Software Center in Ubuntu

Software Center in Ubuntu

The Ubuntu Software Center was replaced by Gnome Software in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. The Ubuntu Software Center was removed from the default install of Ubuntu MATE 15.10.

The look of the old Ubuntu Software Center:

The look of Gnome Software:

In Ubuntu Mate 16.04 and 16.10 you could install the Ubuntu Software Center and it eventually got updated to Gnome Software. Some of you may have noticed after upgrading to Ubuntu Mate 17.04 the Gnome Software disappeared from your menu. However, it may still be installed but not show up in the menu.

You can use the terminal to check your Ubuntu Mate 17.04 to see if it has Ubuntu Software Center or the GNOME Software Center installed. Open the Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and type: ubuntu-software or gnome-software After you press Enter or Return the software center should pop-up on your screen.

The Gnome Software Center appears.

If it does not pop-up on your screen, you can install it multiple ways.

Ways to Install the Gnome Software Center

1.) You can install the Gnome Software Center via the Software Boutique. Open Software Boutique and click the "More Software" icon at the top. When the "Discover More Software" screen appears, click the Install button under the Software option.

You can open the Software Boutique via the Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and typing ubuntu-mate-welcome --boutique or ...

... click on the System menu, Administration, and Software Boutique.

Click the "Install" button to install the Gnome Software Center on your system.

2.) You can install the Gnome Software Center via App Grid. If you have App Grid installed on your system you can search for Software Center and the Gnome Software Center will show up in the list. Click on Gnome Software and you'll be able to install it by clicking on "Install."

App Grid results after searching for "software center":

You can download and install App Grid by going to http://www.appgrid.org/ or open Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy the following commands in the Terminal:

This will install App Grid on your system.

App Grid is a lightweight software center which is considered an alternative to Ubuntu software center. It is very similar to the Ubuntu software center, but works slightly different. App Grid uses same sources which are already added to the system and shows application/updates. There are options to filter applications by categories, installed/pending, name or by top rated.

3.) You can install the Gnome Software Center via the Synaptic Package Manager. To open the Synaptic Package Manager, click on the System menu, Administration, and Synaptic Package Manager.

or type sudo synaptic and press Enter or Return. You will the enter your administrator password.

Synaptic Package Manager will appear.

Search for gnome-software.

Right-click on gnome-software and select "Mark for Installation."

Then click on the Apply button.

If you do not have the Synaptic Package Manager installed, you can install it via the Software Boutique under "More Software" under Software. Click the Install button under Synaptic Package Manager.

Synaptic Package Manager - Install, remove and upgrade software packages. Synaptic is a graphical package management tool based on GTK+ and APT. Synaptic enables you to install, upgrade and remove software packages in a user friendly way.

4.) You can install the Gnome Software Center via the Terminal. Open the Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy the following commands in the Terminal:

or you may need to only reinstall the Gnome Software Center via the Terminal.

Terminal Commands:

sudo apt update

apt-get install -f --reinstall gnome-software

If for some strange reason you install the Gnome Software Center and it doesn't show up in your menu, do the following:

Click on the System menu, Preferences, Look and Feel, and Main Menu.

Click on Administration on the bottom left and then click the "+ New Item" button on the right side.

In the small dialog box enter the following information:

Type: Application

Name: Software

Command: gnome-software

Then click the icon on the left side and chose an icon. I used the following icon below. You can right-click and save the icon on your computer and use it for the icon.

After assigning an icon you will be ready to press the "Close" button and it should Appear in the menu under System, Administration, and Software.

Lubuntu Software Center

Lubuntu Software Center is available for anyone who is reluctant to use Synaptic and runs old hardware. It doesn't consume a lot resources and is quite user friendly.You can install the Lubuntu Software Center via the Terminal. Open the Terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T) and copy the following commands in the Terminal:

Terminal Commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install lubuntu-software-center

Installing via Terminal

Installing from terminal can be done in several ways:

APT You can search for an application. The command to search for software is:

Terminal Commands:

apt-cache search <application_name>

Adding Repositories:

Edit the sources list file, and add

Terminal Commands:

sudo -H gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Or add from terminal

For more information on installing programs using the Terminal:

How-To Geek: How to Use Apt-Get to Install Programs in Ubuntu from the Command Line

Others ways you can install

If you are using Ubuntu or Ubuntu Mate you can manual download a .deb (Debian package):

Once downloaded, you can double-click on the package to have it open in the Software Center, from where you can install it.

Or, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open Terminal. When it opens, navigate to the download location, and run the command(s) below:

Terminal Commands:

sudo dpkg -i <package_name>.deb

GNU is a Unix-like operating system that is free software—it respects your freedom. You can install Linux-based versions of GNU which are entirely free software. The GNU System provides a collection of applications, libraries, and developer tools, plus a program to allocate resources and talk to the hardware.

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