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App Developer

Get started

No registration. No fees. Create your first app in less than 5 minutes.

Use Quickly to build your first Ubuntu app. It's easy.

We recommend using Python and GTK to create applications for Ubuntu. We have created a tool called Quickly which gets you up and running with Python, GTK and all the tools you need right away.

Step-by-step guide to getting started

Do you need a copy of Ubuntu?
1

Install Quickly

We recommend using Python and GTK to create applications for Ubuntu. Quickly will get you up and running with a Python GTK app right away.

On Ubuntu?

Download Quickly
2

Take 5 minutes to get to know Quickly

With Quickly installed, press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the Terminal and create a new project by typing:

$ quickly create ubuntu-application my-new-project

You should replace my-new-project with the name of your application. This will create the new project in a directory called my-new-project/.

Now start reading the Quickly tutorial by going into the project directory (cd my-name-project) you just created and running:

$ quickly tutorial Learn more about Quickly and the technologies it brings together ›
3

Write your app

At the heart of the Ubuntu Developer stack is a range of technologies that meet the most diverse range of application needs. Each is powerful, robust, well supported and shipped with every Ubuntu system, providing a reliable development platform for the most demanding application.

Find out more about the Ubuntu Developer Stack ›
4

Prepare for publishing

Run through our checklist and prepare your app for submission to the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Oh, and if you get stuck, there's a whole community of developers who can help!

Alternatives

  • Open source is about freedom. That's why, even though we recommend Python GTK with Quickly for developing apps for Ubuntu, you can develop for Ubuntu using the tools you already know and love. The choice is yours.

  • Qt Creator

    Qt Creator ›


    Qt provides an advanced graphical toolkit and a framework to make the creation of cross-platform apps in C++ faster and easier.

  • Eclipse

    Eclipse ›


    An extensible integrated environment for Java, C/C++, Python and other languages.

  • MonoDevelop

    MonoDevelop ›


    A comprehensive environment for developing apps in C# and other .NET languages with the Mono framework.