Linux software, like Ubuntu, is available in many formats: DEB packages, AppImage, Flatpak Snap… there are so many formats available that even Linus Torvalds has complained that you would like Linux to be more like Android, in the sense that for Google's mobile operating system only APK files exist. But in this article we are not going to assess the different formats in which we can install software, but rather in the Ubuntu repositories, where all we will find will be the "APT" versions.
For Ubuntu in particular there is six types from repositories: Main, Universe, Multiverse, Restricted, Partner and third-party repositories. Each of them has a reason for being and, as usual, we only have the "Main" repository added / activated by default. The rest of them we will have to activate (sometimes) manually, like the Multiverse, or add them on our own, like third-party repositories. In this article we will explain everything you need to know.
The six Ubuntu types / repositories
1-Main
"Main" means "main" and as such is the Ubuntu main repository. The "Main" repository is enabled by default and contains only free and open source software or "FOSS" for its acronym in English (Free and Open Source Software). All software offered by "Main" can be distributed freely and without restrictions.
What we will find in this repository is fully supported by Ubuntu developers and it is Ubuntu (Canonical) itself who provides the security updates until they reach the end of their life cycle. For example, in this repository we find the multimedia player that is installed by default in Ubuntu, the famous Rhythmbox.
2-Universe
Like "Main", "Universe" also offers "FOSS". The difference is that in this repository it is not Ubuntu who guarantees regular security updates, but it is the community that is in charge of its support. It is activated by default, but not always. Some operating systems have it disabled by default and we may have to enable it if we are running a Live Session. If we don't have it added, we can do it with this command:
sudo add-apt-repository universe
What do we find in "Universe"? I would say that most of the software that is worth it, among what we have VLC or OpenShot.
3- Multiverse
From here come the Ubuntu repositories with less freedom. "Multiverse" contains software that is no longer FOSS and Ubuntu cannot activate this repository by default due to licensing and legal issues. On the other hand, it also cannot provide patches and updates. With this in mind, we have to assess whether we add it or not, something that we can do with this command:
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
4-Restricted
In the Ubuntu repositories we can find free and open source software, but this is not possible when it comes to something related to hardware. In the repositories "Restricted" we will find driverssuch as those on graphics cards, touch panels, or network cards.
sudo add-apt-repository restricted
5-Partner
This repository contains proprietary software compiled by Ubuntu from its partners.
6- Third-party Ubuntu repositories
Lastly, we have the third-party repositories. Ubuntu tries to always offer the best user experience and that is one of the reasons why it rejects certain software. There are also developers who prefer to have full control over what they offer and for that reason they create their own repositories. In third-party repositories we can find software like PulseEffects o Shutter (the latter no longer works due to a problem with dependencies).
The command to add a third-party repository will depend on the repository itself, but all are added with the command "sudo add-apt-repository" followed by the repository in question.
Activate Ubuntu repositories in the simplest way
The easiest way to activate or deactivate the different Ubuntu repositories and derivatives is from "Software and updates". In Ubuntu (standard) we can access your application directly from the applications menu or by pressing META (the key with the Windows symbol) and doing a search. If we use other distributions, it will depend on the version; Kubuntu hides the equivalent in Discover / Sources / Software Sources (Yes, it is in English ...) where we will have 6 tabs of which the first two interest us: "Ubuntu Software" and "Other Software".
In the first tab we have Main, Universe, Restricted and Multiverse available and a brief explanation of what each one includes. In the second we have the repositories of the partners (partners) and all those of third parties that we have added.
And that's it. Six types of repositories to find all the software we may need.
Hi, there are double source cd from bacports
salu2
Yes, all this is fine, but at work I use Ubuntu 18, and here at home Linux Mint LTS, 19 xfce.
Do you know any way to add reliable Firefox repositories of the latest version, because everything I looked for or knew how to find updates to version 67, nor in SYNAPTIC, as of today there is version 68. I am talking about Linux Mint. Perform the usual steps from console
Thanks. As always: great job!
The initiates (and some of us who comb gray hair but we have more modest motorization), we depend on these supportive companions.
Those of us who receive these free benefits, at least, if we add explicit recognition (and some clicks on ads) we contribute modestly and it returns us once again in the benefit of the search of these pages.