Ubuntu – Why does Eclipse’s “Check for updates” not work

The best solution is to become root using su or by logging in as the root user from the start, if you have that ability (Ubuntu users don't, unless they fixed that defect). Anyhow, once you are root, do a chown -R user:group to the path for your eclipse installation.

Then your regular user should be able to install plugins. In the future, do not install eclipse as the root user. Root can still use eclipse when another user installs it and owns it.

How to install Eclipse Juno WITHOUT the need to change permissions

1. First, remove all previous versions of Eclipse. If you would like: save your /workspace directory (cut and post the entire directory into your ~/
2. Download Eclipse from their official website (I used "eclipse-mobile-juno-linux-gtk-x86_64.tar.gz")
   But like was stated earlier, make sure that you have 32 and/or 64 bit versions of java available to match your Eclipse install. (I have BOTH openjdk-6 and -7-jre installed from Synaptic Package Manager)
   • You can add package pieces later if the eclipse-mobile installation doesn't contain everything you want. For example, Linux Tools here.
   • Other package instructions are available from the download page, via the links on the left.
3. To avoid permissions issues, I unpacked it to ~/bin and archive manager put Eclipse into its own 'eclipse' subdirectory there.
4. Download the Android SDK, and so that future upgrades of Eclipse and Ubuntu don't break it, unpack it to ~/bin/eclipse/dropins.
5. Developer.android.com instructs you to:

   On Mac or Linux, open a terminal and navigate to the tools/ directory in the Android SDK, then execute android sdk.
   

6. However, when I downloaded the linux version of Android SDK, there was no file "android sdk."
7. Instead, navigate to to the tools path (in my case ~/bin/eclipse/dropins/android-sdk-linux/tools) and [right-click] on "android" to change its properties to executable.
   
   
8. Now you can double-click to run android, and download the packages you like.
   • Since everything is in your home directory, you don't need to modify your PATH environment variable (as per the developer instructions).
9. Download and install the ADT plugin from http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing/installing-adt.html as per the normal instructions.
   • Configure the plugin with the path used, in this example /home/clayton/bin/eclipse/dropins/android-sdk-linux
   • If you want to install more packages from step-8 after step-9, from the Eclipse drop-down menu choose Window > Android SDK Manager
10. Navigate to ~/bin/eclipse and make sure you mark "eclipse" as executable as well (see step 7 for a refresher). [Right-click] and [Make link]. Move this shortcut to the desktop.
    • I went to the extra step of changing the icon for eclipse to the provided "icon.xpm" in the same subdirectory.
11. From step 1, move your "workspace" directory...or don't. But specify it as your application workspace in the dialog and you'll be able to import any existing projects with ease (those instructions would be for a different Q&A).