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I installed Baloo search on Ubuntu 18.04. It gave me version 4:5.44.0-0ubuntu1.

Looking for a more recent version, I found the kubuntu ppa. That says it has Bakoo version 5.47.0-0ubuntu1~ubuntu18.04~ppa2.

I added the ppa and installed Baloo again:

$ sudo apt install baloo

add kubuntu repository
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
sudo apt-get update

But apt said I already have the 'newest version': 4:5.44.0-0ubuntu1 .

I am assuming it is simply okay to install Kubuntu (kde) packages on Ubuntu, and that the ppa to use is kubuntu-ppa/backports.

What do I do to get the latest version? Are there any good reasons why I should not? And is there a better place to get it. (I notice Baloo seems not to be available as a Flatpak).

To clarify, I installed the following packages:

$ apt list --installed | grep baloo

baloo/bionic,bionic,now 4:5.44.0-0ubuntu1 all [installed]
baloo-kf5/bionic,now 5.44.0-0ubuntu1 amd64 [installed,upgradable to: 5.47.0-0ubuntu1~ubuntu18.04~ppa2]
libkf5baloo5/bionic,now 5.44.0-0ubuntu1 amd64 [installed,upgradable to: 5.47.0-0ubuntu1~ubuntu18.04~ppa2]
libkf5balooengine5/bionic,now 5.44.0-0ubuntu1 amd64 [installed,upgradable to: 5.47.0-0ubuntu1~ubuntu18.04~ppa2]
markling
  • 593

2 Answers2

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After adding the mentioned PPA you have to try to install the Baloo KF5 package with:

sudo apt-get install baloo-kf5

To get all new dependencies you have to also run:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

after adding the PPA.

But be careful, enabling KDE backports PPAs is a bit dangerous on downgrade by
ppa-purge ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports.

N0rbert
  • 103,263
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Just don't do it, unless you can afford to risk busting your system, and have time and inclination to try recovering it.

That is, don't add the kubuntu backports ppa. Make do with kde packages you can get from the official packages or compile yourself.

If you do add the kubuntu backports ppa, you will be able to install the most recent version of baloo by using sudo apt-get install baloo-kf5 (as opposed to the way you might install it from the official repositories, with sudo apt-get install baloo). But, like I say, you may find this busts your system. Don't ask why. I didn't stop to ask why as the fire was blazing. I was too busy fighting flames.

The official ubuntu repositories have an older version of baloo. But that is fine. I only went in search for a more recent version baloo after attempting to use it with Dolphin file browser. Baloo is supposed to integrate with Dolphin. But there were problems with Dolphin + Baloo and Dolphin + Ubuntu/xfce. So I tried to find a the simplest way of installing latest versions, without tinkering.

The attraction was trying to find a quick and powerful desktop search gui. Baloo seems fine on its own, but it requires careful configuration, which explains the countless forum complaints about it hogging resources. But it's useless to a user without a decent gui. In short, it is not a quick and convenient way to get a powerful desktop search gui.

kfind - another kde app available through the official ubuntu repositories - is the most quick and convenient way of getting a decent desktop search gui. Like Kate, it's one of those kde apps essential for any ubuntu install. It's a decent, rudimentary search, well endowed with options.

Otherwise Recoll is the most powerful and convenient desktop search, imho. It has a powerful gui interface. If you want to do anything more with it than index your entire drive, you will find that under the bonnet, its config is not very dissimilar to baloo. I really have no need for baloo.

markling
  • 593