Essential Ubuntu Apps

This is the distilled version of Lifehacker's recent Top 10 Ubuntu apps.

• Yakuake yakuake.kde.org

A handy console app, just hit F12 (or what ever key you configure the shortcut to) and a console drops down from the screen top aka Quake style.

sudo apt-get install yakuake

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• Gnome DO do.davebsd.com
  

Great keystroke launcher, has loads of plugins (such as google contacts, google docs etc) and can index a small (<3000)>$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.listpaste this text to the end of the file and save

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/do-core/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

add the keys

$ gpg --no-default-keyring --keyring /tmp/gnome-do.keyring --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv A5D19FDCAA6ABB440CD3464628A8205077558DD0
$ gpg --no-default-keyring --keyring /tmp/gnome-do.keyring --export --armor  A5D19FDCAA6ABB440CD3464628A8205077558DD0 | sudo apt-key add -
$ rm /tmp/gnome-do.keyring

then install it

$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gnome-do

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• Ubuntu Tweak ubuntu-tweak.com

Handy GUI with loads of settings that you would have otherwise never known about.

$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

That's it for now, they are all very handy.. whats next?

• Still waiting for S-Video out support for my ATI graphics card.. fglrx is not an option at the moment
• Testing out open office to be sure I know how to use all the features I used to use in MS office before making the big switch.. TOCs in text citations etc
• Might have to test out a windows emulator just incase.. looking at Wine winehq.org or VirtualBox virtualbox.org