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Downloading programs with one line of code from this magical place called the repository sounds good in theory, but I really feel the need to have my programs somewhere safely stored in some kind of setup.exe format in case I have no access to the internet, or if the repository service goes down.

My newest problem is
sudo apt install adobe-flashplugin
I want to get a version newer than 21.0.0.182 if possible, and save it for the future without having to go through the hassle of enabling fishy repositories.

Isn't there some kind of website with setup.exe (for linux) files that you can save and unpack in your ubuntu 16.10?

Thia
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3 Answers3

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You can enable the Canonical Partners repository, which is not "fishy", and install Flash through the Software app.

As far as getting a newer version than what's in the software repositories, no, there is no quick solution. Apps in the repositories are considered (for the most part) stable. Some "distros" (types of Linux) have newer apps than others, but Ubuntu focuses on stability, so apps might not be the absolute newest versions. This is meant to keep your computer running well, and safely.

Here's how to do what I mentioned step by step:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2016/11/install-adobe-flash-ubuntu

wes
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The file downloaded with apt-get is all you need; it isn't executable, but an archive which you could install at any time.

Once downloaded & installed, this is placed in /var/cache/apt/archives/ so if you need to re-install in future, it's already there & doesn't download a second time.

Nothing stops you saving this folder to, say, a USB stick. You can even place it in /var/cache/apt/archives/ on another computer & apt-get the same files, offline if you like. Or there are other tools to do it directly, dpkg being the obvious.

Mark Williams
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    There's a plot twist: the Adobe Flash packages don't actually contain the Adobe Flash plugin files; they simply retrieve it from Adobe's servers. So even if you have the .deb files offline, if you're without an internet connection it won't help you. – Nick Weinberg Mar 17 '17 at 08:04
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    @NickWeinberg: That's partly obsolete info. The adobe-flashplugin package in Canonical Partner does contain the plugin files. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Mar 17 '17 at 11:14
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To store the packages you download using apt-get:

  • sudo apt-get download <package_name>

Will download, and not install, the package's .deb into the current directory.

As you most likely want to store it somewhere under your $HOME, you dont need sudo with it:

  • cd Desktop
  • apt-get download <package_name>

Later on, you simply need to run the .deb in whichever machine and the package will be installed.

More about apt-get.

For the adobe-flashplugin, you can get a tar for the 24.0.0.221 version from Launchpad.

M. Becerra
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