Configuring Software Repositories
Ubuntu uses software repositories to get information about available software
that can be installed on your system. Ubuntu is based on a much older Linux
distribution called Debian. Debian has access to tens of thousands of different
packages, which means that Ubuntu has access to these packages, too. The
Debian packages are made available in Ubuntu’s Universe repository. A set of
volunteers called Masters of the Universe (MOTUs) are well trained and
follow strict guidelines to package software and make even more packages
available to Ubuntu users in the Universe repository. (See Chapter 42,
“Helping with Ubuntu Development,” for more about the MOTUs and how
you can become one of them.) The Universe repository is filled with optional
and often useful or fun software; it is enabled by default, along with other
official repositories containing software necessary for Ubuntu to be installed
and run in all its various official forms, security updates, and software
updates.
You can adjust which repositories are enabled using the Software & Updates
GUI tool, available in Software Updater by clicking Settings. On the first tab
(Ubuntu Software), you have five options to choose from. The default settings
are shown in Figure 1.7. It is entirely up to you which options you check but
make sure that at least the first check box is selected to allow you access to
Canonical-supported open source software, which includes all the packages
necessary for a basic Ubuntu installation and a few more that are commonly
used. (Canonical is the company the funds much of Ubuntu development.)
The more boxes you check, the wider your selection of software. It’s also a
good idea to make sure that the Proprietary Drivers for Devices box is
checked so that you can benefit from drivers that might enhance your
system’s performance.