Downloading applications from the internet and installing them every time can be a tedious job. This article, for Ubuntu newbies, contains a small introduction to the Debian package manager and using the Debian DVDs as software sources and installing applications in Ubuntu. You’ll have to download the three Debian DVD images, and burn them on DVDs. Downloading with BitTorrent is the easiest way to get Debian.

When I started using Linux, applications for the OS were very hard to find and installation was even more difficult. The developers used to give only the source files. You had to compile them and use. Things have changed drastically and now, with Ubuntu, I find it even easier than Windows!

Ubuntu uses the Synaptic package manager to install and remove applications. To configure the Debian DVDs as software sources, do the following.

• Start the Synaptic Package Manager by choosing System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager. The following window appears.

• In this window, choose Edit -> Add CD-ROM…

• A dialog box appears asking you to insert a disc in the drive. Insert the Debian Disc 1 and click ok.

• It scans the DVD and copies the index files from the DVD to the list of available applications.

• Once this is over, it asks you if you want to add another disc to application list. Click ok and continue to insert the remaining 2 discs and add them.

• After adding all the 3 DVDs, the list of applications gets updated. Choose a section that you’d like to browse from the left pane. Now, choose any application you want from the list by right clicking them and choosing Mark for installation.

• Most packages would require additional dependencies to be installed. When you mark an application for installation, a dialog box appears asking if you would like to mark the additional changes too. Click the mark button to continue.

• You can mark multiple items simultaneously for installation. Once you’ve marked all the applications you want to install, click the Apply button on the toolbar to install the applications. A dialog box appears asking you to confirm your choice. Click Apply again.

• Now, a download window appears which copies the selected files from the DVD and after the copy process, the next dialog shows the installation progress. If all goes well, a dialog box similar to the following one appears.

• Most of these applications create a shortcut in the Applications Menu. If the application you chose didn’t do that, you can run the application directly. The executable file of the installed applications will be in the /usr/bin directory. To start the application, press Alt+F2. The Run Applications dialog box appears.

• Type the name of the application, and if it is a terminal based application check the Run in terminal check box. If you’re not sure, its better to keep it checked. U’l find out which ones are terminal applications and which ones are not very soon. Click Run. And Hurray!! You’ve succeeded in installing software directly from the DVD!

This is the most common method of installing applications and a whole lot of applications are available in this list, and there are a few more types of package files available, which I will talk about after a while. You’ve just got a repository of more than 18000 different packages! Have fun with the Applications.