10 Applications You Must Install On Ubuntu 10.10

Whether you have already installed Ubuntu 10.10 , or you are going to, this article will inform you nonetheless about the 10 best applications for the newbie Ubuntu 10.10. From enhancing looks to utilities this article best describes the ten applications that you must install on Ubuntu 10.10 and whats more? You can also follow the simple download and installation instructions and get these 10 best applications on your Ubuntu 10.10  working easily.

The open source Ubuntu community is working hard to make sure that Ubuntu is no longer meant just for geeks to use.  Enhancing the looks of your out of the box Ubuntu system to make it pleasing to the eye, more comfortable to work on, and adding its powers are the priorities. So lets try and make Ubuntu 10.10 a beautiful monster!  by downloading and installing these 10 best applications for Ubuntu 10.10 -

Bisigi Themes 

 This is the collection of most amazing gnome themes available for Ubuntu , makes Ubuntu look more attractive. Once installed, you do not need anything else to make your Ubuntu 10.10 system look more attractive than it ever was.

So what are you waiting for?
Open your Ubuntu 10.10 terminal and copy the following commands,

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bisigi/ppa

After this,

sudo apt-get update

and now install the collection using,

sudo apt-get install bisigi-themes

 After installation completes, go to System -> Preferences -> Appearance and the first look of it makes you amazed. More then a dozen of some beautiful themes that are eagerly waiting to get applied on your desktop!


 Select theme of your choice and enjoy .
Screenshots of some of my favourite themes -

 

After enhancing the looks, what about enhancing  your workstation by installing a really cool launch bar? So here is one of the best launch bar available for your Ubuntu system.

Cairo-dock

If you want to make your launch bar of your Ubuntu system look alluring  then, cairo-dock is undoubtedly the best option. It includes multi-docks, launchers and a lot of useful applets. Infact the most adorable feature is that applets can be detached from the dock to act as desktop widgets.
Now lets install it -
Copy the following commands -

sudo -v
echo "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/cairo-dock-team/ppa/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) main ## Cairo-Dock-PPA-Stable" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys E80D6BF5

Now, update the repository,

sudo apt-get update

And finally install cairo-dock,

sudo apt-get install cairo-dock cairo-dock-plug-ins

After installation, you can launch it from Applications -> System Tools -> Cairo Dock.

Screenshot:

Screenlets

This is another application to make your desktop adorable and the most powerful desktop you had on your Ubuntu system ever before. Screenlets are small owner-drawn applications that can be described as "the virtual representation of things lying/standing around on your desk". Clock, rulers, calendars, gmail, picframes, weather, feed reader, launcher and much much more. I will get tired in telling you the possibilities but they won't end. So better install it yourself and check it out!!!
Copy the following command in you terminal-

sudo apt-get install screenlets

Then to launch it go to Applications -> Accessories -> Screenlets and this will open Screenlets Manager. You can choose your favourite widgets from here and add them to let your Ubuntu system shout - 'I am the most powerful Ubuntu desktop'.

Ubuntu Tweak

Ubuntu Tweak is another powerful application that makes it very easy to configure your Ubuntu system. You do not need to know all the geek to configure Ubuntu. This application provides many useful desktop and system options that the default desktop environment does not provide you with. Weather you are a geek or a regular user configuring Ubuntu with Ubuntu Tweak is what you are going to love!
You can download it from here - http://ubuntu-tweak.com/
Or, you can install this application by the following commands -

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa

Then, run the update command-

sudo apt-get update

Finally, install it using -

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

After installation, go to Applications -> System Tools -> Ubuntu Tweak and as said you no longer need to be a geek to configure your Ubuntu 10.10 system.

Some of the features of this application are -

• Gnome session control

• Window Manager Settings - Felt uncomfortable with window's buttons on left? Then you can change their position with Ubuntu Tweak

 

• Desktop-recovery

Not to forget -

• Login Settings - You can easily cusomize your login screen.

This is not all, they are many more options available, so just download and keep tweaking with just simple clicks.

 Compiz

Compiz is a compositing manager, which means that this great application for your Ubuntu 10.10 enhances the overall user interaction by adding fancy effects to your windows, from drop shadows to awesome desktop effects. Compiz can substitute for the default Metacity in GNOME. Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management.
We will install compiz with SimpleConfig settings manager. 
Follow these simple steps to install Compiz,

sudo apt-get install simple-ccsm compiz-fusion-plugins-extra compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-plugins emerald

  

To launch Simple CompizConfig settings manager, go to System --> Preferences --> SimpleCompizConfig Settings Manager 

You can change animation effects -

To customize desktop-

See the effect of setting appearance to Desktop cube -

VLC Media Player 

If you have been using Ubuntu before then you do not need to know more about VLC. This is the best media player for a linux based system as it plays everything and that means just playing everything on your Ubuntu 10.10 system.  It is a powerful media player which supports and plays almost all of the media codecs and video formats. And whats more, want to play damaged media files? then VLC can do it charmingly for you. Missing or broken pieces wont stop in VLC. All the video and audio information that remains can be played through this powerful media player.

Just one step to go and you can play just everyhting .

Copy the following command in your terminal,

sudo apt-get install vlc            

After installation go to Applications --> Sound & Video --> VLC media player.

Screenshots:                                                       

      

PlayOnLinux

Dont like Ubuntu games? Still have more affinity for window's games? Games is the only reason which making you to switch completely from the Windows to Linux? Then here is a must have application for all game freeks. PlayOnLinux is a powerfull piece of sofware which allows you to easily install and use numerous games and applications designed to run just with Windows. So you just need to install this and in a few minutes you will be able to play your favourite Window's games on Ubuntu .
What are you waiting for, open your terminal and copy the following command -

sudo apt-get install playonlinux

After the installation go to Applications --> Games --> PlayOnLinux .
 Accessories-

 Install games- 

Infact you can install Windows media Player-

And you can also install soul of windows, MS office.

For further installation instructions or documentation visit http://www.playonlinux.com/en/

XBMC

XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media. It is a popular alternative to Microsoft's Windows Media Center and Apple's Front Row. XBMC features several open APIs to enable third-party developers to create capabilities which extend XBMC with a multitude of addons, such as plugins, scripts, skins/themes, visualizations, screensavers, web scrapers, web interfaces, and more. XBMC developers encourages users to make and submit their own addons to add additional content accessible from within XBMC.

Open your terminal and type the following commands to install -

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc

Screenshots:   

FILEZILLA

  FileZilla is free, open source, cross-platform FTP software, consisting of FileZilla Client and FileZilla Server. Filezilla is the best FTP client for Ubuntu just install it and enter some details and there you find yourself transferring files to your remotehost in the best and the mpst powerful way.
You can simply install this application by -

sudo apt-get install filezilla

After installation , you can open it from Applications -->Internet -->FileZilla.
Screenshot:
 

PIDGIN 

 Pidgin is the last application that you need to install on your Ubuntu system. Pidgin is easy to use and free chat client that supports a number of protocols. The innumerable users that it has speaks of its power and usabilty. This amazing application lets you connect to your e-pals on AIM, Googles - Gmail, MSN, Yahoo, and many more chat networks all at once. So just download this application and keep and let talk out your social life with just one application!


 You can either download it from- http://www.pidgin.im/download/
or install it through command terminal -

sudo apt-get install pidgin

After installation you can launch it from Applications -->Internet -->Pidgin Internet Messenger.
Screenshot: