Software management in Ubuntu 13.04

Integrating PPAs

With about 6,000 active PPAs on Launchpad, running into brand new software is likely, including exotic programs and (unstable) developer versions of system components such as the kernel or Network Manager. Before compiling software from source, first use a PPA search [4] to see whether it has a PPA.

The fastest way to integrate PPAs into the package manager is through the command interface because it saves you the key search. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the terminal and enter what usually amounts to three command lines, as in the following:

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:inkscape.dev/stable
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install inkscape

This happens to mount the PPA for the Inkscape vector drawing program. For other software, simply replace the text after ppa: with the information at the software's website, then submit sudo apt-get install (Figure 7). It might take a while for the repository to appear in the Software Center.

Figure 7: In this PPA, you'll find the current packages for Raring Ringtail to install the Inkscape design application.

Removing Software

To remove software, open Software Center again, search for the name of the software, and click Remove . The configuration data is thereby unaffected. The advantage is that you don't need to reconfigure the software if you decide you need it again later. If these remnants (such as you might find in the /etc or /var directories) were to disappear, use the command line to remove the package.