Please standardize software instalation to single click.

[ynnebbenny]

Hi All, I have been using Mint for a few years now.
While I like the software installer module (Forgotten its exact name) I find it is often out of date to newer software releases.
Take Firefox for instance. I have downloaded the package but now see there is a list of BS hoops to jump through in order to instal it.
In Windows its a simple exe, and off you go.
How hard is it to have a standard installer similar to windows exe's
Another thing that I find ironic, is that I have installed Google Picasa under WINE, simply because it is a later and more thorough version than the Linux equivalent.
This is the same with other softwares too. Even Blender that has its roots native to Linux, is much easier to instal in a windows environment. Whats the deal ???

I REALLY want to like Linux, but find it still has some basic annoyances that need refining

That been said, thanks to everyones contributions.

Benny

[veggen]

The exe equivalent are .deb packages. But isn't installing from the repos the actual "single click" way? You don't go hunting around for downloads, you don't have every single application install its own updater and hog resources, you just open Mint Install, find the app and click "install". When the update arrives, it notifies you. What could possibly be more single-click then that?! If you want the very bleeding edge, add that app's PPA to sources list, but keep in mind that obsessing about version numbers isn't the healthiest thing. Mint, following Ubuntu's release cycle, is very fast to update it's repositories, so if you just exercise some basic patience, you'll get the new version soon enough. Also, important updates are pushed as they arrive, so you don't wait for a release for important stuff (Firefox, security etc). You can also go for LMDE, it's a rolling release, so it's usually a shorter wait (read on rolling releases for more info). Regarding Picasa, if you haven't heard, Google dropped Linux compatibility, so it's Google you should complain to. Still, there are some very good native apps that can replace it.

All that being said, if you prefer Windows you might as well, you know, use Windows.

[abnvolk]

In Windows: Go to the program's website, download the .exe, double-click the .exe, next-next-next for a while then press Finish. When there's an update, you must download the .exe again, then run it.
In Linux: Go to the Software Manager (like an App Store), find a program, click the Install button, type in your password when asked. Softwares are updated automatically.
In my opinion, installing softwares in Linux is much easier.
The only thing I like about Windows installers is that you can copy the installers to other computers, and you can easily instal old softwares, which may have security holes