By default, Ubuntu comes with a minimal support for media files. In order to play various media formats or manipulate video files, install the following multimedia applications:
- VLC
- Smplayer
- Audacious
- QMMP
- Mixxx
- XBMC
- Handbrake
- Openshot
Use the following command line to install all with one shot:
Install Media Players
Media Player Playlist
Besides this multimedia players also install ubuntu-restricted-extras and Java support packages in order to decode and support other restricted media formats.
If you are a photography enthusiast and you want to handle and manipulate images on Ubuntu, probably you want to install the following imaging programs:
- GIMP (alternative for Adobe Photoshop)
- Darktable
- Rawtherapee
- Pinta
- Shotwell
- Inkscape (alternative for Adobe Illustrator)
- Digikam
- Cheese
This applications can be installed from Ubuntu Software Center or all at once by using the following command line on Terminal:
To install Viber application on Ubuntu visit [Viber official webpage][1], download the Debian package locally and install the viber.deb application using Gdebi package manager (left click – > Open with -> GDebi Package Installer).
Wine emulator allows you to install and run Windows applications on Linux. On the other hand, Steam is a popular gaming platform for Linux based systems developed by Valve. To install both of them on your machine issue the following command on Terminal or use Ubuntu Software Center.
Cairo-Dock is a beautiful and flexible launcher bar for Linux desktops similar to the Mac OS X dock. To install it on Ubuntu, run the following command on Terminal.
To activate the Desktop Cube effect, search for ccsm on Dash, open CompizConfig Settings Manager, go to General Options – > Desktop Size and set Horizontal Virtual Size value to 4 and Vertical Virtual Size to 1. Then go back and check Desktop Cube (Disable Desktop Wall) and Rotate Cube boxes (Resolve Conflicts ->Disable Switch to Viewport 1) and press Ctrl+Alt+Left Mouse Click to view the cube effect.
Ubuntu 15.04 comes by default with Mozilla Firefox Web Browser. To install other browsers such as Google Chrome or Opera, visit their official web pages, download the provided .deb packages and install them on your system using the Gdebi Package Installer.
Another interesting tweak tool is represented by the Ubuntu Tweak package which can be obtained and installed by visiting the webpage: [http://ubuntu-tweak.com/][2].
Tweak Tool: System Information
After you have installed all this bunch of software, you might want to clean your system in order to free some space on the hard drive, by issuing the following commands:
$ sudo apt-get -y autoremove
$ sudo apt-get -y autoclean
$ sudo apt-get -y clean
This are just a few tweaks and programs that an average user might install and use on Ubuntu 15.04 Desktop for daily basic utilization. For more advanced programs, features and utilities use Ubuntu Software Center or consult Ubuntu Wiki webpage.
