Originally Posted by
DeafFlyer
After reading this thread last month, I went and ordered the Ubuntu 6.10 CD. Got it this week and installed it on my old Dell Laptop. It does work and I can browse with Firefox, but I can't get anything that I download to work. Tried to install Opera and it keeps giving me errors. The help thing is useless. ScottC is right about it not catching on. I'm going to keep at it, but it's a little silly all the work needed to get something installed.
I've been playing with ubuntu more and more and I'm become really impressed. There are a few ubuntu-isms (mostly inherited from Debian) but once you get used to them, it seems to work well.
The first trick is to make sure your /etc/apt/source.list is up to date. I'm not sure how to do this in the GUI, but I suspect you can add sources via the synaptic package manager.
Check out
http://www.ubuntu-nl.org/source-o-matic/
it will generate a source.list file for you.
With the sources updated, then the easiest way to install most things is via apt-get (to which the Synaptic GUI is a front end)...
That being said, you will run into the other ubuntu-ism with is a total lack of commercial or close-source software in the main repositories. That includes things like Opera. When you use that link above, make sure to check the last check box (commercial software) which will give you access to most of those packages.
Once you do that, you shouldn't have to download most programs via the web, but rather search for and install them via Synaptic.