gnome-software is a graphical application manager for the GNOME desktop environment. It allows users to easily add and remove applications, as well as to update their system. It is designed to provide a simple and user-friendly interface for managing software on a Linux system. With gnome-software, users can browse and install new applications from a variety of sources, including the official repositories of their Linux distribution, as well as third-party software repositories. It also allows users to search for and install specific applications, and to view detailed information about each application, such as its version, publisher, and a description.
gnome-software also provides a feature to check for and install updates for both the system and the installed applications. This feature can be run manually or set up to check for updates automatically.
In addition to installing and updating software, gnome-software allows users to remove and uninstall applications that are no longer needed. It is important to note that gnome-software is not a command-line tool, it is a graphical application, therefore it cannot be used over ssh or in a headless environment. It is only available on Gnome desktop environment and it’s not compatible with other desktop environments.
gnome-software uses PackageKit to interact with the system package manager, this means that it’s compatible with different package manager like DNF, Apt, Yum, etc. It’s widely used and well-maintained and it provides a convenient way for users of the GNOME desktop environment to manage their software. It’s easy to use and it’s a good alternative to the command-line tools like apt-get, dnf, yum, etc.
If you encounter the below error while running the command gnome-software:
gnome-software: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install gnome-software |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install gnome-software |
| Arch Linux | pacman -S gnome-software |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install gnome-software |
| CentOS | yum install gnome-software |
| Fedora | dnf install gnome-software |
| Raspbian | apt-get install gnome-software |
gnome-software Command Examples
1. Launch the GNOME Software GUI if it’s not already running:
# gnome-software
2. Launch the GNOME Software GUI if it’s not open, and navigate to the specified page:
# gnome-software --mode updates|updated|installed|overview
3. Launch the GNOME Software GUI if it’s not open, and view the specified package:
# gnome-software --details package_name
4. Display the version:
# gnome-software --version