2.7.6.2.1 How to install Skype on a 64-bit system 2.7.6.3 Wengophone 2.7.6.4 Gizmo5 2.7.6.5 Asterisk VOIP PBX system 2.7.6.6 Kiax 2.7.7 FTP Clients 2.7.7.1 Filezilla 2.7.8 Filesharing / P2P 2.7.8.1 Transmission (BitTorrent Client) 2.7.8.2 KTorrent 2.7.8.3 Azureus 2.7.8.4 QTorrent 2.7.8.5 Apollon (P2P Filesharing) 2.7.8.6 KMLDonkey (P2P eMule/eDonkey2000 Client) 2.7.9 Privacy 2.7.9.1 Tor 2.8 Multimedia Applications 2.8.1 CDs and DVDs 2.8.1.1 DVD Playback Capability 2.8.1.2 K9copy DVD-Ripper 2.8.1.3 dvd::rip 2.8.1.4 DVD Fab DVD Ripper 2.8.1.5 Handbrake 2.8.1.6 Ripper X CD Ripper/Encoder 2.8.1.7 Asunder CD Ripper/Encoder 2.8.1.8 Audex CD Ripper/Encoder 2.8.2 Music Players 2.8.2.1 Rhythmbox 2.8.2.2 Amarok 2.8.2.2.1 Amarok themes 2.8.2.3 Audacious 2.8.2.4 Banshee Music Player 2.8.2.5 Exaile Music Manager and Player 2.8.2.6 Songbird Music Player 2.8.3 Video and Music Players 2.8.3.1 Kaffeine Video Player 2.8.3.2 MPlayer Multimedia Player 2.8.3.2.1 SMPlayer 2.8.3.3 VLC Multimedia Player 2.8.3.3.1 Playing VCD on VLC 2.8.3.4 Xine-UI Multimedia Player 2.8.3.5 RealPlayer 11 Multimedia Player 2.8.4 Internet TV 2.8.4.1 Miro Player 2.8.4.2 Myth TV 2.8.4.3 Sopcast Internet TV 2.8.4.4 Zattoo 2.8.5 Media Centers and PVR (Personal Video Recorder) 2.8.5.1 MythTV 2.8.5.2 Mythbuntu 2.8.5.3 XBMC 2.8.5.4 Boxee 2.8.5.5 Elisa 2.8.5.6 LinuxMCE 2.8.6 Multimedia Servers 2.8.6.1 MPD Multimedia Playing Server 2.8.6.2 TiMidity++ MIDI Sound Server 2.8.7 Multimedia Encoders 2.8.7.1 SOX (encodes/decodes audio) 2.8.8 Internet Radio 2.8.8.1 Last FM 2.8.8.2 Shoutcast Internet Radio 2.8.8.3 StreamTuner Stream Directory Browser 2.8.8.4 BBC Radio program recording 2.9 Home Automation / Home Theater / Home Security 2.9.1 Complete Systems 2.9.1.1 Linux MCE (Media Center Edition) 2.9.2 Home Security 2.9.2.1 Zoneminder surveillance system 2.9.2.1.1 Myth Zoneminder 2.10 Productivity Applications 2.10.1 Office Suites 2.10.1.1 Open Office 2.10.1.1.1 Open Word 2007 Documents in Open Office 2.10.1.2 KOffice 2.10.1.3 AbiWord 2.10.2 Personal Information Managers 2.10.2.1 Kontact Personal Information Manager 2.10.2.2 Mozilla Sunbird (Calendar) 2.10.2.3 BasKet Note Pads 2.10.2.4 Planner (Project planning & management) 2.10.2.5 Time Tracker 2.10.3 Financial Software 2.10.3.1 GnuCash (Personal Finance Management) 2.10.3.2 KMyMoney (Personal Finance Management) 2.10.3.3 Moneydance (Personal Finance Management) 2.10.3.4 SQL-Ledger (Enterprise Finance Management) 2.10.3.5 WebERP (Enterprise Finance Management) 2.10.3.6 Phreebooks (Enterprise Finance Management) 2.10.3.7 Quasar (Enterprise Finance Management) 2.10.4 Groupware 2.10.4.1 Groupware Servers 2.10.4.1.1 Kolab 2.10.4.1.1.1 Kolab Debian package 2.10.4.1.2 Citadel 2.10.4.1.3 eGroupware 2.10.4.1.4 Open-Xchange 2.10.4.1.5 OpenGroupware 2.10.4.1.6 Zarafa 2.10.4.1.7 Zimbra 2.10.4.1.8 SugarCRM Server 2.10.4.2 Groupware Clients 2.10.4.2.1 Kontact Personal Information Manager 2.10.4.2.2 KDE Groupware Wizard 2.10.4.2.3 Yahoo!zimbra Desktop in Ubuntu 8.04 2.10.4.2.4 Oracle Calendar Desktop Client 2.10.5 Wiki software 2.10.5.1 MediaWiki 2.10.5.2 Twiki 2.10.5.3 TiddlyWiki 2.10.6 Development 2.10.6.1 Kompozer Web Development Editor 2.10.6.2 Quanta Plus (Web IDE) 2.10.6.3 Netbeans IDE 2.10.6.4 BlueFish Web Development Editor 2.11 Web Publishing 2.11.1 Drupal (Web content publishing) 2.11.2 Joomla (Web content publishing) 2.11.3 Scribus (Desktop publishing) 2.11.4 Plone (Content Management System) 2.12 Science, Technology, and Engineering Applications 2.12.1 Health applications 2.12.1.1 WorldVistA (Enterprise Electronic Health Record) 2.12.2 Mathematical solutions 2.12.2.1 Octave 2.12.2.2 Freemat 2.12.3 Amateur Radio applications 2.13 Utilities 2.13.1 Archiving Utilities 2.13.1.1 BChunk 2.13.1.2 HJSplit Files Joiner/Splitter 2.13.1.3 Rar 2.13.1.4 Unrar 2.13.1.5 7-Zip 2.13.2 Hard Drive Utilities 2.13.2.1 KDiskFree (Hard drive properties monitor) 2.13.3 Clock Utilties 2.13.4 Screensavers 2.13.5 Partition Managers 2.13.5.1 GParted Partition Manager 2.13.5.2 QTParted Partition Manager 2.13.6 Network Monitors 2.13.6.1 KSniffer 2.13.6.2 KNemo (Network interfaces monitor for systray) 2.13.6.3 Netstat 2.13.6.3.1 Knetstats 2.13.6.3.2 Cacti Monitoring Server

簡介

首先你必需要知道你使用的烏邦圖（Ubuntu）是哪個版本

請在終端模式（command-line terminal）輸入下列指令:

lsb_release -a

如果要知道你安裝的版本Linux Kernel是哪一個版本，你可以用下面指令查詢

uname -r

較新版本的烏邦圖（Ubuntu）

• Ubuntu 的版本更新是半年一個新版,一般都是四月與十月各釋出一版.
• 這一版Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex下一版是Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope,預計在2009年四月釋出. 不過這9.04版也不是長期支援版.
• 下一個長期支援版（LTS,Long-term support)應該是Ubuntu 9.10,預計是2009年十月推出。

稍舊版本的烏邦圖 Ubuntu

• Hardy Heron (8.04 LTS) (這一版是長期支援版桌面版本支援到2011年四月而主機版本支援到2013年四月)
• Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) (更新支援到2009年四月)
• Feisty Fawn (7.04) (不在支援更新了)
• Dapper Drake (6.06 LTS) (這一版是長期支援版桌面版本支援到2009年六月而主機版本支援到2011年六月)

一般注意事項

• Ubuntuguide是非官方文件與官方公司Canonical Ltd無關.其中有些名詞翻譯與Ubuntu版本翻譯會有點差距（因為不是我翻譯的），不過冰雪聰明的你們應該知道我說得意思，也找得到相應位置才對。

當文字有帶著灰色點點的框框時，表示應該要進到終端機模式來進行，進入終端模式方式為 (應用程式-> 程式集 -> 終端機模式 ).

• 'sudo' 指令表示暫時提昇自己帳號變成Administrator權限，也就是最高權限(如：當安裝程式或做一些系統變更時就需要提昇權限. ). 例如:

sudo bash

• 當你在執行命令（"Run Command" ）視窗開啟圖形介面程式時可以'gksudo' 指令用來替代'sudo' 指令. 例如:

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

• "man" 指令可以用來查詢你想知道的指令幫助手冊（參數＆使用方式）. 如： "man sudo" 將會顯示 "sudo" 指令的參數與這個指令使用說明. Example:

man sudo

• 當你想安裝程式或套件時，使用 "apt-get"與"aptitude"兩個命令是一個安裝程式或套件的快速方式, 當然你也可以到Synaptic套件管理員, 以圖形介面方式來安裝程式或套件. 大部分的程式（不是全部）都可以用apt-get 或Synaptic套件管理員來安裝. 在這份教學文件, 當你看到

sudo apt-get install package

你也可以用 package 在 Synaptic裡面搜尋的方式來找到套件及安裝它.

• "應用程式" 指的是烏邦圖那條工作列右邊那個按鈕（畫面最上面那條）, 跟微軟®的『開始』有異曲同工之妙.
• 如果你用的事64-bit的版本, 請把任何"i386"部份用"amd64"取代.

安裝烏邦圖Ubuntu

首次安裝

先去下載最新的ISO映像檔Ubuntu 8.10. 這邊有教如何把ISO檔燒錄成光碟this guide 這邊光碟是可以開始測試的光碟("LiveCD")也是安裝光碟.

使用CD來安裝.

Windows and Ubuntu雙重開機

關於烏邦圖Ubuntu與微軟Windows雙重開機部份對一個使用者來說很少會遇到問題. 一般而言先安裝Windows裝完後，再裝Ubuntu就不會有問題了，因為Ubuntu的開機管理員(bootloader)非常特別。 一般的Windows安裝都習慣把整個硬碟拿來安裝，所以Ubuntu需要用特別的工具來重新調整硬碟磁碟分割區(partition)給Ubuntu安裝使用。（在進行磁區調整之前，你應該將不需要得檔案先刪除，並且將硬碟重組） The Windows partition can be resized from within Windows Vista using the shrink/resize option in the Administrative Tools --> Disk Management tool. If using Windows XP (or other Windows OS), use GParted partition manager to shrink the Windows partition and thereby leave free space on the hard drive for the Ubuntu partition. If done this way, there is no problem installing Ubuntu as the second operating system and it is done automatically from the Ubuntu LiveCD. Allow the Ubuntu LiveCD to install to "largest available free space."

A Windows partition should be at least 20 Gb (recommended 30 Gb), and a Ubuntu partition at least 10 Gb (recommended 20 Gb). Obviously, if you have plenty of disk space, make the partition for whichever will be your favoured operating system larger. For a perspective on other partitioning schemes, see this Psychocats Guide to Partitioning.

Alternatives include:

• Wubi (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer), an officially supported dual-boot installer that allows Ubuntu to be run mounted in a virtual-disk within the Windows environment (which can cause a slight degradation in performance). Because the installation requires an intact functioning Windows system, it is recommended to install Ubuntu in this manner for short-term evaluation purposes only. A permanent Ubuntu installation should be installed in its own partition, with its own filesystem, and should not rely on Windows.
• EasyBCD, a free Windows-based program that allows you to dual-boot Windows Vista and Ubuntu (as well as other operating systems) by configuring the Vista bootloader.

Use Startup Manager to change Grub settings

Grub is the bootup utility that controls which OS to load by default and other bootup settings. You can change Grub settings from the Startup Manager:

System -> Administration -> Startup Manager

If Startup Manager is not installed, install it:

sudo apt-get install startupmanager

Dual-Booting Mac OS X and Ubuntu

Mac OS X has a similar structure to Linux (it is BSD Unix based). Dual-booting Mac OS X and Ubuntu detailed instructions can be found here.

Installing Mac OS X after Ubuntu

• If you decide to dual boot with OS X, choose ext2 as your partition type during the Ubuntu installation. (For this the Super Grub Disk CD is a useful utility. You can download the Super Grub .iso image file at forjamari.linex.org and burn the image to a CD-ROM.)

• Once you have installed Ubuntu, edit the Grub start-up list:

sudo nano /boot/grub/menu.lst

and add the following lines:

title Mac OS X
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Reboot your Mac and go to the terminal in Max OS X (if you have any issues booting, boot from your Mac OS X DVD). Press F8 and enter -s. Enter:

fdisk -e /dev/rdisk0
flag 2 <--note that flag 2 is my Mac partition number two
quit
y
reboot

• If are still unsure whether it is working correctly, use the Super Grub Disk CD and make grub active.

Installing Ubuntu after Mac OS X

• If you get an error message during boot such as HFS+error in the bootloader, you can also use the Super Grub Disk for recovering Linux GRUB and the Windows MBR (Master Boot Record).

• Once you have installed Ubuntu, edit the Grub start-up list:

sudo nano /boot/grub/menu.lst

and add the following lines:

title Mac OS X
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

If you have issues with Mac OSX or Windows in GRUB, try changing the Mac OS X Grub entry

change root (hd0,0) to root (hd0,1)

This means you will boot into partition number 1. You can try any partition number until you get it right.

For more info, see this Mac OS X and Linux guide.

Upgrading Hardy to Intrepid

If you are using an older version of Ubuntu, you may wish to upgrade to Intrepid. A new installation is recommended to prevent software bloat.

However, it is possible to do a distribution upgrade using Synaptic by clicking on the "Full Upgrade option."

Alternatively, use this command:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

For other info, see this Ubuntugeek upgrade guide.

Reinstalling applications after a fresh install

If you upgrade your Ubuntu system with a fresh install, it is possible to mark the packages and services installed on your old system (prior to the upgrade) and save the settings ("markings") into a file. Then install the new version of Ubuntu and allow the system to reinstall packages and services using the settings saved in the "markings" file. For instructions, see this Ubuntu forum thread. In brief:

• On the old system: Synaptic Package Manager -> File -> Save Markings
• Save the markings file to an external medium, such as USB drive.
• Complete the backup of your system's other important files (e.g. the /home directory) before the fresh install of the new system.
• In the freshly installed new system, again open Synaptic Package Manager -> File -> Read markings and load the file on your USB drive (or other external storage) previously saved.

Note: Many packages, dependencies, and compatibilities change between version of Ubuntu, so this method does not always work. Automated updates remains the recommended method.

Ubuntu Resources

UbuntuGeek's Tutorials, Howto's and Tips -- a collection of random tips in blog format

Gnome Project

• Gnome is the default desktop in Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Screenshots and Screencasts

• Phorolinux Screenshots Gallery
• Modified Ubuntu Theme screenshot
• The Coding Studio Ubuntu Screenshots
• Ubuntu Videos at DailyMotion

New Applications Resources

• GetDeb - Features the latest versions of software available from the official repositories as well as software not available in the official repositories. Available in easy-to-install .deb files (see Apt and Package Basics).

Other *buntu guides

• Kubuntuguide
• Xubuntuguide

Add Extra Ubuntu Repositories

Software packages and programs are freely available for download at multiple online sites with standardized structures, called repositories. There are repositories officially sanctioned and monitored by the Kubuntu/Ubuntu developer community, while other repositories are independently provided, without official sanction or supervision (and should be used with caution). Additional information is available from the Ubuntu Repository Guide.

Types of Repositories

• There are four major package repository types in Ubuntu:

• main - Supported by Canonical. This is the major part of the distribution.
• restricted - Software not licensed under the GPL (or similar software license), but supported by Canonical.
• universe - Software licensed under the GPL (or similar license) and supported by users.
• multiverse - Software not licensed under the GPL (or similar license), but supported by users.

• There are also these additional types of repositories:

• intrepid-updates - Updates to official packages.
• intrepid-backports - Current version software from Intrepid+1 (Jaunty) that have been backported to Intrepid Ibex.
• intrepid-proposed - Proposed updates & changes (bleeding edge stuff).

Third party repositories

Software developers often maintain their own repositories, from which software packages can be downloaded and installed directly to your computer (if you add the repository to your list). Many of these third party repositories and software packages have never been reviewed by the (K)Ubuntu/Debian community and can present a security risk to your computer. Trojans, backdoors, and other malicious software can be present at any unregulated repository. When using repositories not endorsed by the (K)ubuntu/Debian community, make sure you have utter confidence in that site before enabling the repository and installing a software package from it.

Add Repositories using Synaptic Package Manager

This is the preferred method.

• System -> Administration -> Synaptic Manager -> Settings -> Repositories.
• Here you can enable the repositories for Ubuntu Software and Third Party Software.
• For Third Party Software select Add -> enter the repository's address. It will have a format similar to:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted

• Example: To add the Medibuntu repository, Add:

deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ intrepid free non-free

• Download the repository key to a folder.

• Example: The Medibuntu key can be downloaded from

http://packages.medibuntu.org/medibuntu-key.gpg

• Then add the key from:

System -> Administration -> Synaptic Manager -> Settings -> Repositories -> Authentication -> Import Key File...

• (Alternatively, you can manually add the key from the command line Terminal. See Add Repository keys.)

• Refresh the package list from the new repository:

Synaptic -> Reload

Manually add repositories

• Do this at your own risk. Modify the default Ubuntu sources.list only if you understand what you're doing. Mixing repositories can break your system. For more information see the Ubuntu Command-line Repository guide.

• Create a backup of your current list of sources.

sudo cp -p /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list_backup

Note: sudo - runs the command with root privileges. cp = copy. -p = prompt to overwrite if a file already exists.

• Edit the list of sources:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

or using a graphical editor:

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

• Note: To use your local mirror you can add "xx." before archive.ubuntu.com, where xx = your country code.

Example: deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid main restricted universe multiverse indicates a repository for Great Britain (gb).

• Here is a sample sources.list. At the end have been added repositories for Medibuntu and Google:

#deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.10 _Intrepid Ibex_ - Release i386 (20081029.1)]/ intrepid main restricted
# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.

deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates main restricted
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates main restricted

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team. Also, please note that software in universe WILL NOT receive any
## review or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu 
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to 
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in 
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'backports'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-backports main restricted universe multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's
## 'partner' repository. This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is
## offered by Canonical and the respective vendors as a service to Ubuntu
## users.
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu intrepid partner
deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu intrepid partner

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security main restricted
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security universe
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security universe
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security multiverse

## Medibuntu - Ubuntu 8.10 "intrepid ibex"
## Please report any bug on https://bugs.launchpad.net/medibuntu/
deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ intrepid free non-free
deb-src http://packages.medibuntu.org/ intrepid free non-free

# Google software repository
deb http://dl.google.com/linux/deb/ stable non-free

• Download and add the repository keys to your keyring. See Add repository keys.

• Refresh the packages list from the new repositories:

sudo apt-get update

Add repository keys

• Download the gpg keys for the repositories and automatically add them to your repository keyring:

• Example: To obtain and add the Medibuntu repository key:

wget --quiet http://packages.medibuntu.org/medibuntu-key.gpg -O - | sudo apt-key add -

• Example: To obtain and add the Google repository key:

wget --quiet https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub -O - | sudo apt-key add -

Note: wget - retrieves a file from a network location. --quiet = no output. -O = Output downloaded item to the screen (-). The | (pipe symbol) is used to capture the output from the previous command (in our case the screen) and use it as an input for the piped command (i.e. apt-key, which adds it to the keyring).

Ubuntu Package Installation and Updates

Apt and Package Basics

• Read General Notes
• Read Add Extra Ubuntu Repositories

Most new users will use the Synaptic Package Manager to install packages. These instructions are for installing packages from the command-line Terminal. Terminal can be started:

Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal

• Install packages:

sudo apt-get install packagename

• Example:

sudo apt-get install mpd sbackup

• Remove packages:

sudo apt-get remove packagename

• To remove all dependencies:

sudo apt-get autoremove

• Example:

sudo apt-get remove mpd sbackup

• Search for packages:

apt-cache search <keywords>

• Examples:

apt-cache search Music MP3
apt-cache search "Text Editor"

• Update the apt package database after adding/removing repositories:

sudo apt-get update

• Upgrade packages:

sudo apt-get upgrade

• Upgrade the entire distribution (e.g. from Gutsy to Hardy):

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Installing .deb packages

Debian (.deb) packages are the packages that are used in Ubuntu. You can install any .deb package in your system. .deb files can generally be installed from your file manager (Nautilus) merely by clicking on them, since file associations with the default installer is already set in Ubuntu. These instructions are for those who wish to install packages from the command-line terminal (Terminal).

• Install a downloaded Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

sudo dpkg -i packagename.deb

• Remove a Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

sudo dpkg -r packagename

• Reconfigure/Repair an installed Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

sudo dpkg-reconfigure packagename

*Example:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure mpd

Handling (Tar/GZip) and (Tar/Bzip2) archives

(Tar/GZip) archives end in ".tar.gz" and (Tar/Bzip2) archives end in ".tar.bz2". Bzip2 is the newer, more efficient compression method. These files can generally be automatically extracted by merely clicking on them from your file manager (Nautilus), since file associations with the appropriate archival utilities are set by default in Ubuntu. These instructions are for those who wish to use the command line Terminal.

• To extract:

tar xvf packagename.tar.gz

Note: tar is an application which can extract files from an archive, decompressing if necessary.

-x means extract.

-v means verbose (list what it is extracting).

-f specifies the file to use.

• Decompressing ".gz" files

gunzip file.gz

• Decompressing ".bz2" files

bunzip2 file.bz2

Note: You can also decompress a package first by using the command gunzip (for .gz) or bunzip2 (for .bz2), leaving the .tar file. You would then use tar to extract it.

• To create a .gz archive:

tar cvfz packagename.tar.gz folder

• To create a .bz2 archive:

tar cvfj packagename.tar.bz2 folder

Installing a package from source

• Make sure you have all the necessary development tools (i.e. libraries, compilers, headers):

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r`

Note: "uname -r" lists the current kernel you are using

• Extract the archive that contains the source files:

tar xvf sourcefilesarchive.tar.gz

• Build the package using the package's script (in this case the configure script), compile the package (make), and install the compiled package into your system (make install):

cd /path/to/extracted/sourcefiles
./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

Note: typing ./ before a filename in the current folder allows the Linux shell to try and execute the file as an application even if it is not in the path (the set of folders which it searches when you type a command name). If you get a "permission denied" error, the file is not marked as being executable. To fix this:

sudo chmod +x filename

Example: In the above instructions, configure is the shell script to build the package from source. To be sure the configure script is executable:

sudo chmod +x configure

Create a .deb package from source files

If your build from source is successful, you can make a Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb) for future use:

• Install package tools:

sudo apt-get install checkinstall

• Rebuild package using "checkinstall":

cd /path/to/extracted/package
./configure
sudo make
sudo checkinstall

• Keep the resulting ".deb" file for future use. It can later be installed using:

sudo dpkg -i packagename.deb

Note: These are basic instructions that may not always work. Some packages require additional dependencies and optional parameters to be specified in order to build them successfully.

Aptitude

Aptitude is a terminal-based package manager that can be used instead of apt-get. Aptitude marks packages that are automatically installed and removes them when no packages depend on them. This makes it easy to remove applications completely. To use Aptitude, replace apt-get with aptitude in the command line. Example:

sudo aptitude install packagename
sudo aptitude remove packagename
sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude upgrade

For an ncurses-based graphical user interface, type

sudo aptitude

For more information, see the aptitude documentation.

Synaptic Package Manager

While "apt-get" and "aptitude" are fast ways of installing programs/packages, you can also use the Synaptic Package Manager (System -> Administration -> Synaptic Manager), a GUI method for installing programs/packages. Most (but not all) programs/packages available with apt-get install will also be available from the Synaptic Package Manager. This is the preferred method for most desktop users. In this guide, when you see

sudo apt-get install package

you can simply search for package in Synaptic and install it that way.

• System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager
• Search for the name of the program/package. You can also search for a word in its description.
• Check the box "Mark for Installation"
• Click the "Apply" button.
• The selected program(s) will be automatically installed, along with its dependencies.

Add/Remove Programs

Not all packages available from apt-get, aptitude, and Synaptic Package Manager are available in Add/Remove Programs. However, it is the easiest interface for new users of Ubuntu and directs them to preferred packages.

• Applications -> Add/Remove Programs
• Search for the sort of program you want to add. Example: type MP3 to see a list of mp3 software.
• Check the box "Mark for Installation"
• Click the "Apply" button.
• The selected program(s) will be automatically installed.

Manual Updates

• Read General Notes
• Read Add Extra Ubuntu Repositories

• Manually, from Terminal (command line interface):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

or

• Use Synaptic Package Manager:

System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager -> "Reload" then "Mark all upgrades"

If there are packages available for updating, you will be prompted whether to install them.

Automated Updates

• Use Synaptic Package Manager:

• System -> Administration -> Synaptic Manager -> Settings -> Preferences -> General -> Reloading Outdated Package Information -> Automatic

Ubuntu Addon Applications

See our full list of add-on applications.

Eye Candy Applications

Eye Candy Applications refer to the decoration of the graphical user interface. These can be add-on icons, themes, wallpapers, 3-D effects, etc.

Gnome Eye-Candy Resources

• Gnome Look has wallpapers, splash screens, icons, and themes for windows managers (including Metacity and Compiz) and other applications.

Metacity

Metacity is the default desktop compositing manager in Gnome. It is lightweight, streamlined and does not have many configurable options, but has multiple themes available at Gnome Look.

Compiz Fusion

Compiz Fusion is available as a separate Windows Manager, to allow advanced desktop effects such as the rotating cube desktop. Many Ubuntu users choose to run Compiz, which is quite fast in Ubuntu. Install:

sudo apt-get install compiz compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-fusion-plugins-extra emerald librsvg2-common

To change to Compiz as the Window Manager:

Note: You must logout and log back in for the change to take effect.

• Select Compiz Configuration:

System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager

Fusion Icon

Fusion Icon is a tray icon that allows you to easily switch between window managers, window decorators, and gives you quick access to the Settings Manager. This allows quick toggling of 3-D desktop effects (that may not be compatible with some applications).

sudo apt-get install fusion-icon

Applications -> System Tools -> Compiz Fusion Icon

You can then easily access CompizConfig Settings Manager from the icon.

Rotate the Compiz Cube

Set the CompizConfig Settings Manager to enable the "Desktop Cube" and "Rotate Cube" and "Viewport Switcher" options. Click on the icon for each to customize settings. For example, to change the appearance of the cube, click on the Desktop Cube icon to access its settings. You can set the hotkey buttons for rotating the cube in the "Viewport Switcher" settings. Otherwise, hold down the Ctrl+Alt+Left mouse button and drag the mouse (or touchpad) the direction you want to rotate the cube.

Remember, the cube rotates between desktops. It's not a cube unless you have at least 4 desktops running. You will not get a cube if you are only using 2 desktops (you will get a "plate"). You can still rotate the sides of the plate, of course, but it will not be a cube. (Recent users from the Windows OS may have no experience with the concept of simultaneous desktops, but they are nice once you learn how to use them).

When running Compiz fusion as the Windows Manager, you must change the default number of desktops from within CompizConfig Settings Manger. To enable 4 desktops:

CompizConfig Settings Manager -> General -> General Options -> Desktop Size -> Horizontal Virtual Size -> 4

When you start an application, you can assign it to any one of the 4 desktops by right-clicking the upper left corner of the application window and choosing the "To Desktop..." option. Rotating the cube shows the different desktops. You can also go to a desktop using the taskbar icon which shows the 4 desktops.

Emerald

Emerald is the theme engine for Compiz Fusion. Multiple themes are available. (These themes originated from the Beryl project before it merged with Compiz to form Compiz Fusion.) The Emerald Theme Manager for Compiz Fusion can be installed:

sudo apt-get install emerald

Ubuntu Wallpaper

• Download free Earthenibex wallpapers.

Change USplash Boot Screen

This is the splash screen you see at bootup, when you are asked for a login and password. You can change the USplash screen using the utility startupmanager. (Startup Manager can also be used to change GRUB bootup settings if you use multiple OS's on your computer). Install:

sudo apt-get install startupmanager

Start:

System -> Administration -> Startup Manager

You could alternatively use a different splashscreen manager, Splashy, instead of USplash. Install:

sudo apt-get install splashy splashy-themes

Google Desktop

Google Desktop for Linux is a proprietary suite of widgets and applications to give Google control over your computer and thereby allow you to use Google services. A .deb package can be downloaded and installed from Google Linux Downloads. For installation instructions, see Google Desktop for Linux Instructions.

Dock applications

Avant Window Manager, Cairo Dock, and Wbar are dock-like applications for Ubuntu Linux. A dock represents running programs as icons at the bottom of the screen (as is done on the Mac OS X desktop), instead of by toolbar panel segments (as is done in Windows and other Linux window managers). See this brief comparison of dock applications.

Avant Window Manager

• Avant Window Manager requires that a desktop composition manager (such as Metacity, Compiz, Xcompmgr, KDE4 (Kubuntu), or xfwm4 (Xubuntu)) be installed and running.
• Install and upgrade proprietary nVidia or ATI graphics drivers so that the compositing manager functions properly.
• Install AWM:

sudo apt-get install avant-window-navigator awm-manager

(Note: If you are using Gnome (Ubuntu) and do not already have a compositing manager installed (such as Compiz), Metacity will be installed as part of the installation.)

• Enable automatic startup of AWM at bootup:

• Menu -> System -> Preferences -> Sessions -> Add...

avant-window-navigator

• Select which applets should run from the dock menu by default:

• Menu -> Applications -> Accessories -> Avant Window Navigator Manager

You can drag application icons onto the list, then activate or deactivate the applets from the list.

Cairo Dock

Cairo Dock can be used either with a desktop compositing manager (such as Metacity for Gnome, Compiz, or the KDE4 Window Manager) or without one. See the Ubuntu installation instructions for details. It is available from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install cairo-dock cairo-dock-plugins

wbar

wbar is a quick-launch bar (not a dock) that has an appearance similar to Avant Window Manager and Cairo Dock. It is GTK (Gnome) based but can work in all desktop environments. It does not require a compositing manager to be installed and is therefore quicker and more suitable for low-end hardware systems. It is the default in the Google gOS desktop and is available as a .deb package from Google. Download and install (from the command-line Terminal):

wget http://wbar.googlecode.com/files/wbar_1.3.3_i386.deb 
sudo dpkg -i wbar_1.3.3_i386.deb

• Start wbar with custom start options (e.g. by pressing alt+F2). Here is an example:

wbar -isize 48 -j 1 -p bottom -balfa 40 -bpress -nanim 3 -z 2.5 -above-desk

Here is another example:

wbar -above-desk -pos bottom -isize 60 -nanim 1 -bpress -jumpf 0.0 -zoomf 1.5

For a full list of command-line startup options, see:

wbar --help

Tip: If you want the "wave" effect just increase the -nanim value. I like the icons to just pop up so I don't use it, but with 9 icons 5 there is a nice "wave" effect.

Obviously, you could create a menu item with the command line options (similar to the examples above), or a batch file that can be automatically started at system startup (as a cron event or startup session).

You can also change wbar startup options by editing the configuration file:

sudo gedit /usr/share/wbar/dot.wbar

See this example configuration file. However, not all options are able to be set from the configuration file and must be run from the command line. For more info see this wbar guide.

wbarconf

A simple wbar configuration utility can be downloaded as a .deb package and installed:

wget http://koti.kapsi.fi/~ighea/wbarconf/wbarconf_0.7.2-1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i wbarconf_0.7.2-1_i386.deb

Virtualization

Virtualization allows a second operating system (OS), such as Windows or OS X, to be run from within Ubuntu. This requires extra RAM (because both Ubuntu and the virtualized second OS require separate amounts of RAM) and a license for the second OS. If you wish to run a virtualized instance of Windows XP, for instance, you must have a license for Windows XP.

VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a fast and complete virtualization solution owned and maintained by Sun Microsystems. There is a free and fully open-source edition available under the GNU GPL license.

• Install the open-source edition:

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose virtualbox-ose-source

• Start VirtualBox:

VirtualBox OSE PC virtualization solution

For usage instructions, see the End-user documentation. (Alternate installation instructions can be found in this UbuntuGeek guide.)

Xen

Xen is an efficient open-source virtualization ("hypervisor") platform which includes a recent merge with QEMU. It is free open source under a GPL license. Installation for the desktop must be from source (see the website for details). A commercial version is offered by Citrix.

A Xen virtual machine host can also be installed automatically with certain 64-bit CPUs, using the 64-bit Ubuntu Server LiveCD. (A Ubuntu/KDE desktop can then later be added to create an "Ubuntu server").

VMWare

VMWare is a commercial virtualization platform that currently offers a free license (renewable yearly) for use with its server software. Installation instructions are on the website.

Keyboard errors in VMware guest

After installing VMWare 6.5, and installing a guest OS, the Function, arrow and Del/End/etc keys do not function. This is a bug with VMWare´s code. Add this line to ~/.vmware/config (create file if necessary) to fix this issue:

xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = true

Crossover for Linux

Codeweavers' Crossover Office for Linux is a subscription-based commercial package that allows many Windows programs to be run on Ubuntu without the need for a Microsoft OS license or a complete virtualization system. See the website for more info. Codeweavers releases older versions of this product as the free package Wine.

Wine

Wine is a free open-source package that essentially consists of an older and more limited implementation of CrossOver for Linux. It is provided by Codeweavers. Like CrossOver for Linux, no Microsoft license or virtualization platform is required to run Windows programs.

sudo apt-get install wine

Also consider installing Microsoft's TrueType fonts:

sudo apt-get install msttcorefonts

Internet Explorer 6

Internet Explorer 6 can function under Wine, albeit imperfectly. For most purposes, Firefox can be used (with the User Agent Switcher plugin) to mimic Internet Explorer, but for those instances when it can't, IE6 may be useful. A beta implementation of Internet Explorer 7 is also available from this package. For more info, see IEs 4 Linux.

• Make sure you have wine and cabextract packages:

sudo apt-get install wine cabextract

• Download IEs 4 Linux and install:

wget http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/downloads/ies4linux-latest.tar.gz
tar zxvf ies4linux-latest.tar.gz
cd ies4linux-*
./ies4linux --no-gui

Transgaming Cedega

Cedega is a commercial application (similar to CrossOver Office and Wine), for installing and running some Windows applications, specifically games, without the need for virtualization or a Microsoft license. It provides 3D support, software acceleration support, and a high level of DirectX support. Installation instructions are found on the website.

Mono

Mono is a free open source project sponsored by Novell to allow .NET programs to function in Linux (Ubuntu) and Mac OS X. The Intrepid version is 1.9. Mono 2 is also available here.

sudo apt-get install mono mono-runtime

Moonlight

Moonlight is part of the Novell Mono project that is an open source implementation of Silverlight (the Microsoft multimedia presentation platform). It is based on FFMpeg. It is made to work best with the Firefox 3 web browser, as a plugin. It is available here.

Netflix under Moonlight

Netflix streaming requires Silverlight 2.0. The current version of Moonlight is 1.0 (corresponding to Silverlight 1.0). Moonlight 2.0 is anticipated for mid-year 2009. Until this project is complete, there are currently no methods for streaming Netflix in Linux.

Edutainment Applications

There are many, many superb applications that can be installed with a single click.

Applications -> Add/Remove Software -> Edutainment.

Below are a few examples that can be installed from this menu:

• Stellarium -- an astounding planetarium for the desktop
• K3DSurf -- a program for modeling 3,4,5, and 6 dimensional models.
• Bibletime-- a Bible study tool for KDE.
• Zekr -- an Islamic Quran study tool (available in Utilities instead of Edutainment)
• Oregano -- a program for electrical engineering schematics
• RlPlot -- a high quality graph generator
• Mnemosyne -- a flash-card tool
• Gramps -- map your family-tree and co-operate with genealogy projects.

Google Earth

Google Earth gives you an annotated eagle's eye view of our planet. This is a free proprietary package.

sudo apt-get install googleearth-package

Note: You must accept the license to use this package.

Proprietary Applications

Proprietary software helps you maximize your Internet experience, but is not open source. The software available includes Multimedia Codecs, Java Runtime Environment, and plug-ins for Firefox.

Restricted Extras

The Ubuntu Restricted Extras will install Adobe Flash Player, Java Runtime Environment (JRE) (sun-java-jre) with Firefox plug-ins (icedtea), a set of Microsoft Fonts (msttcorefonts), multimedia codecs (w32codecs or w64codecs), mp3-compatible encoding (lame), FFMpeg, extra Gstreamer codecs, the package for DVD decoding (libdvdread3, but see below for info on libdvdcss2), and the unrar archiver. This is a single command approach.

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Games Applications

There are some phenomenal games for Ubuntu Linux.

• Best Linux Games for 2008.
• Best 25 Linux Games of 2007.
• Ubuntu Gamers Arena.

There are hundreds of free, open-source games available in Ubuntu. Most (including the KDE Games collection and the Gnome Games collection) can be accessed:

Applications -> Add/Remove Software -> Games

Examples are:

• KMahjongg -- the solitaire Mahjongg tile-matching game.
• PouetChess -- an excellent 3-D chess game.
• PokerTH -- a very nice Texas Hold 'Em Poker
• Planet Penguin Racer -- Penguin slides down a 3-D luge run, catching fish. (Extreme Tux Racer is a newer version, but works in 32-bit only.)
• Ksirk -- play Risk against the computer or in a multiplayer environment.
• TORCS -- the 3-D Car Racing game
• Pingus -- a Lemmings clone (similar to Super Mario Bros.) that uses penguins instead of lemmings.
• Frozen Bubble -- the award-winning, addicting, time-wasting, bubble-popping game.
• BZFlag -- a 3-D online multiplayer tank battle
• Frets on Fire -- similar to Guitar Hero. You can import songs from Guitar Hero and from community sites.

Vdrift

Vdrift is a free open source 3-D racing game, similar to Need for Speed, with realistic physics, multiple drift tracks, and multiplayer games. Support for joysticks, mice and keyboard is included. A binary package for Linux is available from the website.

Action

Incredible action games (including those from the Top 25) are available in Ubuntu. Many can be installed using:

Applications -> Add/Remove Software -> Games

Examples are:

• Alien Arena -- a multi-player first person shooter action game with free servers. The repositories have version 7.0-1. For the current version 7.2 see the website.
• OpenArena -- an open-source multi-player first person shooter action game, with free servers. The repositories have version 7.7. For the current 8.1 version see the website.
• Tremulous -- a Halo-like multiplayer first person shooter action game. The repositories have the current version.
• Sauerbraten - a multiplayer graphics-rich first person shooter game evolved from Cube.

Nexuiz

• Nexuiz is an open-source multi-player first person shooter game with free servers and tournaments.

The current version 2.4.2 is in the repositories.

sudo apt-get install nexuiz nexuiz-music

You must have desktop effects turned off (System -> System Settings -> Desktop). There are a few other problems. See the Nexuiz forums. Some recommend running from a shell:

sudo ./nexuiz-linux-glx.sh

or

sudo ./nexuiz-linux-sdl.sh

• A 35 map community pack is available here. To install, extract the map pack to /home/username/.nexuiz/data (or ~/.nexuiz/data ).

UrbanTerror

UrbanTerror is a multiplayer first person shooter action game. It uses the open-source quake 3 engine and features many real weapons and free-to-use servers for multi-player functionality. See the Installation instructions at the website.

• Alternative installation with a script:

• UrbanTerror Installation Script 1 or UrbanTerror Installation Script 2

• After downloading the script open Terminal into your download directory then make the script executable with the following command:

sudo chmod +x urt40-linux-installer.sh

• Now double click on the script to execute and follow the directions
• The install will take a while, as the script executes a download of the necessary files which are about 541MB

• After the install you will have a nice UrbanTerror icon on your desktop (unless you installed as root)

Spring

The Spring Project is a scripting engine platform to develop and play free multiplayer games such as Star Wars Imperial Winter and Complete Annihilation. See these installation instructions for adding the repository, then installing as a package.

PlaneShift

PlaneShift is a promising free full-immersion online fantasy game (MMPORG). Client downloads and patches are available here.

• Make the downloaded binary installation file executable:

cd /directory_where_downloaded
chmod +x PlaneShift-v.0.42-x64.bin

• Run the executable binary as root (this must be done from the command line Terminal):

sudo ./PlaneShift-v.0.42-x64.bin

• Follow the instructions for installation. When prompted whether to manually set permissions, answer "no."
• During installation, most users have recommended installing this game to your /home directory as a single user installation, instead of to /opt for all users. This avoids permissions problems. I was able to install to /opt, but it takes some effort.
• Make sure your user belongs to the games group:

System -> User Manager -> user -> Groups -> check games

• Download the updater patch psupdaterlinux64.zip and unzip it to your download directory.
• Run the updater as root:

chmod +x psupdater
chmod +x psupdater.bin
sudo ./psupdater

• Register for a free account at PlaneShift Registration.
• If you installed the game to the menu, it will be in

Applications -> Lost & Found -> Client and Setup

To run it from the menu, I had to edit the menu entries by checking the box: "Run in terminal." Alternatively, run it from the command-line Terminal:

sudo /opt/PlaneShift/pssetup
sudo /opt/PlaneShift/psclient

Notes: This game ran very slowly for me on a 32-bit installation with a DSL connection and I gave up. The 64-bit installation worked better, but there were still many freezes. This is a game very much in development, and is still in alpha stage.

PrBoom - the classic Doom2 game

PrBoom is a free open source port of the original first person shooter action game, Doom.

sudo apt-get install prboom freedoom timidity timidity-interfaces-extra

There are thousands of extra maps (Wads) available for this game. It is easiest to keep a directory for your wads in your home directory:

mkdir /home/user/wads

Place your doom2.wad, tnt.wad, or plutonia.wad (from your original game) into this folder. If you don't have one, you can copy the Freedom version of doom2.wad from /usr/share/games/freedoom into this folder. Place any new .wad's you have downloaded from the Internet into this folder as well. Then run the game using both the original iwad map as well as your new .wad map (you will only see the new map).

prboom -iwad /home/user/wads/doom2.wad -file /home/user/wads/new_wad.wad

Note: Only doom2.wad, tnt.wad, or plutonia.wad can be used as an iwad. You must have one of these in addition to any new wad you wish to use. When in doubt, use doom2.wad.

Note: this game can also be installed using Applications -> Add/Remove Software -> Games as Freedoom, but you must also install timidity and timidity-interfaces-extra.

Wing Commander Privateer

The Linux version of this free version of Wing Commander can be downloaded as a binary here.

Graphics and Video Applications

Graphics and Video Applications allow you to edit your favourite photos, create stunning 3D drawings, or professionally edit your videos and movies.

Kino (Non-linear Video Editing Suite)

Kino is a widely used GUI-based non-linear video editing suite for Linux.

sudo apt-get install kino mjpegtools

Cinelerra (Non-linear Video Editing Suite)

Cinelerra Community Version is a complete high-end open source video editing suite that is a derivative of a similar commercial system. Follow the installation instructions for Ubuntu Intrepid.

KdenLive (Non-linear Video Editing Suite for KDE)

Kdenlive is a GUI-based non-linear video editing suite for KDE based on FFmpeg and the MLT video framework. It is optimised for KDE 4.

sudo apt-get install kdenlive mjpegtools

Dia (Diagram editor)

Dia is a free open source GTK-based diagram creation program for Gnome. It is similar to Visio.

sudo apt-get install dia

Kivio (Diagram editor)

Kivio is an open source flow-chart and diagram creation program that is part of the KOffice Suite for KDE. It supports Dia stencils.

sudo apt-get install kivio

GIMP (Image Manipulator)

Gimp is a powerful, full-featured, free open-source graphics and image editor, similar to Adobe Photoshop.

sudo apt-get install gimp

There is an extra set of brushes, palettes, and gradients for The GIMP.

sudo apt-get install gimp-data-extras

Inkscape Vector Illustrator

Inkscape Vector Illustrator is an open source drawing program similar to Illustrator and CorelDraw.

sudo apt-get install inkscape

recordMyDesktop (Desktop Session Recording)

recordMyDesktop is a desktop recording utility, which has both pyGTK and a pyQT4 GUI frontends available. Recordings are saved in Theora video/Vorbis audio files. To install:

sudo apt-get install recordmydesktop

Istanbul (Desktop Session Recording)

Istanbul is a desktop recorder for the Gnome desktop. It records your session into an OGG Theora video file.

sudo apt-get install istanbul

Wink (Presentation Editor)

Wink is a open source tutorial and presentation editor. It allows you to capture screenshots and use them for presentations.

sudo apt-get install wink

Digikam (Photo Organiser)

Digikam is a comprehensive open source digital photo organiser and editor. Install it:

sudo apt-get install digikam kipi-plugins digikam-doc

Google Picasa (Photo Organiser)

Google Picasa is a photo editor and organiser similar to Digikam. It allows uploads to a Google web server for online exchange. For more info, see the Picasa for Linux FAQ. A self-installing .deb file is available at Picasa 2.7 downloads.

Camorama (Web Cam)

Camorama is a simple GTK-based (i.e. Gnome-based) interface for webcams using the v4l (video for linux) drivers.

sudo apt-get install camorama

Internet Applications

Internet applications enable you to make full use of your Internet connection. Web browsers, Email clients, Instant Messengers, and more are included in this category.

Web Browsers

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is the ubiquitous web browser. Based on open source components, it is trademarked and cannot be altered or re-distributed with any change that involves the name or trademarks. Install the current version:

sudo apt-get install firefox

Firefox Plug-ins

Adblock plug-in (block ads in a web page)

Adblock Plus blocks ads that appear in web pages. You can subscribe to a free filter service, and can add ads to block with a single click.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-firefox-adblock

• You can also add this extension from Firefox -> Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons -> Browse All Add-ons. (This method will also ensure that automatic updates are installed by Firefox.)

Noscript plug-in (controls scripts)

The Noscript plugin is considered one of the most important security measures for browsing the Internet. Most viruses and trojans gain access to computers from the Internet through scripts. This plugin allows you to choose which scripts to allow and blocks the rest.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-noscript

• You can also add this extension from Firefox -> Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons -> Browse All Add-ons. (This method will also ensure that automatic updates are installed by Firefox.)

User Agent Switcher plug-in for Firefox

The User Agent Switcher plugin allows a browser to masquerade as another browser, allowing (most of the time) browser-specific content to be displayed.

• You can add this extension from Firefox -> Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons -> Browse All Add-ons. (This method will also ensure that automatic updates are installed by Firefox.)

Video Download Helper plug-in for Firefox

The Video Download Helper plugin allows the download of videos from sites like YouTube.

• You can add this extension from Firefox -> Tools -> Add-ons -> Get Add-ons -> Browse All Add-ons. (This method will also ensure that automatic updates are installed by Firefox.)

Adobe Acrobat Reader for Firefox Plug-in

• Read Add Extra Ubuntu Repositories

sudo apt-get install acroread mozilla-acroread acroread-plugins

Adobe Flash Player for Firefox Plug-in

To install the official Adobe Flash plugin (Flash 10) for Firefox:

sudo apt-get install adobe-flashplugin

Gnash Plug-in (Open source Flash Player replacement)

Gnash is available in a 64-bit version as well as a 32-bit version. It is the open source replacement for Adobe Flashplayer.

sudo apt-get install gnash

After installing, change your web browser's Preferences -> Applications so that SWF and SPL files use Gnash.

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Firefox plug-in

This package must be installed to run Java in Firefox, even if JRE is installed using kubuntu-restricted-extras or when installing OpenOffice.

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-jre

Note: You must accept the license to use this product.

Kaffeine Plug-in for Firefox

This package also installs the Kaffeine player.

sudo apt-get install kaffeine-mozilla

MPlayer plug-in for Firefox

This package also installs MPlayer.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-mplayer

VLC plug-in for Firefox

This package also installs the VLC player.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-plugin-vlc

Helix player plug-in for Firefox

This package also installs the Helix player, which is the open source player that plays Real Player content in Linux.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-helix-player

FireFTP for Firefox

FireFTP is a Firefox extension for FTP transfers.

Firefox Widgets

IceCat

IceCat is Firefox distributed without the Mozilla trademark restrictions. It is endorsed by the Debian project (on which Ubuntu is based). It is formerly known as IceWeasel and is also known as IceApe Browser. Install the current version:

sudo apt-get install iceape-browser

SeaMonkey

SeaMonkey is an open-source integrated internet application suite (including web browser, IM (IRC) client, Email client, RSS/News reader, and web development tools). It is based on the same components as the Mozilla products and shares the trademark and branding restrictions. Install the current version:

sudo apt-get install seamonkey

IceApe

IceApe is an open-source integrated internet application suite (including web browser, IM (IRC) client, Email client, RSS/News reader, and web development tools). It is based on the same components as the Mozilla product SeaMonkey, but has no restrictive trademark licensing, and is endorsed by the Debian project (on which Ubuntu is based). Install the current version:

sudo apt-get install iceape

Opera

sudo apt-get install opera

Download Managers

Downloader for X

Downloader for X is a GTK-based free-standing download manager utility. Still included in current repositories, the project appears dead. It is open-source, but does not have a GPL license.

sudo apt-get install d4x

Email Clients

Evolution

Evolution is the default Gnome-based email client in Ubuntu. If not installed:

sudo apt-get install evolution

KMail

KMail (Kontact Mail) is the default email client included with Kontact in KDE (Kubuntu). Kontact includes email, an address book, a calendar, reminders, pop-up notes, a link to the Akregator News/RSS reader, time-tracking, and more. Install:

sudo apt-get install kontact

Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is a licensed and trademarked free open-source email client. Install:

sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird

Thunderbird Tray icon

To minimise Thunderbird to the tray (and install the "New Mail Icon"), install the extension "Mozilla New Mail Icon".

• Download mozTrayBiff-1.2.3-tb2.0.0.0.xpi
• Thunderbird -> Tools -> Extensions -> Install
• Select mozTrayBiff-1.2.3-tb2.0.0.0.xpi

Newsreaders

Akregator

Akregator is the default news/RSS reader included with Kubuntu (KDE). Usage instructions are found in the Handbook. Install:

sudo apt-get install akregator

RSSOwl

RSSOwl is a Java-based RSS | RDF | Atom Newsfeed Reader. These installation instructions only work with RSSOwl version 1_2_3.

In order to use the internal browser, install first the packages xulrunner and firefox , either via Synaptic Manager or by typing this command into Terminal:

sudo apt-get install firefox xulrunner

Change to your "opt" directory:

cd /opt

Download the tar.gz-archive into your opt directory:

sudo wget http://belnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/rssowl/rssowl_1_2_3_linux_bin.tar.gz

Extract the archive and remove the extracted file:

sudo tar zxvf ./rssowl_1_2_3_linux_bin.tar.gz && sudo rm ./rssowl_1_2_3_linux_bin.tar.gz

Make a startscript:

sudo nano /usr/bin/runRSSOwl.sh

and add the following lines to your starter-script file /usr/bin/runRSSOwl.sh

    export MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME=/usr/lib/xulrunner
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:${MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME}:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
    cd /opt/rssowl_1_2_3_linux_bin
    ./run.sh

Make the startscript executable:

sudo chmod u+x /usr/bin/runRSSOwl.sh

Now you always can start RSSOwl:

runRSSOwl.sh

After having started the application "RSSOwl":

Go to --> View and enable "View Newstext in Browser".

Then go to --> Tools --> Preferences... --> General and enable in misc-section "Open any news automatically in browser".

Go to --> Tools --> Preferences... --> Browser and enter the path to the executable (my path was /usr/lib/firefox/firefox). Finally enable “use external browser” at the bottom.

Instant Messengers

Pidgin

Pidgin is an open source IM application. It is the default in the Ubuntu (Gnome) desktop. You can access multiple services with it.

sudo apt-get install pidgin

Kopete

Kopete is the default Instant Messenger application for Kubuntu. You can access multiple services with it. Install:

sudo apt-get install kopete

Kopete Styles

Additional styles for Kopete are available from KDE-look. Install from:

Kopete -> Settings -> Configure -> Chat Window -> Style -> Get New...

GoogleTalk on Kopete

Kopete can be configured to work with GoogleTalk Instant Messaging (but not VOIP) using the Jabber protocol. See these GoogleTalk instructions.

Konversation (IRC client)

Konversation is the default Kubuntu Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client. It functions similar to the venerable mIRC. "A little less action and a little more Konversation." -- Elves Install:

sudo apt-get install konversation

aMSN

aMSN is an MSN Messenger utility that functions like the original client. It is not necessary if you use Pidgin. Install it:

sudo apt-get install amsn

To enable Drag-and-Drop capabilities to aMSN for easy file transfer see Ubuntu Geek.

Emesene

Emesene is an MSN messenger client that uses a simplified interface similar to the original client. It is not necessary if you use Pidgin. Install it:

sudo apt-get install emesene

Videoconferencing and VOIP

Videoconferencing and voice over Internet (VOIP) applications are merging into integrated applications. Most of these applications now allow placing calls to non-Internet based telephones for a small fee.

Ekiga

Formerly known as Gnomemeeting, Ekiga is a SIP compliant fully functional open source integrated VOIP and videoconferencing program.

sudo apt-get install ekiga

Skype

Skype is a proprietary integrated VOIP and video conferencing program similar to Ekiga.

sudo apt-get install skype

How to install Skype on a 64-bit system

The current version of Skype is for 32-bit systems. To use on a 64-bit system:

• Install needed packages:

sudo apt-get install ia32-libs lib32asound2 libqt4-core libqt4-gui

• Download the current Skype .deb package from the Skype website:

wget -O skype-install.deb http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu

• Install the Skype .deb package:

sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture skype-install.deb

• Start Skype:

Applications menu -> Internet -> Skype

Wengophone

Wengophone is an integrated VOIP and videoconferencing client available on many platforms. Wengophone was initially an open-source GPL-licensed package ('Wengophone Classic'). Both the Classic version (available as a .deb file) and the current proprietary binary version are available from the website. Wengophone Classic has been rebranded as QuteCom (but a new Linux version is not yet available there).

• Install the Wengophone Classic version:

sudo apt-get install wengophone

Gizmo5

Gizmo5 is an Internet soft-phone application that uses the SIP protocol. It is similar to Skype and can be used for making cheap phone calls.

sudo apt-get install gizmo5

Asterisk VOIP PBX system

Asterisk is an enterprise-grade, free open source PBX and telephony system for VOIP.

sudo apt-get install asterisk

Kiax

Kiax is an proprietary ("limited" GPL) IAX (Inter-Asterisk eXchange) application. It is used for making VoIP calls from an Asterisk PBX.

sudo apt-get install kiax

Run from terminal with:

kiax

FTP Clients

You might wish to use a dedicated FTP client instead of the one in your browser.

Filezilla

Filezilla is the ubiquitous free open-source FTP client and server for all platforms.

sudo apt-get install filezilla

Filesharing / P2P

Transmission (BitTorrent Client)

Transmission is the GTK-based default BitTorret client in Ubuntu (Gnome).

sudo apt-get install transmission

KTorrent

KTorrent is the default BitTorrent client in Kubuntu. Install:

sudo apt-get install ktorrent

Azureus

Azureus is a Java-based BitTorrent client.

sudo apt-get install azureus

QTorrent

QTorrent is a PyQT-based BitTorrent Client that is supposed to be very fast.

sudo apt-get install qtorrent

Apollon (P2P Filesharing)

Apollon is an older BitTorrent client oriented towards KDE. It uses plugins for compatibility with multiple networks.

sudo apt-get install apollon gift

KMLDonkey (P2P eMule/eDonkey2000 Client)

KMLDonkey is a KDE frontend for MLDonkey, the P2P file sharing program (and network) that is able to use different network protocols.

sudo apt-get install kmldonkey

*Where is "core" ?

Privacy

Tor

Tor is a project to allow privacy while using the Internet and limit usage tracking. Install:

sudo apt-get install tor

then see the installation guide.

Multimedia Applications

Multimedia applications include music and video playback, CD and DVD playback and recording, and Internet TV as well as "terrestrial" (i.e. broadcast, satellite, and cable) TV viewing on your computer.

CDs and DVDs

DVD Playback Capability

To play encrypted DVDs, the libdvdcss2 package is essential. libdvdcss2 is a simple library designed for accessing DVDs like a block device without having to bother about the decryption. More information about this package can be found at VideoLAN.

• You can install libdvdcss2 as a 64-bit .deb package without installing the Medibuntu repositories:

wget -c http://packages.medibuntu.org/pool/free/libd/libdvdcss/libdvdcss2_1.2.10-0.2medibuntu1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i libdvdcss2_1.2.10-0.2medibuntu1_amd64.deb

or a 32-bit .deb package:

wget -c http://packages.medibuntu.org/pool/free/libd/libdvdcss/libdvdcss2_1.2.10-0.2medibuntu1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i libdvdcss2_1.2.10-0.2medibuntu1_i386.deb

• You can also use guidelines provided at Medibuntu. This will install the Medibuntu repositories on your system and then install the libdvdcss2 package:

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/intrepid.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

You can also install 32 bit or 64 bit Windows multimedia codecs (if you haven't already done so using ubuntu-restricted-extras):

sudo apt-get install w32codecs

or

sudo apt-get install w64codecs

• Instead of downloading directly from Medibuntu, you could also use the script included with the libdvdread3 package to download and install libdvdcss2:

sudo apt-get install libdvdread3
sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh

K9copy DVD-Ripper

K9copy is the free open source DVD backup, copying, compression, and authoring utility that requires libdvdcss.

sudo apt-get install k9copy

dvd::rip

dvd::rip is a DVD backup/copy program, written in GTK-based perl, that uses the transcode video/audio processing and conversion tools. See the website for installation and usage instructions.

DVD Fab DVD Ripper

DVD Fab is the favoured DVD backup tool for today's DVD encryption methods. It must be run in Wine (since it is a Windows application). It comes as a fully featured 30-day trial, but see these instructions for fine-tuning the trial period.

Handbrake

Handbrake is a GPL-licenced open source tool for converting DVD to MPEG-4, and is currently the favoured tool for doing so. A self-installing .deb file is available from the website for download.

Ripper X CD Ripper/Encoder

Ripper X is a GTK-based (i.e. Gnome) open source utility to rip CD audio tracks to OGG, MP3, or FLAC formats. It supports CDDB lookups.

sudo apt-get install ripperx

Asunder CD Ripper/Encoder

Asunder is a GTK-based open source CD ripper/encoder which saves to Wav, MP3, OGG, FLAC, or WavPack. Self-installing .deb packages are available here.

Audex CD Ripper/Encoder

Audex is a port to KDE4 of the KAudioCreator package used in KDE 3. It can create output for LAME (MP3-compliant), OGG Vorbis (oggenc), FLAC and RIFF WAVE. It must be installed from source, currently (see the website).

Music Players

Rhythmbox

Rhythmbox is the default music player in Ubuntu (Gnome), relying on the Gstreamer framework..

Amarok

Amarok is the default music player in Kubuntu. Install:

sudo apt-get install amarok

Amarok themes

Amarok themes can be downloaded from KDE Look and installed.

• Download the theme (ending in .tar.bz2) to your home directory (or chosen directory).
• Amarok -> Settings -> Appearance -> Install New Style
• Select the downloaded file.

Audacious

Audacious is a compact, fast music player that is a fork of XMMS. It resembles WinAmp and can use WinAmp and XMMS skins. It supports many plugins and is ideal for streaming content. Install:

sudo apt-get install audacious

Note: "PulseAudio output plugin" is the default in Audacious and does not seem to work. Switch to "ALSA output plugin" under Audacious -> Preferences -> Audio -> Current output plugin.

Banshee Music Player

Banshee is a Gstreamer, Mono and Gtk-based music player for Linux and Mac OS X. It supports multiple mp3 players (including the iPod).There are plugins for podcasts, internet radio, and more.

sudo apt-get install banshee

Exaile Music Manager and Player

Exaile is a GTK-based music player that supports many formats, incorporates a Shoutcast directory, a plugin for iPod, Last.FM support, tabbed playlists, and other features. Install:

sudo apt-get install exaile

Songbird Music Player

Songbird is an open source music player from Mozilla with an appearance meant to resemble iTunes. It is in current development and does not yet have full support for mp3 players (such as the iPod). It incorporates a Shoutcast internet radio interface. The current beta version can be downloaded from the website.

Video and Music Players

Most current video multimedia players play many video formats, including the Flash video .flv format.

Kaffeine Video Player

Kaffeine is the default video player in Kubuntu. Install:

sudo apt-get install kaffeine

MPlayer Multimedia Player

Mplayer is a video player with a wide range of formats supported (including RealMedia and Windows-codecs) and a wide variety of outputs.

sudo apt-get install mplayer

SMPlayer

SMPlayer is an enhanced frontend for MPlayer. It is similar to Kplayer.

sudo apt-get install smplayer

VLC Multimedia Player

VLC is a cross-platform multimedia player that supports many formats without need for additional codecs. It can not only receive video streams, but can act as a server for video streams, as well. It is one of the only players that can view and backup almost any DVD format, no matter which copy protection is used. See these tips for using VLC to backup/rip encrypted DVDs.

sudo apt-get install vlc

Playing VCD on VLC

How to play VCDs: Open file, In the Open Disc dialogue, click at Disc tab and chosing VCD at disc type gives me this:

vcdx:///dev/hdd :audio-track=0

in the advanced options /dev/hdd is my CD-ROM drive, obviously. Remove x and change that to:

vcd:///dev/hdd :audio-track=0

Xine-UI Multimedia Player

Xine UI is a multimedia player based, of course, on the xine platform. It can also play streamed video from the Internet and supports most formats, including some uncommon ones.

 sudo apt-get install xine-ui

RealPlayer 11 Multimedia Player

The Linux Realplayer is actually based on the open-source Helix player. Helix itself can be installed as a package easily (read Helix plug-in) and used instead of Realplayer. These instructions are to install the proprietary version of RealPlayer only.

Download Real Player official linux player

Open a terminal and cd to the directory you have downloaded realplayer's .bin file. Then issue the following commands

chmod +x RealPlayer11GOLD.bin
sudo ./RealPlayer11GOLD.bin

When it asks for installation path enter /usr/local/RealPlayer

For all other questions just choose default by pressing enter.

If you have installed mozilla-mplayer package you will need to delete the mplayer firefox plugin for real player videos. Other wise all real player files will open with mplayer. For that please do this

cd /usr/lib/firefox/plugins
sudo rm mplayerplug-in-rm.*

Please remember to restart firefox and when ever you click on a real player video choose the option open with and use /usr/bin/realplay

There is sometimes an issue with Pulse audio sound. Set Realplay to use OSS in tools->preferences->hardware->audio driver

Then type

sudo gedit /opt/real/RealPlayer/realplay

then on line 52 change

$HELIX_LIBS/realplay.bin "$@"

TO

padsp -n RealPlayer -m RealPlayerStream $HELIX_LIBS/realplay.bin "$@"

Internet TV

Miro Player

Miro Player (formerly Democracy TV Player) is an open-source Internet TV and video player that allows you to watch Internet TV and videos. Unlike other video players, it contains a structured guide that includes more than 2500 channels, has built-in BitTorrent, and has features that can automatically save videos, such as from YouTube. (For some screenshots see this UbuntuGeek guide.) Install:

sudo apt-get install miro

Myth TV

See MythTV

Sopcast Internet TV

Sopcast is an interface to play live P2P video streams:

Go to http://code.google.com/p/sopcast-player to download the official Linux player of sopcast.com:

Download and install the sp-auth deb package specific to your hardware architecture
Download and install the sopcast-player deb package specifig to your hardware architecture

Note: SopCast Player requires VLC, be sure to add the Medibuntu repository. Instruction on how to add the Medibuntu repository can be found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu.

Launch Applications->Internet->SopCast Player and enjoy!

Zattoo

Zattoo is a free Internet TV player that allows you to watch terrestrial television from various countries in Europe. See the Zattoo Download page for further instructions on installation. For screenshots and an alternate installation guide, see this UbuntuGeek guide.

• Install dependencies first:

sudo apt-get install libgtkglext1 adobe-flashplugin

• Download the latest .deb package from Zattoo Download page.

 wget http://zattoo.com/release/download.php

• Install the downloaded .deb package:

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

• Run Zattoo:

K -> Application -> Multimedia -> Zattoo Player

Note: you have to register for a free account when the player starts.

Media Centers and PVR (Personal Video Recorder)

There are a number of open-source Media Centers for Linux, some of which include personal video recorder functions. For a full list of open-source media centers, see this guide.

MythTV

MythTV is a media center with PVR (personal video recorder) for retrieving, recording, and playing broadcast and Internet TV and other multimedia content. It has many options and plugins for expansion. To be useful, you will need a compatible TV tuner card.

sudo apt-get install mythtv

Mythbuntu

Mythbuntu is an integrated Ubuntu (Xubuntu) desktop optimised for MythTV usage. In can be used instead of adding MythTV to a Ubuntu desktop.

XBMC

XBMC is a free, mature, open-source cross-platform media center. It does not have a PVR capability nor as many functions as MythTV, but has a very nice interface.

• Add these third party repositories:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-intrepid/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-intrepid/ubuntu intrepid main

• Install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc

Boxee

Boxee is an XBMC-like open source package to allow streaming video over the Internet, including from Hulu, YouTube and other sites. It is a fork of XBMC, and is still in alpha development and testing stage. It is currently available for 32-bit systems only, and recommended for Hardy. An Intrepid version is anticipated soon. (Note: Boxee does not run Netflix on Linux, despite their ads). See these download instructions.

Elisa

Elisa is a cross-platform media center that uses the Gstreamer multimedia framework. Commercial plugins are available from Fluendo. It supports PVR and Music Jukebox . Install:

sudo apt-get install elisa

LinuxMCE

See LinuxMCE.

Multimedia Servers

MPD Multimedia Playing Server

MPD is a music server meant for LAN usage. It can be controlled from remote clients. It can also stream internet streams.

TiMidity++ MIDI Sound Server

TiMidity is a MIDI software synthesizer required by several games and other MIDI-dependent applications.

sudo apt-get install timidity

Multimedia Encoders

SOX (encodes/decodes audio)

SoX is a somewhat confusing command-line utility to convert audio formats. See this usage guide. Install:

sudo apt-get install sox

Run:

sox

Internet Radio

Last FM

LastFM is a service for sharing music recommendations and individual radio streams. It is included as an option in Amarok, or can be installed separately:

sudo apt-get install lastfm

Shoutcast Internet Radio

Shoutcast is the first and last free mp3 streaming service. Hundreds of radio streams can be played through Amarok, Audacious, or other multimedia player. Simply associate the .pls streams with your favourite player.

StreamTuner Stream Directory Browser

StreamTuner lists streams available on the Internet through a GTK-based interface. It lists Shoutcast and Live365 streams, among others. Install:

sudo apt-get install streamtuner

BBC Radio program recording

get_iplayer allows BBC streams (through their iplayer service) to be recorded to mp4, wav and mp3 files (depending on content). See the website for usage.

Home Automation / Home Theater / Home Security

Complete Systems

Linux MCE (Media Center Edition)

LinuxMCE is an integrated home theater/home security/home automation/telephone PBX/intercom system for your home. It incorporates MythTV, Pluto home automation, Motion security surveillance, Asterisk PBX, VDR video disk recorder, and other home automation/security/theater packages in an integrated platform. It is available in 32 and 64 bit versions. LinuxMCE can run either as a standalone Home Theater PC or can co-ordinate a fully networked home, using the networking capabilities that are intrinsically part of the Ubuntu Linux OS. For more info see the LinuxMCE website.

The most recent stable version runs on Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy). An alpha version for Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) has been released, and the full version is anticipated soon. LinuxMCE can be installed at the same time as the Ubuntu OS (on a new PC with an nVidia graphics card), with a single DVD installation. Alternatively, Ubuntu can be installed first and LinuxMCE then installed from a 2 CD installation.

Home Security

Zoneminder surveillance system

Zoneminder manages surveillance cameras and stores images on the hard disk. Images can be viewed using a (LAMP) server remotely. X10 devices can be triggered using built-in perl scripts. For more info see the Zoneminder website.

Install:

sudo apt-get install zoneminder ffmpeg

Myth Zoneminder

MythZoneminder allows you to view your security cameras through Myth TV, essentially. It is a plugin that interfaces the two packages Zoneminder (which must be working on your system) and Myth TV (which must also be working.) See the installation instructions.

It can be found in Synaptic as the mythzoneminder package.

sudo apt-get install mythzoneminder

Productivity Applications

Office Suites

Open Office

Open Office is installed by default in Ubuntu, with Writer (Word equivalent), Presentation (PowerPoint equivalent), Calc spreadsheet (Excel equivalent), and Base relational database (Access equivalent).

Open Word 2007 Documents in Open Office

The latest edition of OpenOffice opens .docx (i.e. Word 2007) documents by default.

KOffice

The KOffice suite is part of the KDE project and is mean to provide the capabilities of the OpenOffice suite without the licensing restrictions of OpenOffice. It can be used in any version of Ubuntu.

sudo apt-get install koffice

AbiWord

AbiWord is a fast, collaboration-enabled word processor. For the most current version see the AbiWord web site. To install from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install abiword

Personal Information Managers

Kontact Personal Information Manager

Kontact is the default PIM included with Kubuntu. Kontact includes email, an address book, a calendar, reminders, pop-up notes, a link to the Akregator News/RSS reader, time-tracking, and more. Its many functions resemble MS-Outlook. Through connectors it interfaces with many groupware servers (such as Kolab and eGroupware). Install:

sudo apt-get install kontact

Mozilla Sunbird (Calendar)

Sunbird is a group calendaring project that interfaces with Thunderbird and Firefox.

sudo apt-get install sunbird

• A related package known as SeaMonkey Calendar can also be installed.

sudo apt-get install mozilla-calendar

BasKet Note Pads

BasKet Note Pads is a personal note-taking application that resides on your computer and can be used for creating "to-do" lists. It is great for centralising your thoughts in one place. Install it:

sudo apt-get install basket

Planner (Project planning & management)

Planner is an MS-Project-like planning and management tool.

sudo apt-get install planner

Time Tracker

You can keep track how long you use an application with TimeTracker. Keep records for billing or simply limit your Internet usage.

Financial Software

GnuCash (Personal Finance Management)

GnuCash is a free, open source GPL-licensed personal finance manager that uses double entry accounting like professional accountants. It is GTK-based (Gnome 2). The current version can be installed from source files (see the website for installation instructions), or the package version can be installed:

Applications -> Add/Remove Programs -> Office -> GnuCash Finance Management

or from the command-line terminal:

sudo apt-get install gnucash

KMyMoney (Personal Finance Management)

KMyMoney is a personal finance manager that uses double entry accounting, the method professional accountants use. It is similar to MS-MyMoney and Intuit QuickBooks. It is designed for the KDE desktop. Install:

Applications -> Add/Remove Programs -> Office -> KMyMoney

or from the command-line terminal:

sudo apt-get install kmymoney2

Moneydance (Personal Finance Management)

Moneydance is a commercial cross-platform Java-based personal finance manager similar to KMyMoney that sells for $40 per license.

SQL-Ledger (Enterprise Finance Management)

SQL-Ledger ERP is a free, open-source, platform independent double-accounting-method system and enterprise resource planner (inventory, work and purchase orders, taxes, etc.) that uses the MySQL database. It uses a web browser for an interface and be accessed remotely. It is extremely comprehensive and is available in many languages. Install:

sudo apt-get install sql-ledger

WebERP (Enterprise Finance Management)

WebERP is a free, open-source enterprise resource planner and accounting suite similar to SQL-Ledger that uses a web browser as an interface. It runs on the LAMP server. It is somewhat difficult to implement and use, but conforms to strict accounting guidelines. Set up your LAMP server first, then install using the web site instructions.

Phreebooks (Enterprise Finance Management)

Phreebooks is a free open-source enterprise resource planner and accounting suite similar to WebERP. It also runs on a LAMP server. It is in active development in 2008. A demo is available at the website.

Quasar (Enterprise Finance Management)

Quasar is a proprietary Linux-based accounting suite similar to Quickbooks. For a single user without point-of-sale or networking needs, it is free. For other users it costs CA$500 per seat. An installer for KDE-based systems is here.

Groupware

Groupware solutions include shared calendars, group email servers, groups address lists, group projects, and internal messaging. They require (one or more) servers with LAMP or similar server stacks.

Groupware Servers

Groupware servers are meant to operate on a server platform. You must install the server version of Ubuntu/Ubuntu first. Read Servers.

Kolab

Kolab is the most comprehensive open-source groupware solution available and is distributed as a multi-platform solution. (It integrates easily with both Ubuntu (including Evolution) and KDE/Kubuntu (including Kontact).) It is free and open source with a GPL license (unlike other groupware solutions), yet enterprise support is also available. It is scalable to large organizations and is Outlook (MS-Exchange) and Mozilla compatible. This is a German package, however, and documentation in English is limited, which can make installation challenging. The Kolab website provides its own instructions for installation from source (currently v. 2.2). In brief:

• Install the compiler and other necessary stuff:

sudo apt-get install build-essential

• Make a directory for the Kolab installation and make it universally accessible:

sudo cd /
sudo mkdir /kolab
sudo chmod 777 /kolab

• Optional: If you wish to mount kolab in its own partition, then create a new partition (using Gparted, for example). Figure out the device name of your extra partition:

fdisk -l

It should be something like /dev/sda3.

Mount /dev/sda3 (or whatever your partition is) as /kolab by editing /etc/fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

and adding the line:

/dev/sda3  /kolab  ext3  defaults,rw 0 0

then reboot and make sure there are no errors.

• Make a directory into which to download kolab:

mkdir /kolabtmp

• Download all the current Kolab files:

cd /kolabtmp
wget -r -l1 -nd --no-parent http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/kolab/server/beta/kolab-server-2.2.1-beta-1/ix86-debian4.0

• Install Kolab (as root using sudo -s):

sudo -s
sh install-kolab.sh 2>&1 | tee kolab-install.log

• Reboot your system.
• Stop Kolab services and run the configuration utility:

sudo /kolab/bin/openpkg rc all stop
sudo /kolab/sbin/kolab_bootstrap -b

Obviously, you should know all your details, such as your fully qualified host name, domain details, etc., before doing this step. If you are not familiar with OpenLDAPand LDAP basics, you should learn about it, as Kolab uses the slapd OpenLDAP server daemon.

• Restart all Kolab services:

sudo /kolab/bin/openpkg rc all start

• Login to the web administrator interface using "manager" and the password you set at bootstrap configuration:

https://yourhost.yourdomain.name/admin

Kolab Debian package

• There is an Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Debian package for Kolab (v. 2.1), but no support for it exists. In fact, it is due to be removed from the Debian packages because of this lack of support. The installation instructions are included below for reference, and if you have success installing from the package, please add the steps you took to make it work.

sudo apt-get install kolabd kolab-webadmin

To reconfigure setup after the original installation, stop all web services:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop
sudo /etc/init.d/kolabd stop
sudo /etc/init.d/kolab-cyrus stop
sudo /etc/init.d/postfix stop
sudo /etc/init.d/saslauthd stop
sudo /etc/init.d/slapd stop

and then start the Kolab bootstrap setup:

sudo kolab_bootstrap -b

and proceed with configuration for your server/domain.

Then restart all the services (e.g. sudo /etc/init.d apache2 start).

Notes: Kolab uses its own server components, and it is best to run Kolab on a dedicated server. However, it is possible to run other servers on the same machine, as long as you choose alternate ports if the server modules conflict.

Citadel

Citadel is a turn-key fully open source groupware solution (that is also Kolab compliant) with a structure rooted in bulletin-board systems, and is therefore user friendly. Installation instructions are found at the website.

eGroupware

eGroupware is a robust and stable free open source groupware solution (with GPL license) based on the LAMP stack (the default server stack included with Ubuntu Server) and the Postfix mail server (both of which should be installed first). There is a new version recently available, with a new corporate sponsor in Germany and a commercial enterprise version. Compatibility with many clients has been improved. Egroupware provides the easiest installation and quickest setup time of all groupware solutions. Much of the documentation for the current version, unfortunately, is not in English.

sudo apt-get install egroupware

Open-Xchange

Open-Xchange is a proprietary groupware solution (meant as an MS-Exchange replacement) that has released a "community edition" based on commercial versions. The latest .deb package is for Hardy Heron 8.04. It is compliant with many different types of clients, including Kontact, Outlook, and Palm PDAs. Installation instructions are at the website and are not trivial.

OpenGroupware

OpenGroupware is a groupware solution based on the postgreSQL database. There is an enterprise version and a limited open source version, and development appears to have been stagnant in 2008. Installation must be from source, as packages are very outdated. See the website for details.

Zarafa

Zarafa is the leading European MS-Exchange replacement/groupware solution. It is proprietary, but a GPL-licensed (except for trademarks) free open-source community edition was released in 2008. Download instructions are available from the website.

Zimbra

Zimbra is a proprietary groupware solution that offers an open source "community edition". Although currently free, the community edition is limited in features and does not have a GPL license. All submitted modifications and contributions become the property of Yahoo.

The latest version is for Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS and can be downloaded as a .tar.gz file from the website.

SugarCRM Server

SugarCRM is a commercial customer relationship management (CRM) platform and groupware server (sales, marketing, support, project management, calendaring) system with a community edition. It supports MySQL and MS SQL databases. For more info see SugarCRM Server Setup.

Groupware Clients

Many groupware solutions have connectors to interface with clients such as Kontact/KMail and Mozilla Thunderbird (or SeaMonkey).

Kontact Personal Information Manager

The Kontact Personal Information Manager, included in Ubuntu by default, interfaces with many groupware servers.

KDE Groupware Wizard

Kubuntu provides a wizard (script) to help clients (such as Kontact/Kmail) connect to a groupware server. Currently supported groupware servers are Kolab, eGroupware, SUSE Linux Openexchange, and Novell Groupwise.

Yahoo!zimbra Desktop in Ubuntu 8.04

Zimbra Desktop is a desktop that collaborates with Zimbra servers. For more info see Yahoo!zimbra Desktop Installation Guide.

Oracle Calendar Desktop Client

The Oracle Calendar Desktop Client is proprietary calendaring software for use with Oracle groupware/database systems.

Download Oracle Calendar Desktop Client:

wget http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/calendar/oracle-10-clients/DesktopClients/Linux/cal_linux_1011.tar.gz

Extract:

tar -xvf cal_linux_1011.tar.gz

Change into the extracted files directory:

cd OracleCalendar_inst/

Prepare the files:

mv cal_linux cal_linux.bak; cat cal_linux.bak | sed "s/export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL/#xport LD_ASSUME_KERNEL/" > cal_linux; rm cal_linux.bak

Change permissions:

chmod +x gui_install.sh cal_linux

Start the GUI installer:

sudo sh gui_install.sh

Wiki software

Wiki software allows an organization to have a manual that can be edited by a number of collaborators. Wikipedia is the best known example.

MediaWiki

MediaWiki is the free, open source server software that Wikipedia uses. It is scalable to very large uses. It runs on the LAMP server stack (which uses the MySQL database and is available as an installation option with the (K)ubuntu server), or it can be used with a postgreSQL database. Installation instructions are here.

Twiki

Twiki is an open source wiki engine used by many small to medium size companies internally. It has an active development team with multiple plugins. See the website for installation instructions.

TiddlyWiki

TiddlyWiki is an open source personal wiki. It is ideal for creating a list of things to do, note taking, or as a collaboration tool for a small team. It is a single HTML file that can reside on your computer or can even be uploaded to a web server and be used as a simple website. It is developed using a Firefox browser as an interface. Installation instructions are on the website.

Development

Kompozer Web Development Editor

Kompozer is a Gecko-based web authoring system that combines web page editing with web file management in a WYSIWYG manner. I supports XML, CSS, and JavaScript in an XUL architecture.

sudo apt-get install kompozer

Quanta Plus (Web IDE)

Quanta Plus is an integrated development environment integrated with the KDE desktop. It allows webpage development, database design, and XML design and scripting, for example, using multiple development tools. The latest stable version is 3.5, however, and integrates with the KDE 3.5 environment (Ubuntu Hardy Heron). You should therefore use Ubuntu Hardy Heron with this product. (There is also a commercial version (Quanta Gold), also oriented towards KDE 3).

sudo apt-get install quanta kompare kxsldbg cervisia

Netbeans IDE

Netbeans is a free open-source integrated development environment used to create applications using Ajax, Ruby, pHp, Groovy, Java, Javascript, C++, and other scripting tools.

sudo apt-get install netbeans

BlueFish Web Development Editor

BlueFish is a GTK-based (Gnome-oriented) editor to write websites, scripts and programming code. It supports perl, Python, pHp, CSS, XML, Java, Javascript, C, SQL, and other formats.

sudo apt-get install bluefish

Web Publishing

Drupal (Web content publishing)

Drupal is the leading open-source website creation and content collaboration tools. A modular approach to website building, from simple out-of-the-box websites to complex sites is possible with a short learning curve. Get more info on how to get started. Drupal requires a prior installation of a LAMP server stack.

Drupal is available as a package from Synaptic, or from the command-line terminal:

sudo apt-get install drupal5

Joomla (Web content publishing)

Joomla is a powerful open source website creation and content management tool that allows website creation for use in every arena from the simple to complex corporate environments. Info for beginners is a good place to start.

Scribus (Desktop publishing)

Scribus is an open-source package that provides professional-appearing desktop publishing.

sudo apt-get install scribus

Plone (Content Management System)

Plone is a free, open source (GPL-licensed) multi-platform content management system used by many large organizations around the world. It is available with an integrated installer here.

Science, Technology, and Engineering Applications

What .. you thought Ubuntu was just for play?

Health applications

WorldVistA (Enterprise Electronic Health Record)

WorldVistA is the largest and most robust CCHIT-approved electronic health record platform in the public domain. It is GPL licensed, is based on the US Veterans Administration health record system, and can be installed as an integrated database, server, and client system on Linux systems. (A Windows interface is available for networked Windows users.) Download and installation instructions are here.

Mathematical solutions

Scilab, Octave, and Freemat are three open source solutions for solving complex mathematical equations.

Octave

Gnu Octave is a free, open source (GPL licensed) platform for solving linear and non-linear equations, similar to (and mostly compatible with) Matlab. It interfaces well with Gnuplot. For troubleshooting tips, see this thread. Install:

sudo apt-get install octave3.0

Also recommended:

sudo apt-get install libatlas3gf-base gnuplot qtoctave

Note: QTOctave is a GUI for Gnuplot or Easyplot 1.1, and and the ATLAS library is an algebra-software-optimization set of utilities.

EasyPlot 1.1 is an alternative to GnuPlot, with a version that can be used with QTOctave. It must be installed from source.

An older GUI for Octave/Gnuplot is qgfe (available as the package qgfe).

Freemat

Freemat is a free, open source (GPL licensed) platform for solving linear and non-linear equations, similar to (and mostly compatible with) Matlab. Install from Add/Remove Programs (Edutainment) or

sudo apt-get install freemat

Amateur Radio applications

Fldigi is a free, open-source (GPL) application for digital-mode amateur radio communications using a sound card. Enable "Community Maintained Software (universe)" in Software Sources; then install either from Add/Remove Programs under (Amateur Radio) or by typing

sudo apt-get install fldigi

Utilities

Utilities facilitate everyday tasks, such as keeping the clock up to date, archiving utilities, and more.

Archiving Utilities

BChunk

BChunk is a command-line utility that allows you to convert .cue and .bin files into an .iso file (so that they can be opened and manipulated in Ubuntu). Warning: If the bin/cue image has audio tracks, they will be lost.

Get BChunk

sudo apt-get install bchunk

To convert .cue and .bin files, navigate to the folder and run this command (replacing filenames with your own):

bchunk inputfilename.bin inputfilename.cue outputfilename.iso

After the file is converted into ISO you can mount it using:

sudo mount -o loop outputfilename.iso /media/output

Navigate to /media/output and you should see all the content there. You can then copy it anywhere.

To unmount:

sudo umount /media/output

HJSplit Files Joiner/Splitter

HJSplit for Linux (Java version).

• Make sure you have Java Runtime Environment installed:

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre

• Download the HJSplit JAR file:

wget http://www.freebyte.com/download/hjsplit/hjsplit_g.jar

• Create the directory for HJSplit:

sudo mkdir /opt/hjsplit

• Move the file to an appropriate directory:

sudo mv hjsplit_g.jar /opt/hjsplit/ 

• Run:

cd /opt/hjsplit/ && java -jar hjsplit_g.jar 

Note: You could also make a terminal shortcut (menu item) in K Menu Editor.

Rar

Rar archives files into the proprietary .rar format.

sudo apt-get install rar

This application is a 40-day trial.

Unrar

Unrar extracts files archived with the proprietary .rar format. This application is free for noncommercial use. It is installed with the ubuntu-restricted-extras package. If not, install:

sudo apt-get install unrar

7-Zip

The open-source 7-Zip archive format was originally designed for Windows (and DOS) but is also available for Ubuntu. The GNU/Linux version of 7-Zip does not come with a GUI, but Ark can hook into 7-Zip to handle 7z archives. Install:

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full

Hard Drive Utilities

KDiskFree (Hard drive properties monitor)

KDiskFree is a KDE utility for monitoring free disk space, etc.

sudo apt-get install kdf

Clock Utilties

Screensavers

Because of some conflicts with the Compiz desktop effects and several screensavers, they are not installed by default in Intrepid.

Partition Managers

GParted Partition Manager

Gparted is a Gnome-based partition manager that can be used with KDE.

• This utility works best as a LiveCD. Download the Gparted .ISO image here. Follow these instructions to burn the .ISO image to CD. Use the GParted LiveCD as your partition manager.
• You can also install the package:

sudo apt-get install gparted

QTParted Partition Manager

QTParted is a QT-based partition manager still in development. It is similar to Partition Manager.

sudo apt-get install qtparted ntfsprogs

Network Monitors

There are two types of network monitors: those that monitor your own system's network settings and those that monitor network traffic. The latter includes security tools that can also be used as hackers tools. While we don't espouse the latter, it is worthwhile to know about these tools so you are aware of security risks to your network.

KSniffer

KSniffer is a network traffic analyzer for KDE. Install:

sudo apt-get install ksniffer

KNemo (Network interfaces monitor for systray)

KNemo is the network interface monitor for KDE 3. It is not compatible with KDE4.

sudo apt-get install knemo

Netstat

Netstat is the Linux command-line tool to monitor network status and functions. There are many usage parameters. See the manual for help.

netstat

Knetstats

Knetstats is the version for KDE 3.5's systray. A version for KDE 4 does not yet exist.

sudo apt-get install knetstats

Cacti Monitoring Server

Cacti is a complete, free open source network graphing solution designed to harness the power of RRDTool’s data storage and graphing functionality. Cacti provides a fast poller, advanced graph templating, multiple data acquisition methods, and user management features out of the box. It uses MySQL and PHP (part of the LAMP server stack). All of this is wrapped in an intuitive, easy to use interface that makes sense for LAN-sized installations up to complex networks with hundreds of devices. For more info see Cacti Server Setup.