You are looking at a short tutorial on how to access the Tor Network on Ubuntu. It is aimed at Ubuntu beginners, and does not require use of the command line interface.
1. Open the Software Center.
Open up the Ubuntu Software Center, which is an application that manages other installed programs on Ubuntu.
2. Configure your "software sources".
The version of Tor that comes with Ubuntu by default is out of date. We will tell the system where to find a more recent version.
First, go to the Edit menu of the Ubuntu Software Center, and find "Software Sources".
Go to the "Other Software" tab of the window that opens, and click the "Add" button.
A new window opens. Write the following line in the text field (APT line):
ppa:webupd8team/tor-browser
And click "Add Source". You will be asked for your password, provide it and close the window.
Your computer will now search for new software available in the location you provided, as indicated by the moving arrows near the top of the Software Center. This may take a short while, please wait. Once the "progress" arrows stop, you are ready to continue.
3. Install the Tor Browser Bundle.
Search for "tor browser" (no quotes) in the search bar near the upper-right corner of the Software Center window. An entry called "Tor Browser Bundle" will appear in the main window. Locate it, and press its "Install" button. You will be asked for your password again, provide it and continue.
(Note: You don't want the "Anonymizing overlay network for TCP" package! All you need is the browser bundle.)
4. Launch Tor!
Once the install has finished, you're set! You can now launch the secure Tor browser like any other Ubuntu application.
Why this way?
There are many ways to access Tor on Ubuntu. But recently, I ran across this tweet:
Why doesn't @torproject have a graphical install stuff for Linux? At least just Ubuntu. And an Icon. Commands lines are so 80s.
— Ásta Helgadóttir (@asta_fish) October 20, 2014
And quickly went through all the ways I knew. And here they are:
- The default installation instructions. Extensive command line use.
- The Tor Browser Bundle. No command line use required, but does not provide an icon.
- The Webupd8 PPA instructions. Little command line use, but still there.
Hence, the creation of this tutorial.
Enjoy the internet, your way.