Mike Southby

After a previous post where I outlined how to install Adobe AIR in Ubuntu 9.10 I thought I would write another post with instructions for installing in Linux Mint 8 as I also use this distribution on my development machine.  The differences are subtle but nevertheless they are slightly different.

Installing Adobe AIR on Linux Mint is again quite easy (certainly no more difficult than installing in Ubuntu), although it is not available in the repository so you’ll need to  follow these instructions:

• Download Adobe AIR by clicking this link, ensure that you save the installer to your desktop for the following steps
• Once the download has completed, you need to open your Terminal (select Menu > Terminal).  Type the following command to switch to your desktop where you have just downloaded the AIR installer (making sure to take note of capitalisation):
  cd ~/Desktop
  We now need to make the file executable.  To do this type the following command:
  chmod +x AdobeAIRInstaller.bin
  Finally you need to run the installer itself, as you are already in Terminal simply type the following command:
  ./AdobeAIRInstaller.bin

Running the installer from within Terminal

• The Adobe AIR installer will now launch, obviously click to agree the T&Cs and then sit back, the installer doesn’t take long.

Accept the T&Cs by clicking 'I Agree'

Sit back and wait for the installer to finish

Done!

That’s it; simple.  You can then install any Adobe AIR application directly from the web, in this case I have chosen to install TweetDeck to test everything works.

Installing TweetDeck from within Firefox

I hope this is useful.

Adobe AIR is becoming increasingly popular amongst developers owning to its ability to work across multi-platforms, developers now only have to write the code once and it’ll work not only in Windows, but also Linux and Mac using the AIR platform.  The amount of AIR applications on the market is still somewhat limited, and most of the things available are niche items but at it grows in popularity, it also grows in its usefulness to the average end user.

I have a few applications which I use, meaning that I can run them both in Windows 7 and Ubuntu; it’s great being able to boot into either OS depending on my mood and not have to switch just to do the things that I need.

Probably the most well known AIR application that I use is TweetDeck; which for the record is really useful!  TweetDeck is a ‘one stop shop’ for your social networking requirements, giving you a single screen with access to all of your most needed information across Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.  You get full access to all of the native features with the exception of the new Twitter Lists feature, although this is already being addressed and will feature in a forthcoming update.  Obviously it focuses on Twitter and is great for composing tweets, giving you functionality including full bit.ly API integration and the ability to ‘shrink’ tweets on demand to fit 140 characters.

I also run PiWik Desktop Analytics.  You may not have heard of PiWik but they are an open source alternative to Google Analytics and actually, they are really rather good.  What is worth mentioning here, is that unlike Google Analytics, PiWik is installed locally onto your web server so you can be sure no one has access to your data, with privacy becoming more and more or an issue as the days go on, a lot are already questioning the way in which Google ‘could’ use your data, with PiWik this isn’t a concern.  Enough about PiWik for now, I will be writing a review of PiWik in the not too distant future.  PiWik Desktop Analytics is a great little app which runs in AIR and gives you real time access to your web statistics.  It even has a live tab showing you who is on your site right now.  Great stuff.

Installing Adobe AIR on Ubuntu is actually quite easy, although it is not available in the repository so simply follow these instructions:

• Download Adobe AIR by clicking this link, ensure that you save the installer to your desktop for the following steps
• Once the download has completed, you need to open your Terminal (select Applications > Accessories > Terminal).  Type the following command to switch to your desktop where you have just downloaded the AIR installer:
  cd ~/desktop
  We now need to make the file executable.  To do this type the following command:
  chmod +x AdobeAIRInstaller.bin
  Finally you need to run the installer itself, as you are already in Terminal simply type the following command:
  ./AdobeAIRInstaller.bin
• The Adobe AIR installer will now launch, obviously click to agree the T&Cs and then sit back, the installer doesn’t take long.

That’s it.  Now all you need to do is go find some AIR applications to download and enjoy; I recommend that you check out TweetDeck..!

If you’re using or find any good AIR apps, leave a comment below and share your experiences.