Pearls of the Ubuntu Repository

Open up the “Add/Remove programs” section of the Ubuntu Applications menu and you’ll be greeted with a daunting array of programs to download.  Luckily(!) they all have vague descriptions of what they are, but I’ll give you a run down of some of the good ones.

….In Graphics….

Flickr Uploader – Got a flickr account?  This is pretty obvious..

QTPFSGUI – Not the most catchy name I’ve ever seen, but this is a useful tool for creating HDR images

Rawstudio – This will let you adjust the settings for any RAW images you’ve taken, including adjusting the exposure level.  You can export them as enormous TIFF files if you are so inclined.

…In Internet…

Deluge Bit-torrent client – Probably the best bit-torrent app available. Reminds me of U-torrent (Windows) in many ways.  Essential for getting new linux distro’s as they appear.

X-chat – an IRC client that is easy to use – perfect for getting real-time linux support, although not so useful if your problem involves your internet connection…

…In Sound & Video…

Hydrogen – feed the drummer in you with this funky drum machine – essential for any musician who needs to keep time or is fed up of trying to keep their band’s drummer interested.

Amarok – this is a KDE app, so you may need to download some extra libraries to get it working but so far it is the best music player I’ve found.  It works with an ipod if you have one, downloads podcasts and manages your music as well.

…In system tools…

NTFS Configuration tool – allows you to auto-mount NTFS drives, such as the ones you use with Windows…a great time-saver.

…in Games…

Pingus! – This will appear after you’ve added the Medibuntu repository to your software sources list, but its a great Lemmings clone, but with penguins rather than lemmings.  It also has a level editor, for the budding modder in you.

The Medibuntu Repository

The first thing to do when you have finished setting up your new Ubuntu installation is to add the Medibuntu repository.  The “official” guide on how to do it is here

Within it you’ll find the codecs you need for all the popular media formats, such as MP3, DivX etc as well as Google Earth and Skype etc

The reason why they are not included by default is because Ubuntu is open source through and through and some of these codecs as well as Google Earth and Skype are not!  As the website says, they’ve been left out for “legal” reasons.  They’re not illegal to use though and are very useful, so go get them!

There are different command lines for different versions of Ubuntu and different ones again for 32bit & 64 bit and I’m not patient enough to paste them all in here!