Ubuntu Tutorials

Fresh on the heels of my article outlining How to Install the Latest Firefox Web Browser, this article outlines how to install the Opera Web Browser on Ubuntu.  I will outline how to configure the repository to subscribe to Opera Web Browser updates, install the required packages, and more.

Requirements

Installing the Opera Web Browser using these steps requires that you subscribe to the official Opera Debian repository. This repository will ensure that you are kept up to date with the latest releases as well as security updates. To configure and activate the Opera repository, add the following line to your /etc/apt/sources.list file:

deb http://deb.opera.com/opera/ stable non-free

You’ll also want to import the GPG package signing key, to verify the downloaded packages. Importing the key can be done using the following command:

wget -O - http://deb.opera.com/archive.key | sudo apt-key add -

sudo aptitude update

Installation

Now that you have the Opera repository configured, you can install the latest Opera Web Browser package. Opera provides both 32bit and 64bit releases by way of their official repository. Install the correct architecture for your system using the following commands: (or click the linked package name)

sudo aptitude install opera

Once the package installation is finished you should have a new entry in your Applications menu. Opera Web Browser should be listed under Applications > Internet > Opera.

Troubleshooting

There have been reported issues in the past about Opera Web Browser on Ubuntu loading pages very slowly. If this is the case for you, it may help do Disable ipv6 on your Ubuntu system.

While this and other issues have not been reported by all users, you may be unlucky enough to run into issues. There are additional troubleshooting suggestions on the Ubuntu Opera Troubleshooting Wiki page

I don’t think I’ve blogged much about it here, but I have become a huge fan of Google Chrome (or Chromium) on Linux. Anytime I’ve found the need to use Firefox of late it feels *dog* slow and clunky. Chrome is absolutely faster and I have really enjoyed using it.

You’ve probably heard by now that Google has released a Beta version for Linux as well as Mac, both of which are available on the download site. For the longest time I had been using the PPA or manual builds of Chromium, but now I’m using the Beta and life has become simpler.

Installing Chrome Beta

For those that haven’t tried Chrome yet, I’d invite you to give the Beta a shot. This version has support for user scripts (such as Adblock) as well as bookmark sync. To install the Beta version, visit http://google.com/chrome.

Click on the “Get Google Chrome (Beta)” in the upper-right.

Select the 32bit or 64bit .deb (For Debian/Ubuntu)

Click “Accept and Install”

This will download the .deb package, which you should be able to install without requiring any additional dependencies, using the GtkDebi installer (this should be the default “Open With…” application.

Keeping Updated

In doing some research the other day I found that installing the package above automagically installs the Google repository as well. This will ensure that your package stays updated as Google releases new version of the Beta, and eventually final browser. You don’t need to do anything else to remain updated, simply apply updates as you are prompted and this will also include the Google Chrome Beta browser!

The other day I decided I would try out the Chromium Browser again on Linux. It has been some time since I tried it–the last time it hardly rendered text properly–so I was very happy to see that it has improved significantly! When I say significantly I mean it is now my default browser, and has been for over a week. I don’t believe I have had any crashes (I can’t recall any as I write this), and everything that I expect to work has worked just fine. This includes flash, javascript, tabs, https, etc, etc. I trust it enough to write this post and not crash and lose my progress.

For those that haven’t tried it out yet, I would invite you to do so. I’ve outlined instructions below on how to use the chromium-daily PPA to update and use the latest nightly builds.

Configure PPA

Append the following line to your /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/chromium-daily/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

You can also import the package signing key using the command:

sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com 4E5E17B5

You’ll have to refresh your package list, but then you’ll be able to install the Chromium Browser and you’ll receive updates daily.

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install chromium-browser

Thoughts?

What are your thoughts on Chromium? Do you like it? Is it faster? I’m sure many of you will mention that its lack of plugins as compared to Firefox is holding you back, but that is on the horizon. Let me know what you like and what you don’t like, and if you’ve had as much success as I have.

I just got word that Google has released a Developer Preview for their browser, Google Chrome. I have not had time to test it on my Linux machine yet, but I have installed in on OS X and it is working great so far! There are bugs, of course. The limitations are mentioned at the download page, but overall it has been working like a champ.

I love that Google released a browser, and not just any browser, but a browser that redefines how browsers should work from the bottom up. I also love that Google doesn’t limit this offering to a single operating system, but shares it with everyone. Granted it has been a while since the Windows-only release, but this really shows that they *have* been working on it, and now have something to offer us.

If you’d like to see some basic screenshots (again, I have not tested this on my Linux machine, only OS X) you can visit my other blog. In the meantime, here is a link to the dirty details and downloads.

Early Access Release Channels: Chromium (Google Chrome Downloads)

Enjoy!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about the Flock Browser, and after checking it out today I thought it was time for an update here at Ubuntu Tutorials.  For all of you that are addicted to all of the social networking sites (Digg, Twitter, Facebook, del.icio.us, Flickr, etc) you get an integrated-into-the-browser experience with the Flock Browser.  Follow the steps below and give ‘er a try:

Install Flock Browser v1.2 on Ubuntu 8.04

Unfortunately there are no .deb packages for the Flock Browser so you’ll have to install things manually.  Yes, this’ll require some commands at the terminal.  Yes, I’ll give you cut-and-paste commands.  No, the terminal won’t eat your cat.

1. Download Flock Browser v1.2 and select “Save File” to store it on your Desktop.
2. Open a terminal and run: sudo tar -C /opt -xzvf Desktop/flock-*.tar.gz
3. Create a link to the new browser within your PATH: sudo ln -s /opt/flock/flock /usr/bin/flock-browser
4. Dump the following into a new file: /usr/share/applications/flock.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Flock
Comment=Flock Web Browser
Exec=flock-browser
Icon=/opt/flock/icons/mozicon128.png
StartupNotify=true
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Applications;Network

You should now have a new entry in your Applications menu called “Flock Web Browser” (your menu may need to refresh first).  You can also launch the browser from the terminal using the command:

flock-browser

Enjoy!  Anytime there is a Flock Browser update you should be able to safely repeat steps 1 and 2 and you’re set.