Adding repositories

This is a very basic guideline for installing repositories. Repository is a place where a particular software is kept or maintained. Ubuntu Software Center has loads of softwares for nearly every imaginable use. However you might still need to install additional ones. For those softwares you need to install/add repositories. Repositories are also installed to stay up to date with the very latest versions of softwares.

There are two ways of adding repositories. The graphic (GUI) way and the terminal (CLI) way. I'll discuss both here one after the other.

GUI (Graphic user interface aka graphic method):

Go to System > Administration > Software Sources

Click on the Other Software tab and then click Add.



Then simply type or copy paste the repository you want to add and thats it.

CLI (Command line interface aka terminal method):


Open the Terminal (Accessories > Terminal) and then type the following:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

A new window will open up and there simple copy paste the repository you want to add. Remember that you need to enter the repository name in a separate line or a new line. Hence press Enter from your keyboard before pasting/adding the repository.



Remember to save the file before you exit.

There's another CLI method as well, its a more direct approach.

Go to the Terminal and type out the direct command to add the repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:name of repository

eg. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pcf/miro-releases (installs the official repository for the software Miro)

Tip: Always make sure you update your repositories after adding them. To update your repositories, go to System > Administration > Update Manager and click on Check.



Alternatively, you can go to the Terminal and type sudo apt-get update

Thereafter you can install the software from the Ubuntu Software Center itself or from the Terminal as the case may be (read instructions for that particular software in its documentation or FAQ section).

Update: From Ubuntu 10.10, you can add/edit repositories from the Ubuntu Software Center as well. Go to Ubuntu Software Center, select Edit and Software Sources.

Thats was all about adding repositories in Ubuntu.

Facebook chat from Pidgin and Empathy

This procedure doesnt require you to install any packages. This procedure works perfectly for Pidgin. However if you want to enable facebook chat on Empathy, you will need to install Pidgin first (and then import accounts from there).

Open Pidgin (after installing of course; you can install Pidgin from the Ubuntu Software Center), and go to the Add accounts option (Accounts > Manage Accounts > Add). Now, select the protocol as XMPP, enter your username (mind you this is the username and not the email address), enter the password and select the domain as chat.facebook.com





Next, select the Advanced tab and disable the Require SSL/TLS option. Click on Add to finally activate it.




Thats it, if you're using Pidgin and want to use it as your preferred application. You may not read the rest of the post.

If however you're using Empathy, then keep reading.

After configuring Pidgin, the next time you launch Empathy, you will get a notification similar to this:



Now, simply click on the first option, i.e. Import my accounts details from Pidgin. And then select the accounts you want to import (just follow the on-screen instructions). And thats it.

(Of course adding the other accounts like google talk etc. is very easy on both Pidgin and Empathy. Just a bit of info though, this Empathy configuring which you needed to do, isnt needed at all in 10.04. The version of Empathy in 10.04 already has an option of adding account specifically for facebook.)

(Tip: If you dont get the notification from Empathy about importing accounts, remove all existing accounts from Empathy. The quit and restart Emapthy)