This guide will walk you through the steps required to install Adobe AIR in Ubuntu Linux. It’ll also show you how to install an AIR application.
- Start by downloading Adobe AIR.
- Once the download has completed, open a Terminal (select Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal). Use the cd command to switch to the folder that you downloaded the AIR file to. If you saved the file on your Desktop, type:
cd ~/Desktop
- The AIR installation interface will launch. Click I Agree to begin.
- AIR doesn’t take too long to install.
- Once it has completed, click the Finish button.
- Now it’s time to find an AIR application to install. For the sake of this tutorial, I installed Twhirl, a Twitter, FriendFeed, identi.ca and Seesmic client. Some pages will automatically detect which Operating System you’re using, and incorrectly tell you that AIR isn’t supported on it (see screenshot below). Ignore that message, locate the download link, and download the file.
- You can open the file directly after it has been downloaded using the Firefox Open with feature, or just save the file and double-click it once the download has completed.
- The AIR Application Installer will open, and prompt you to install the AIR app.
- Depending on the application, you might end out w/ a new desktop icon for it.
- And now you have an AIR app running in Ubuntu!
To make the file executable, enter the command:
chmod +x adobeair_linux_b1_091508.bin (where adobeair_linux_b1_091508.bin is the name/version of Adobe AIR for Linux that you downloaded).
Finally, to run the installation, type:
./adobeair_linux_b1_091508.bin (again, where adobeair_linux_b1_091508.bin is the name/version of Adobe AIR for Linux that you downloaded).
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the instruction. It will help me a lot.
Ubuntu is but one of umpteen Linux distributions. I’d like to know why you think you instructions only apply to Ubuntu?
It’s one of umpteen but it also the fastest growing. It also attracts a lot of new users. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to target that audience. People who aren’t using Ubuntu or realize that Ubuntu is Linux–if they’re using Ubuntu I’m sure they do–don’t need to complain that they said Ubuntu instead of Linux in general and already know how to do this.
Scott -
See Patricks’ answer
Sadly, outside of the app you suggested, I’m unable to download anything remotely useful from Adobe Air Marketplace. Even though I have Air installed and running (after following your instructions), all of Adobe’s choices say that my platform (Ubuntu 8.04) is not supported. When I click the “Install Now” links on each of the apps, the picture momentarily changes color but nothing else happens. Is there a better place to get Adobe Air apps than from their website?
Nice page, good tip about Ubuntu… wish it was more prodominant in my region… who knows, maybe sometime soon???
Yeah. Outside of the applications that people always mention, none of the air applications found on Adobe’s site can be installed. I click on the Install button in the flash animation for ANY app, and I get a really long middle finger with a ring that has a Windows logo on it.
I’m having a bad Linux day. It’s one of the those days, I wish something worked without me having to bend over backwards. I love Ubuntu, but today’s not the day. =(
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