GDebi did not work for me:

"The Open with GDebi Package Installer (default) option does not work here for some strange reason, it gives back an error. "

If you're "refuse" to run Linux then why are you trolling through Linux boards?

Really these Fanboy's make for really annoying trolls you know 

You don't need to use the command line.  To install the downloaded deb from the GUI.  Go to Places -> Desktop.  Right click on the downloaded deb package and choose  "Open with GDebi Package Installer"

For people that have been using an OS for a long time, they sometimes use what they first learned.  That is very common.  That's why I still use a command line for most things when I am forced to use Windows.  

So I don't think it is fair to criticize a person who put their free time into creating a free howto.  Next time, you could ask "is there a way to do this without using the command line.  I'm not comfortable with the command line."

Well in general that's Unix for you. Remember, Unix was never designed as a desktop operating system. So far the only people out there who have managed to make a true user-friendly Unix derivative are Apple. So if you want to run Unix, but don't want to deal with the command line, run OS X.

The use of the terminal is not required. However, as you saw, this article chose to use three lines to do the work of 20 clicks. But, if you don't want to copy and paste the three lines of commands simply start clicking.

 The biggest joke of all is that while people like you complain about Linux and the command line, Microsoft is hard at work adding command shells to Windows.

Windows Vista and Server 2008 have countless command line tools added including Windows Power Shell. The upcoming Windows 7 will also have a lot more reliance on Power Shell. Exchange 2007 is completely non-functional without its own Power Shell.

You don't have to.

Everything done in this tutorial can be done with the mouse, but the terminal is just a far better way of writing tutorials/help guides.

If I tell you what to click on it will be confuzing and if you are running a slightly different system you could get lost.

With the terminal you can just paste in the commands and it will get done.

Maybe you should stop being so damned ignorant, just because it has an extra, more efficient feature, that does not make it any less of an OS

Everything could be done without using the terminal. It's the standard way of writing guides, because there are so many window managers and stuff like that. Making a separate guide for all combinations would waste a lot of time. Just copy pasting those commands to the terminal does not only work for everybody, it's also by far the fastest way of doing it.

Hahahaha....

You just double click on .deb file and will install like in Windowsh.. ( like doubleclick on .exe)  and after r.click on .deb file and "MOVE TO TRASH".Easy !

If Linux offers nothing that Windows or Mac does not besides the "all glorious" Open Source (which frankly is a bit of a joke when you examine how little cohesion the little societies have, forking after the slightest argument and refusing to form standards).

 When Linux gets that "killer app" that's as usable as it is efficient, I'll have probably woken up by then.

Linux is a noble effort but it is by no means ready and will not be until someone steps up who knows how people think and MAKES it usable -- And Linux massocists are content to keep their OS annoying and difficult to use if it drives us "heathens" away.

 No, honestly?
 It is a FANTASTIC server OS. It's rock solid, reliable, efficient, fast, very well supported. Everything you could ever want. Now it's just a case of playing catchup and when the kids take their hands off their spinny hats, off their genitalia and away from their noses and get serious, Linux sill blossom.

The bottom line is that Linux needs to GET serious. 

Quite honestly, this is the perfect demonstration of why the two schools will never cooperate:  On the one hand, you have the Windows fanatics that refuse to put forth any effort to learn how to utilize the true power of Linux.  On the other hand, you have the Linux fanatics that refuse to understand that the vast majority of civilization (led by the 'good ol' US of A) has become so lazy and dependent upon convenience that in order to sell them ANYTHING, you need to make it "automagic" in every conceivable way.

In short, Linux biggest obstacle is that distro developers cannot seem to grasp that any windows user can sit down in front of any windows box, and do what they know how to do; it's consistent.  MS's biggest obstacle is that they are so busy making everything convenient and automated, and being "first to market" that they can never seem to release a finished product, releasing and patching constantly.  Linux patches for greater stability and functionality.  Windows patches because they have to.

I, personally, use both.  I am a junior system administrator under Windows (AD environment), and I am learning Linux by choice.  Linux can do what Windows can't seem to do: release a stable distro, and NOT before it's ready.  Windows excels in what Linux can't seem to grasp: In order to make something widespread, you must (ABSOLUTELY MUST) cater to the lazy.

 Quite frankly, the use of one or the other is a choice.  Open source has produced in great stride, in recent years.  Windows is entrenched.  Mac is not what it used to be.  To the Windows fanboys: If you refuse to use Linux, you are only limiting yourself.  Narrow minds often speak loudly.  To the Linux fanboys: Staunch adherence to dogmatic practices will keep you in the Catholic dark ages.  Either way, it is simply a choice, and neither side will convince the other until both side learn to speak AND listen.

 Good luck to all of you.

Sterling Dragon

I guess if you torrent one of those customized Windows CDs, it might be ready out of the box. But the basic Windows you can buy from the shop doesn't get even near the functionality of a fresh Linux install. Almost every Linux distribution comes with an office suite, media player, CD/DVD burning software, advanced web-browser, an image-manipulator... not to mention security ;) 

Every time you (re)install Windows, you need to fetch almost 30 excecutables from around the net and install(+reboot) them one at a time...

Wow this must be one of these half positive but mostly negative comments that are designed to off put any enthusiasm that might exist in linux, the fact is that these days you don't need to use the terminal.

Another fact to consider is if you want to use the command line, its a stack load better than anything that come out of Redmond.

Please stop making such silly and useless posts because they're really just obfuscating the truth. the fact is that my 71 year old father and 69 year old mother use linux and benefit from the lack of viruses and faster performance over XP/Vista.

your command line comment was relevant 2-5 years ago, but totally irrelevant today.

I'm a happy Free and Open Source Software user and have been for years.

In the context of this tutorial one doesn't have to use Terminal; you could just as easily browse to the .DEB file using Nautilus (i.e. the Ubuntu equivalent of Explorer/Finder) and double click on the file.

True, but then for advanced configuration in windows XP I have to open C:windowssystem32, right click gpedit, click run as, enter the admin password, track down the Internet Explorer settings and then set the proxy settings up so they're global and unchangeable. Oops, but then there's a problem because Windows Update doesn't use those proxy settings so I have to open a command prompt and run "proxycfg -p 192.168.2.1:3128". Then of course I have to add the same settings to McAfee because the proxycfg confuses it.

All this to do something I can do by executing

http_proxy="192.168.2.1:3128

export http_proxy

in a terminal on Linux.  As you say, going to a terminal is a pain but GPedit and the convoluted cryptic mess that is Regedit don't make "Advanced" configuration on Windows any simpler really, assuming you know what you're doing.

As long certain companies like adobe,  microsoft, gaming studios etc. - with software used by specific groups (designers, office, gamers)  - don't feel like making there software useable out-of-the-box for linux then there will always be a need for software like wine/crossover.

It's the companies above that don't want to get a linux workforce ($$$) to do the job... so 3rd party software developers (wine/crossover) make a workaround for it.

I also have installed office 2007 on the latest version of crossover for linux, but it is far from stable. It certainly doesn't work "perfectly" in fact many things don't work (outlook) and when they do they crash regularly (word) Wine is nice for some things, it usually supports software that is older quite well, but it's not something you want to trust anything you don't want to lose to.