TechSource: How to Install Celtx on Ubuntu

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 10:01 PM PDT

If you are a screenwriter trying to unshackle yourself from Final Draft, we have already shown you how to do that. There are some fabulous alternatives to the "industry standard" as we know it. Be it FadeIn, WriterDuet, or Trelby, Linux users have plenty of options when they want to write their screenplay. That said, many of those users are also concerned whether the applications they use on a day-to-day basis are open-source or not. Adhering to that philosophy, screenwriting becomes a tad difficult since many screenplay apps have proprietary codebase.

Solving this problem, however, is much easier than you think. Thanks to Celtx, a fabulous screenwriting software that we've already covered in our earlier article, you can write a screenplay -- or even a teleplay or A/V movie -- from start to finish on an open source tool. Celtx handles everything, from writing the script to storyboarding, you can make a complete movie with this tool if you want. Despite the many advantages though, Celtx too has its share of flaws. One being that the formatting may not be as good as Final Draft and second is that the desktop tools aren't updated as frequently. If you overlook these minor flaws, what you have is a solid tool at your hand.

If you are considering making Celtx your tool for your next screenplay, then read on as we'll show you how to install it on your Ubuntu desktop, a process that can be rather tricky sometimes.

Step 1: Download Celtx

Go HERE and download the Celtx tarball. Once you download the file, it will look something like this: Celtx-2.9.8.tar.bz2

Step 2: Extract the file

Once you have downloaded the zipped file, make sure you navigate to the directory it's located in. Let's say it is stored in the Downloads folder. Go there and right click on the file. Then, click Extract here to extract the file. This will create a new folder titled "celtx" (without the quotes) in the same directory.

Step 3: Move the file

This assumes that the new "celtx" folder was created in your Downloads directory. What you have to do now is open the terminal and navigate to that folder and move it to /usr/local so that it is available to all. So, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your desktop or look for 'Terminal' in the dash and type in or paste the following commands: This assumes that your celtx folder is located in the 'Downloads' directory.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo mv celtx/ /usr/local/

Step 4: Run the program

Running the program isn't as straightforward but you'll get a hang of it in a while. Every time you want to launch the program, all you have to do is type in or paste the following command in the terminal.

sudo /usr/local/celtx/celtx
That's it. The program should run flawlessly. If you run into any trouble, though simply type in or paste the following command:

chmod +x /usr/local/celtx/celtx

Also, let's hope Celtx comes up with a deb file soon rather than having its users go through so many hoops.