Adding Software
Revision for “Adding Software” created on December 4, 2022 @ 17:58:27
| Title | Adding Software |
|---|---|
| Content | Bodhi's minimalist philosophy means that few applications come pre-installed on your system. Which means you are free to populate it with whatever software packages suit you best. This article describes the various ways you can do this.
<h4>The AppCenter</h4>
The Bodhi Linux <a href="https://bodhilinux.com/a/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AppCenter</a> features a great selection of excellent software, all of which are verified to run without problems. All software in the AppCenter is installed directly from the default web browser (<em><a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/a/chromium/">Chromium</a></em>), making software installation a breeze. Search for the software by name or select from the listed categories to see what's on offer.
<h4>Synaptic Package Manager</h4>
The <a href="https://bodhilinux.com/a/">AppCenter</a> can only feature a tiny fraction of the thousands of programs available in the software repositories, and to access the rest you need to use the <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/synaptic-package-manager/">Synaptic Package Manager</a>.
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Main Menu > Applications > System Tools > Synaptic Package Manager</em></p>
<em>For more details and how to use, see: <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/synaptic-package-manager/">Synaptic Package Manager</a></em>
<h4>The Terminal</h4>
If you know the name of the software package you need, you can quickly add it via <code>Apt</code> (<em>the <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/wiki/terminology/">Terminology</a> command-line interface for Synaptic</em>). The command to run being:
<pre>sudo apt update && sudo apt install <package name></pre>
<h4>Deb packages</h4>
Some software packages are not in the repository but are instead archived as <code>.deb</code> (<em>Debian</em>) files. You can download a <code>.deb package</code> and then install it using gDebi. You can get gDebi from the <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/a/">AppCenter</a>. Once installed, you can load the application from the Main Menu
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Main Menu > Applications > System Tools > gDebi Package Installer</em></p>
It should also appear as an option on your file manager's context menu. Right-click the downloaded <code>.deb</code> package, select the <em>gDebi Package Installer</em> option from the context menu, and the software will be installed.
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebiFMContext-620x506.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3472" src="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebiFMContext-620x506.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022" alt="gDebi PCManFM Context Open" width="200" height="163" /></a>
In browsers such as Chromium / Chrome, after download, use the browser option (<em>normally available in the bottom toolbar</em>) to "open" file - this will open gDebi and select the package you've just downloaded.
Or, Firefox allows you to open the <code>.deb</code> download directly in gDebi.
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebi-FireFox-Download.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3471" src="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebi-FireFox-Download.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022" alt="gDebi Firefox Download" width="200" height="151" /></a>
Or, with the Epiphany browser, double-click the downloaded file to open it with gDebi Package Manager.
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebiBrwoserOpen.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3469" src="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/gDebiBrwoserOpen.png?x77783&x77783&x77783&x77783&x58022&x58022&x58022" alt="gDebi Browser Open" width="200" height="160" /></a>
<h4>Personal Package Archives (PPAs)</h4>
These are non-official third-party repositories, often software developers' repositories, which may contain more up-to-date versions of software than is available in the official repository. Bodhi Linux does not recommend that you use such unofficial repositories, and you do so at your own risk: some files downloaded from them may conflict with what's already on your system. If, despite the risk, you do wish to make use of a PPA, you must first download <em>software-properties-common</em> from Synaptic.
If a package you want is not available in the official repository or as a <code>.deb</code> file, or if it is out-of-date, your best option is to put in a request for it to be added/updated. You can do this at the <a href="https://forums.bodhilinux.com/index.php?/forum/65-software-requests/">Software Request Thread</a> in the Feedback section of the Bodhi Linux Forum.
<h4>Snaps</h4>
<strong>Snap</strong> (<em>sometimes referred to as Snappy</em>) is a software deployment/package management utility built by Canonical and can be seen as a distant cousin to Apt & <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/synaptic-package-manager/">Synaptic Package Manager</a> and an alternative to <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/flatpak/">Flatpak</a>. With this installed you can install Snaps (<em>isolated software packages</em>).
For more information on snap and snaps see the page: <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/snap/">Snap</a> in the Wiki
<h4>Flatpak</h4>
Flatpak is a software deployment/package management utility built by Redhat and can be seen as a distant cousin to Apt & <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/synaptic-package-manager/">Synaptic Package Manager</a> and an alternative to <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/snap/">Snap</a>. With this installed you can install Snaps (isolated software packages).
For more information on <em>Flatpak</em>, <em>FlatHub</em> and <em>Flatpak Apps</em> see the page: <a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/flatpak/">Flatpak</a> in the Wiki
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/">Bodhi Linux Home</a>
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/wiki/">Bodhi Linux - Wiki Home Page</a>
<a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/w/bodhi-linux-how-to/">Bodhi Linux - Wiki Table of Contents</a> |
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