17.1.1. Installing software
Here is how to install software using
Add/Remove Software
in the GNOME desktop environment.
Click
System > Administration > Add/Remove Software
. This will open the
Add/Remove Software
application.
In the
Search Box
with the binoculars icon, type the name of the application you wish to install. If you are unsure of the specific application you need to install, you can also type keywords in this box, just like you would for an internet search engine.
Next, click the
Find
– The message Querying
appears in the lower left corner.
Zero or more listings will appear that match your search query. Tick the box next to the description of the application or applications you wish to install. The message Downloading repository information
appears in the lower left corner. The window area below the list of packages contains additional information about the selected software.
Select any additional packages to install or remove at this time by changing tick boxes next to the package name.
Finally, click the
Apply
button. This starts the installation process and concurrently installs or removes any additional packages where you modified the tick box. Follow any prompts to install additional packages.
Unless an error is displayed, the application is now installed on your computer.
17.1.2. Removing software
To remove software using
PackageKit
, you should follow the standard installation procedure, but untick boxes beside the programs you wish to uninstall instead of ticking boxes to install new programs.
Click
System > Administration > Add/Remove Software
. This will open the
Add/Remove Software
application.
In the
Search Box
with the binoculars icon, type the name of the application you wish to remove. If you are unsure of the specific application you need to remove, you can also type keywords in this box, just like you would for an internet search engine.
Next, click the
Find
button. The message Querying
appears in the lower left corner.
Zero or more listings will appear that match your search query. Untick the box next to the description of the application or applications you wish to remove.
Software Installed Outside of PackageKit
If the box is already unticked, then the program is probably not already installed. If you are sure that you've selected the right application, but it still appears to not be installed, then it may have been installed using a method other than
PackageKit
. If, for example, the program was compiled and installed from source, then it may not register as installed in
PackageKit
. If this is the case, you will need to find an alternate method of removing it. If it was installed from source, you may find more information in the source distribution's Readme
file.
The message Downloading repository information
appears in the lower left corner. The window area below the list of packages contains additional information about the selected software.
Select any additional packages to install or remove at this time by changing tick boxes next to the package name.
Finally, click the
Apply
button. This starts the removal process and concurrently installs or removes any additional packages where you modified the tick box. Follow any prompts to remove additional packages, such as dependencies that only your newly uninstalled program relied upon.
Unless an error is displayed, the application is now removed from your computer.