"I regularly sit in the #ubuntu channel on the Freenode network helping folks with Ubuntu issues. One of the things I see people often doing is attempting to install software from source before researching easier installation methods.
"The proper steps for software installation on Ubuntu, in my opinion, are as follows:
"Step 1
"Search the Ubuntu software repositories (known as repos). The Ubuntu repos are huge and there's a good chance that the app you're looking for is already packaged for use in Ubuntu. It's important to note here that it's best to install software from the repos which are meant for your version of Ubuntu. Mixing release packages (using Jaunty repos in Karmic) or distros (using debian repos in Ubuntu) can cause problems on your system, so stick with the proper repos. If you're unsure as to which version of Ubuntu you are using, run lsb_release -a in a terminal."
