Getting Started with Linux Fundamentals
Abstract
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Obtain and install software from official repositories and other sources. |
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Open source software can be compiled directly from source code. However, building software is a time-consuming process and requires considerable expertise. Staying up-to-date with security patches requires you to recompile software, which is an administrative burden. Software applications for Linux are typically distributed as prebuilt packages that are much more convenient for users to install.
Several distribution-specific packaging formats are available. The packaging format used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux and derivative distributions is Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). An RPM package is a compressed archive that might contain several files and directories. Every package is cryptographically signed to enable verification.
Linux distributions gather related software into a central location, called a repository, to make the installation of applications more convenient for users. An online repository is a shared directory on a server, which a user connects to over the internet by using an application or command known as a package manager. During installation, the extracted files are deployed into specific directories and also registered into an internal database. The package manager keeps track of all package installation or removal.
On the GNOME desktop, you access software repositories through the Software application. Launch the Software application from the and click on the welcome screen to continue.
By using the three tabs along the top of the Software window, you can access the application's core functions:
Explore: Find and read about applications that are not installed on your system.
Installed: List the applications that are installed on your system.
Updates: List all the updates that are available for all installed applications.
Use the icon in the upper left corner of the main screen to search for an application by name or by a descriptive keyword.
You do not need to know the name of an application to find an application that serves a specific purpose. The tab of GNOME Software includes categories and featured applications to help you locate the proper software type. For example, the category contains text editors for coding languages and frameworks, and the category contains applications that are suited for office and creative tasks.
After you click a category or into the detail screen of an application, use the icon in the upper left of the Software window to return to the main screen.
Click the application name to view its description.
To install an application, click in the upper right of the Software window.
After you install an application, click to launch it. Alternatively, you can close GNOME Software and launch the application from the as usual.
Click the tab to view all desktop applications that are currently installed on your Linux system. You can click the name of the application to read about it, or click to remove it from your system.
GNOME Software only lists desktop applications that are installed from a repository.
Applications that are installed from a downloaded rpm package, or that are compiled and installed from a source archive, are not listed.
Because desktop software is managed in repositories, GNOME Software gets an alert when an update for an installed application is available. Click the tab to view all installed desktop applications that have updates available.
Most updates performed in GNOME Software require a restart. If you have other applications open, then save your work and close them so that your computer can safely restart.
When you are ready to update, click to begin.
References
For further documentation about GNOME Software, refer to the Installing Software in GNOME section from the Administering the System Using the GNOME Desktop guide at https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/administering_the_system_using_the_gnome_desktop_environment/assembly_installing-software-in-gnome_administering-the-system-using-the-gnome-desktop-environment
For more information, refer to How to Install Software Applications on Linux at https://opensource.com/article/18/1/how-install-apps-linux
For more information, refer to A Guide to Installing Applications on Linux at https://opensource.com/article/22/2/installing-applications-desktop-linux