10 essential Ubuntu apps

Evan Gower March 18, 2011

There’s a host of excellent software available for Ubuntu – we pick the top 10 to help you get started watching video, following Twitter, editing photos and more.

BOXEE

One of the biggest omissions from Ubuntu 10.10 is a built-in alternative to Windows Media Center. Step forward Boxee, the free software package that turns your PC into an internet TV set-top box.

With access to the entire Channel 4 television archive, as well as apps for the BBC iPlayer, YouTube and others, Boxee users are never short of things to watch. The software also streams video, music and photos from other PCs in the home.

TWEETDECK

Ubuntu’s Me Menu delivers updates from your Twitter and Facebook accounts on the desktop, but we find it a little clunky. We much prefer the TweetDeck client, which can be used to update both Twitter and Facebook feeds simultaneously, and is an excellent means of monitoring the latest updates from your social networks.

You’ll need to install the Adobe AIR software first, though.

GOOGLE PICASA

It’s officially only in beta at the time of publication, and it doesn’t appear in the Ubuntu Software Centre, but Picasa 3 is the best photo editing/organising app we’ve found for Linux to date.

Its intuitive, non-destructive editing tools are married with handy features, such as one-click uploads to the online Google Albums and impressive-looking collages.

DOCKY

It isn’t only Windows users who are tempted by the charms of Ubuntu: Mac owners might also fancy a change. Those not wanting to leave all of Apple’s UI behind should install Docky, a tribute to the Dock found at the foot of Mac OS X.

Favourite apps can be pinned to the Dock, and there’s a variety of different Dock style to choose from, with attractive transparency and 3D effects for PCs with the graphical grunt.

DROPBOX

If you have essential files you want to share with another Windows PC or Mac, there’s no easier way to do it than with Dropbox.

This clever tool not only keeps a perfectly synchronised copy of files on each PC, it also uploads them to the cloud, giving you remote access to your documents from any web browser.

A recent revamp has boosted the performance of the software too.

VLC

VLC not only plays practically any type of video or audio file that you can throw at it, it does so with minimal drain on your system resources.

If you’re struggling to get HD video playing on your netbook, for example, VLC often succeeds where other applications leave frames dropping all over the place. It’s also the quickest way to get commercial DVDs playing smoothly on your Ubuntu computer.

SCRIBUS

Scribus offers a full-blown desktop publishing alternative to packages such as Adobe’s InDesign, which many people struggle to run even with Wine.

Scribus “blew away” our in-house open-source experts, Ian Wrigley and Simon Brock, with its range of features, offering “all the tools you’ll need for drawing shapes, text frames, image frames and more”.

FILEZILLA

Website developers or anyone who regularly uploads files to an FTP server should look no further than FileZilla.

The software’s no-fuss interface makes uploading single files or batches a doddle, and the option to save profiles for different FTP servers is a boon for those who work across multiple sites.

The option to juggle a queue of large files is also a bonus for anyone struggling on a slow connection.

BANSHEE

The Rhythmbox app in Ubuntu 10.10 is no mean media player, but Banshee is set to replace it as the preinstalled player in version 11.04.

Aside from handling the playback of your music, video and podcasts, Banshee also acts as an audiobook and internet radio player – although you can’t search for new stations. Banshee can also be used to sync music with MP3 players.

GOOGLE CHROME

Firefox is the default browser that ships with Ubuntu 10.10, but for our money Google Chrome offers a leaner, more streamlined experience.

The browser synchronisation feature imports the bookmarks, browsing history, extensions and themes from your Windows browser, saving you from the chore of manually importing them over. Multiple extensions don’t hamper browser speed, either.