How to install Eclipse on Ubuntu for all users

How to install Eclipse 4.2 on Ubuntu 12.04 for all users

Since the Eclipse packages in the Ubuntu repositories are out of date, if we want to install latest releases, we are going to have to do it manually. You can just download the tar.gz file from eclipse.org.

1. Download Eclipse. I got eclipse-jee-juno-SR1-linux-gtk.tar.gz

2. Extract it by executing a command line

   tar -xzf eclipse-jee-juno-SR1-linux-gtk.tar.gz
   

   Or with Archive Manager extraction.

3. Move extracted eclipse folder to /opt/ folder

   mv eclipse /opt/
   sudo chown -R root:root /opt/eclipse
   sudo chmod -R +r /opt/eclipse
   

4. Create an eclipse executable in your user path

   sudo touch /usr/bin/eclipse
   sudo chmod 755 /usr/bin/eclipse
   

   Create a file named eclipse in /usr/bin/ with your preferred editor (nano, gedit, vi…)

   Copy this into it

   #!/bin/sh    
   export ECLIPSE_HOME="/opt/eclipse"
   $ECLIPSE_HOME/eclipse $*
   

   And save the file

5. Create a Gnome menu item

   Create a file named eclipse.desktop in /usr/share/applications/ with your preferred editor (nano, gedit, vi…)

   Copy this into it

   [Desktop Entry]
   Encoding=UTF-8
   Name=Eclipse
   Comment=Eclipse IDE
   Exec=eclipse
   Icon=/opt/eclipse/icon.xpm
   Terminal=false
   Type=Application
   Categories=GNOME;Application;Development;
   StartupNotify=true
   

   And save the file

6. Launch Eclipse

   /opt/eclipse/eclipse -clean &

7. Now you can Lock Eclipse to the launcher bar by clicking right button on Lock to Laucher