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And you need to be educated, trained whatever you want to call it to do that. You don't do it if you don't understand that you need to do that.

Stop making circular arguments. "

Actually, you don't need to be trained at all.

For example, on an older Ubuntu system, there is an application right on the topmost level menu called "Add/remove applications".

Click on that. It will present you with a searchable list of available applications organised into categories, with those that are already installed marked with a tick in an adjacent box.

Click un-ticked boxes to select new applications to be installed, and un-tick existing ticked applications to select them to be removed. Click apply.

This installs applications from the Ubuntu repositories, or removes them from the local machine.

Here is a picture so that you might get the idea:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware?action=AttachFi...

Recently, this has been replaced in Ubuntu (not Kubuntu) with the Ubuntu Software Centre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Software_Center

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/features
"Get all the software you need

The Ubuntu Software Centre gives you instant access to thousands of open-source and carefully selected free applications. And now you can buy apps too. Browse software in categories including: education, games, sound and video, graphics, programming and office. All the applications are easy to find, easy to install and easy to buy."

So, in order to follow such a self-imposed policy, all that an Ubuntu user needs to do is simply stick only to the Ubuntu Software Centre to install software. Use no other methods even if you read something on a website.

Simple. Everyone can do it, it is dead easy.

You are guaranteed to get no malware if you stick to installing software only via the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Other Linux distributions also have similar tools to install software from the distribution's repository, although not all of them are quite as easy to use.

Here are a couple:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KPackage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kpackage_3.5.5.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaptic_%28software%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Synaptic_screenshot.png

The principle is the same, however.

Edited 2011-01-07 13:19 UTC

Do you know what you just did .. you suggested someone pretty much format their PC, install an OS which may or may not work properly with their pc, their printer, their phone etc etc ... instead of spending 10 minutes explaining to someone what they should do to protect themselves online.

Are you nuts?

Education is the key to solving a number of the world's problems some of these issues are related to computing ... other are life in general.

If you don't believe me, watch Series 4 of The Wire ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_%28season_4%29

And when reading that ... try to think laterally.

I have mixed results with Linux. Some favorable impressions, and some things that need definite improvement. The entire "suppository" system falls into the latter.

The Ubuntu Software Centre is more attractive than other distros' package management systems. But dang, they expect a person to decide whether or not to install JuK (an example from the screenshot you linked) based on the provided information? How about a real description? ("Music player," are they joking?!?) User reviews? Screenshots?

Maybe there's more to the Ubuntu Software Center than it appears from that screenshot?

And I certainly don't mean to single out Ubuntu. Selecting software from GoBo's repository was absolutely maddening!