The Ubuntu Software Center is the most common way to install and uninstall programs in Ubuntu. You can find the Ubuntu Software Center in the Applications Menu, or the Unity Sidebar and program launcher search by typing in “Ubuntu Software Center” in Ubuntu 11.04 and above.
In Ubuntu 11.10 there are also user reviews on programs, so you know other people’s opinions of the programs before you install it on Ubuntu.
The Ubuntu Software Center is very well organized, so finding the type of program you want to install on your computer is fast, and there is also a search engine on the top right.
Once you find the software in the Ubuntu Software Center, you click it with your mouse, and hit the install button on the right. You’ll be ask to type in your password, and hit OK. Wait for the program to install.
For more advance users, you can use the Synaptic Package Manager which is like a more basoc version of Ubuntu Software Center, and Terminal command prompt to install programs to install programs by entering text based comands.
Ubuntu uses the Gdebi installer programs to install .deb debian packages, but newer versions of Ubuntu uses the Ubuntu Software center to also install .deb debian packages.
WineHQ is also a well known software you can download and install from the Ubuntu Software Center. Wine lets you install, and run Windows software, and games within Ubuntu Linux by using WineHQ to open the .exe or .MSI Executable Installer Files with it.
There are also some programs in Ubuntu which you need to execute a text file/executable file in a extracted folder to install or run a program in Ubuntu.
To uninstall programs in Ubuntu, you search for the program name in Ubuntu software center, and click on it from the search results, and click the remove/uninstall button on the right of the program name. You’ll be asked to type in your password, and click OK. Wait for the program to finish un-installing, and you are done uninstalling a program in Ubuntu.
You can also use the Synaptic Package Manager to uninstall programs, but the Synaptic Package manager is harder to use for beginners who never used it before.
Newer version of finding, installing, and removing software with the Ubuntu Software Center