Translations by billerille

This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AS DESCRIBED IN THE DISCLAIMER.

A copy of the license is available here: <ulink type="help" url="help:/kubuntu/ccbysa.html">Creative Commons ShareAlike License</ulink>.

Canonical Ltd. and members of the Ubuntu Documentation Project

There are several ways to manage your applications in Kubuntu. In order to add or remove applications you need to use a <emphasis>package manager</emphasis>. The following package managers are described in this chapter:

Finally, this chapter explains how to update your system.

Running <application>APT</application> requires administrative privileges.

Some common commands that can be used with <application>APT</application>:

Install packages: <screen>sudo apt-get install <emphasis>packagename</emphasis></screen>

Remove packages: <screen>sudo apt-get remove <emphasis>packagename</emphasis></screen>

Search for packages: <screen>apt-cache search <emphasis>keyword</emphasis></screen>

Retrieve new lists of available packages: <screen>sudo apt-get update</screen>

Upgrade system with available updates: <screen>sudo apt-get dist-upgrade</screen>

List further commands and options: <screen>apt-get help</screen>

For further information about the use of <application>APT</application>, you can read the comprehensive <ulink url="http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#apt-howto">Debian APT User Manual</ulink>.

Manual Installation

Install/Uninstall .deb files

The package files associated with Kubuntu have the <emphasis>.deb</emphasis> suffix because of Kubuntu's close relation to the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. You can download and install individual <emphasis>.deb</emphasis> files. You will need administrative privileges to do this.

To install a .deb file, simply <mousebutton>Left</mousebutton> click on the .deb file to initiate the installation process. You will be prompted for your password in order to gain the necessary privileges.

Convert .rpm files to .deb files

Another type of package files is Red Hat Package Manager Files which have the <emphasis>.rpm</emphasis> suffix. It is not recommended to install these on an Kubuntu system. In almost all cases, a native Kubuntu <emphasis>.deb</emphasis> package is available. However, if absolutely necessary, an <emphasis>.rpm</emphasis> file can be converted to a <emphasis>.deb</emphasis> package using the program <application>alien</application>.

Installation of Alien

When prompted to enter a password, enter your user password and press <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.

Using alien

To remove a repository, select the repository you want to remove and then press the <guibutton>Reset</guibutton> button. Once complete go ahead and press the <guibutton>Close</guibutton> button.

When these updates are available, Kubuntu will inform you with a red warning icon in the system tray. To update your system, click the red button, enter your password and click <guibutton>Fetch List of Updates</guibutton>.

The <application>Adept Updater</application> program will list the available updates: to download and install these updates click <guibutton>Apply Updates</guibutton>. Kubuntu will then download and install the available updates from the Internet.

When <application>Adept Updater</application> has finished updating your system, close the pop-up window by clicking the <guibutton>Quit</guibutton> button.

After installing some important updates, it may be necessary to restart your computer. If so, Kubuntu will inform you with a pop up and an icon in your system tray.