Ubuntu – ny simple way to access installed programs

unity-dash

Just installed Ubuntu for the first time… Is there any simple way to browse installed programs?

On Mac there is the Applications top-level folder… here I see Desktop, Documents, Downloads etc but no Apps? That'd be a good idea, no? (is there some way to create this myself?)

On Windows there is the Start menu…

Here it seems like I have to click the 'Dash Home' and then I can see 'Recent Apps' … I can search for them (I'd rather not)

…or I can click the ruler/pencil icon at the bottom and see 'Recent Apps' and click to expand 'Installed Apps' …ok that's all of them – is it possible to get a straight list view instead of the hard-to-scan wrapped rows?

Also, is there any way to get rid of the pointless random selection of 'Apps available for download' at the bottom?

Best Answer

Just like "Applications" on the Mac, you could browse "/usr/share/applications"

The best way to get there is open "Home Folder" or "Files" from the dash, press '/' and type '/usr/share/applications'. I guess you could make a bookmark there by pressing ctrl-D.

Content of /usr/share/applications

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – way I can block a folder from Gnome and/or Unity search

OK, so; I formatted my HDD again, just to start from scratch again. Here's the whole story:

After successfully installing Ubuntu 11.10 i386 on my Lenovo T400 ThinkPad;

Install dependencies (needed for Google Chrome and Gnome Shell)
```
sudo apt-get -f install
```
Install Gnome Shell
```
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell
```
Install Gnome Tweak Tool
```
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool
```
Once installed, it should show up as "Advanced Settings" in the menu.
Optional Install Gnome Contacts

Note: not included in Ubuntu, but somehow shows some contacts in DASH as search results; but won't open anything when clicked, unless you install this.
```
sudo apt-get install gnome-contacts
```
Optional Install Gnome Sushi (a MacOS X'-ish spacebar file previewer)
```
sudo apt-get install gnome-sushi
```

Here's the important part, as of now, if I dare search "hard"... I'll get a mixed bag from hardware apps to other kind of hard stuff I wouldn't want to be shown in there.

So, let's install Activity Log Manager:

Install Activity Log Manager

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:zeitgeist/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install activity-log-manager

After this, I added "the folder" to the "pseudo-blacklist", and no luck. That's because this would only block it out of the Activity Log. Not Dash, and not search.

Install Activity Journal

This one is nothing but the GUI for Zeitgeist.

At this point; nothing has happened. Dash still shows whatever I'd browsed before, and whatever I browse now, will show.

Remove the "recently used" file, and turn it into a folder (right?)

rm ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel
mkdir ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel

After this last step; Dash won't shoe your previously browsed files, and, won't show your new browes files, plus, activity log manager won't be tracking whatever you set it to. No more "Recently opened" section in Dash, and now the beautiful Activity Journal will actually be useful!

Done! This actually worked for me, at least has until now (just a couple of hours), hopefully, it'll stay that way. If it stops working, I suppose I'll let you know.

Apparently, Sean Houlihane was right, thanks man.

Ubuntu – How to remove folder shortcuts from Dash files

Different shortcuts

The bookmarks you see in the Nautilus launcher are divided into different sections. Some are stored in the nautilus.desktop file (static section), others are added automatically from the file ~/.config/gtk-3.0/bookmarks.
The last file is automatically edited and updated if you add bookmarks via the (nautilus) bookmarks menu.

The "Open a new Window" shortcut

This one is part of the static section. To get rid of it, you will have to edit the nautilus.desktop file:

First copy the file nautilus.desktop to your local directory (~/.local/share/applications):

cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/nautilus.desktop

Open the local copy with gedit; drag it over an opened gedit window or run:
```
gedit ~/.local/share/applications/nautilus.desktop
```
Find the line, starting with:
```
Actions=
```
remove the string Window;

remove the referring shortcut section:

[Desktop Action Window]
Name=Open a New Window
Exec=nautilus --new-window
OnlyShowIn=Unity;

Save and close the file, log out and back in

The other shortcuts in your example

The other shortcuts in your example are automatically added from the file: ~/.config/gtk-3.0/bookmarks. You can remove those links in two ways:

via GUI: Open Nautilus, from the menu, choose "Bookmarks". Remove the bookmarks you'd like to get rid of.
ALternatively: edit the file : ~/.config/gtk-3.0/bookmarks; remove the referring line(s).