How to Install Missing Quantal Features in Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail)

Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) didn't get as good a response as the previous Ubuntu release (Ubuntu 12.10 ‘Quantal Quetzal’) did. One of the main reasons for this was that Ubuntu 13.04 came with features that weren't as exciting as its previous iterations. However, that doesn't mean that Raring wasn't worth upgrading. In fact, if you are a Quantal user, switching to Raring is highly recommended as the release packs in many improvements to the Unity interface, and yes, a whole new set of wallpapers as well.

Apart from changes to the Unity interface, Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) also brings along new applications and also some changes to old ones. Though the novelty of the bleeding edge is enough to seduce any user, some changes with the interface and applications may not please a long time Ubuntu lover. Thankfully, though, with some quick commands, you can get back your old features thus giving you no excuse not to upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10 ‘Quantal Quetzal’.


Get Back GKSU in Ubuntu 13.04

Not all of us love opening the terminal to enter a command. Many users use the good old Alt + F2 combo to execute commands. Moreover, it was also an easy way to install apps or execute system commands, which otherwise required opening the terminal. All you had to do to execute a system-level command was to prefix "gksu" before a command and then execute it. With Ubuntu 13.04, however, "gksu" was removed from the release, thus making it difficult to execute root-level commands without opening the terminal.

In Ubuntu 13.04, you can get back gksu by simply typing in one command. To do that, open the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type in/paste the following text:

sudo apt-get install gksu

Once you're done, you'll be able to use gksu to execute any command.

Get the Missing Social Element

In Ubuntu 13.04, you won't find your beloved social app Gwibber anymore. Since during the release, the app was being rewritten from scratch, it wasn't included in Raring. However, that doesn't mean that you have to use the web browser to tweet how awesome TechSource is. Instead, you can use the newly redesigned Gwibber to connect with your friends. The app, since it's rewritten, is now called Friends and you can install it by typing in the following command:

sudo apt-get install friends-app

Get Back the Old Nautilus

Raring also included the latest version of Nautilus, that is version 3.6. It included some useful features like monochrome icons, new path bar, dynamic navigation buttons, and search-as-you-type functionality. However, as exciting as those features might seem, Nautilus also cut down on some features that many long time Linux users used to swear by. Thankfully, though, you can get back the old Nautilus by simply installing a patched version of the file explorer.

Now, as easy as the below mentioned commands might seem, it is important to note that the patch is not stable and might even break your system. So, proceed carefully and use this patch only if you absolutely need the old Nautilus on your system.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/experiments
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
killall nautilus


Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.