AyeTea

On a tip off from "Photon" who was good enough to say hello in the forums here at Ayetea.com I tried to install a screenshot application.  Up until now I have been using the screenshot application that came within the Ubuntu 9.04 distribution.  Its actually a pretty good little utility, I especially like it's configurable timer.  However being used to using a third party application names screenhunter through Windows, I am used to and really would like some more features.

So far in Linux I have been using the Add/Remove button on the Ubuntu menu to install Thunderbird and some add ons for it, and this is very easy.  The screenshot application that I was recommended however is not available via this tool.  In installing it I was about to be given a crash course lesson in how different installing Linux applications differs from Windows.

Windows users will quite probably be reasonably knowledgeable on the basics of installing an application.  The application generally speaking is included with an installer program and the rest of the software is included either in a download or on disk.  Although this is a simplistic description and installations can occur using various methods, the install program is pretty easy to identify.  After this, the Windows user is generally looked after.  A status bar proceeds, and a few minutes later the application is installed and ready to run. 

Of course this approach has some pitfalls.  It's pretty easy to install just about any software (including malicious code) into your system.  Compatibility with your version of windows can be in doubt and bitter experiance has shown me that occaisionally it is only after messing up your installation irrevibly that this becomes clear. Sometimes finding the correct software can be a hazardous journey. 

I already knew that there were differences in how Linux installed it's applications.  However using the Add/Remove tool in Ubuntu shields the user slightly from what is going on in the background.  If Windows makes it easy, in many ways Linux makes it even easier.  This was to begin with a bit of a shock for me.  My impression was that Linux was a geeky OS, complicated enough to fend off the noob and delight the command line junky. 

The Add/Remove tool, gives you a searchable list of applications that should run on your installation.  Tick the check boxes for the application (or applications, yep you can install several at a time... Take that Microsoft) that you are interested in and hit the apply changes button.  From there on the application (or applications) is downloaded and installed on your machine.  No restarts, no hours of googling and hey presto software installed. 

As I said though, straight out of the box the user is shielded from the installation process.  For many users, this will be all that they need.  With hundreds of apps available, your average user may never have to leave this cosy and safe installation environment. 

What I learned today is a bit more of how that list of tempting applications is produced. 

Within Windows, applications can be located just about anywhere, on a disk, at a software companies website or on the websites of various third party software distributers.  Linux on the other hand downloads most of it's software from theser mystical locations named repositories,

Repositories hold some major advantages over the Windows way of doing things.  If you hold all your software in one or two places far more control can be asserted on what is being downloaded both from a users point of view and also from the software creators point of view.  The user can chose to see software from trusted sources, the main repositories hold large numbers of applications, all virus free and when controlled by the authors of the Operating software, less likely to give you compatibility issues.  From the software authors point of view, encouraging users to take their downloads from a single server allows you to control versions and ensure those out there are using your latest and greatest. 

Ubuntu comes already with some reputable repositories pre-set, however not every package that a user may want will be in these repositories.  Sometimes it is necessary to point your operating system at additional sources of software.

To download Shutter, the application that Photon suggested I was going to have to add a new source of information.  Over at the Shutter website, instructions are given as to how to add the companies repository.  This was going to be my first attempt at this.  To be honest I didn't think I would have to get more involved in the workings of the operating system just as quickly as this but well here goes.

The first part of the task I felt quite comfortable with.  In the adminstration menu, I found the "Software Sources" item.  This is a utility that allows you to see which sources are configured.  The software sources tool appears in a dialogue box and offers accross its top tabs the opportunity to select where Linux looks to for itself, third pary software, updates, authentication and also wether you wish your downloads to be monitored for statistical purposes.  To add a third party source the second tab is the place to go.

The supplier of Shutter gives the address on their website.  For my installation of linux it was

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/shutter/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

This seemed to work and the install went ahead with a progress bar,  Low and behold the software works ok.  Of course it is late now, but tomorrow I will give it a try and see how I like it.

As you can probably guess I have managed this evening to get a limited apreciation of how Linux achieves its download process.  I still feel though I have much to learn.