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When making the switch to Linux from either Windows or Mac, the number one problem for most users is installing new software. At first installations on a Linux computer can seem extremely intimidating when using a terminal but more often then not you can install things graphically. Not only is installing software on Linux easier then most think, but it also has some special features that are very helpful when software needs to be updated. There are three main ways to install software on Linux and they are by downloading a package witch is a .deb file, using apt-get with a software repository, and lastly by compiling it yourself.

The first way of installing software is by using a .deb file. This method will be the one most similar to installing software on windows with a .exe file. The short and easy description is obtain a .deb file for the software you want to install. Then double click it to open it, and type in your password if prompted to. The password you type in will be the password you created for root on your initial install of your system, this is what keeps on wanted things from installing themselves on Linux such as virus and ad-ware. While installing it will check for any additional dependencies you may need and will download and install them to. Once done it will close and your software will be ready to use. The only downside of this type of install is not every program every created for Linux has a .deb for users to use for installation. Also brand new programs will often not have a .deb at first until they get more users and popularity. Lastly when the software is updated it will not automatically update, you will need toun -install it then grab the new .deb package. A nice website with lots of .deb packages for popular Linux programs is: www.getdeb.net

The next way of installing programs is by using a software repository. The advantages of installation through a software repository is that when a program is updated your computer will let you know and you can update all the software on your computer with one click. Most Linux distributions have many popular programs built into there own software repositories which are already set up for you to use. Depending on your knowledge there are two ways to install software from a repository. Most Linux distributions now have a built in graphical way to find and install software. For example on Ubuntu if you navigate to applications>Add/Remove... then a software browser opens up and you can browse and install

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