About a month ago, Canonical announced plans for an Ubuntu app store, codenamed AppCenter. As expected, the first version has shown up in the Karmic Koala daily builds, now under the name Ubuntu Software Store.

What is looks like now

The Ubuntu Software Store

The main view of the Software Store displays icons for each of the software categories, such as Internet, Office, System Tools, etc.

An application's page

Each application has its own page, much like Add/Remove, that displays a summary. An install button and a price (which is always free for now) is also displayed. On some applications, there is also a link to the application’s website. Eventually, you will be able to purchase commercial applications, as well as free ones.

Downloading...

When you install an application, a new section appears on the left. You can see how many applications are being installed and, by clicking on the tab, track their progress.

In the future…

If you’re not impressed with the Ubuntu Software Store, I don’t blame you. It’s really not much more than a new interface that does the same thing Add/Remove does. The exciting parts of the Software Store don’t really come until Ubuntu 10.04, when it will replace Add/Remove, Synaptic, Software Sources, and, possibly, Update Manager. Later you will be able to buy commercial applications in addition to the free ones already available. Over the next several releases, the Ubuntu Software Store could provide one of the first realistic ways for shareware developers to sell software for Linux and, at the same time, make it much easier for new users to understand the software installation process. For now, though, we’ll just have to wait and see.