gnome-software (ubuntu-software) doesn't install third party applications

[Jesse Theisen]

Software Center in 16.04 RC doesn't allow me to install third party applications. Install will work but nothing happens(I assume it hangs on something?)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Jaime Fernando Ortega Culaciati (jotafoc)]

This also happens with the 16.04 final release.

[Jaime Fernando Ortega Culaciati (jotafoc)]

BTW, Ubuntu 16.04 comes with gnome-software and not software-center

[vio0au0d (chei6ied-deactivatedaccount)]

Confirmed. Cannot install Chrome using the default instructions and file handler. This will affect many users.

[brad (dragonsawareness)]

Can confirm that "software centre" aka gnome software centre in 16.04 will freeze/not respond with a .deb that is 3rd party aka google chrome.

There is a small ? in the dock that says installing, but doesn't show a window or progress.

You can continuously click "install" to no advail.

[Lonnie Lee Best (launchpad-startport)]

In earlier versions of Ubuntu, I had no issue installing this deb:
https://www.google.com/tools/dlpage/hangoutplugin

I haven't yet figured out a way to do it in Ubuntu 16.04:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/760305/how-to-install-google-hangouts-plugin-in-ubuntu-16-04

I really need this plug-in, because allows my to do all my phone calls at work via Gmail and my Laptop.

[Lonnie Lee Best (launchpad-startport)]

Also, this deb installed in previous versions of Ubuntu:
http://torrent-search.sourceforge.net/download

It does not install in the Ubuntu 16.04 release.

[vio0au0d (chei6ied-deactivatedaccount)]

Until this is fixed, you can install Chrome for now by adding the repo:

echo deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list

And Hangouts plugin via:

echo deb http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/ stable main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-talkplugin.list

[aaronfranke (arnfranke)]

I can't believe that such a critical bug was allowed in an LTS release and has remained for months and months. This needs to be fixed before 16.04.1 LTS.

I really don't understand why they didn't just continue including the ubuntu-software-center package instead, as it works much better than this broken tool.

[daniel oliveira (danieldoliveira)]

Well, I just installed 16.04.2 LTS and was faced with the same bug.
Guess I'd better go to Ubuntu 14 and save some headache.