How to Open KompoZer When It Crashes Using Ubuntu (Linux)

After years of frustration with Windows vulnerabilities, I recently switched to Ubuntu, a Linux operating system platform. Although I love it, my big challenge is searching for graphics editing and WYSIWYG software compatible with Linux. While the search for the graphics editor goes on, I discovered that KompoZer, a WYSIWYG program (What You See Is What You Get HTML editor for making Web pages) supposedly works with Linux.

So I downloaded and installed KompoZer 0.7.10 from the list of available programs.  Sound good?  Yes, except I have this problem--as soon as I hover the cursor over an arrow, the program crashes, each time.

So after fruitless searches for a better program, I went online and found out how to get KompoZer working in Ubuntu, thanks to the helpful and concise instructions at UbuntuForums.org. Unfortunately, it took my far-more-techie-than-I-am significant other to point out certain steps I missed. So here are the instructions from a non-techie new to Ubuntu who had to be told what to do each step.

First, KompoZer 0.7.10 works fine in Windows, but apparently is not stable with the Ubuntu operating system. What seems to be stable is KompoZer 0.8 alpha. You've heard of the "beta" versions of programs? "Alpha" is the stage before beta. An alpha version of a progam is usually less stable than the beta version. However, in this case, for Ubuntu KompoZer users, the alpha version of KompoZer appears to be far more stable than the latest version of the program that passed the beta stage.

Here is one place to download KompoZer 0.8 alpha for free.

1. After you've downloaded the 0.8 alpha version of KompoZer, double click on the file. Extract it by highlighting it in the archive manager and choosing extract.
2. Save the extracted folder to a location of your choice. I just saved it to a folder called "Downloads."
3. There is no software installation for this particular version. To run the KompoZer software, open the KompoZer folder in the location you put it. Scan the files for one called, simply, KompoZer. Open that file. Choose the plain "Run" option. The program should open up. You can use it to your heart's content and, though it may crash on your system since it's alpha, it hasn't yet for me.
   
4. If you're like me, you're very forgetful and absent-minded, and there's a good chance you'll forget everything you did today by the time you're looking to use your WYSIWYG software again. So create a text document to put on your desktop that you can retrieve any time to remind you how to run the darn program. Call the folder something like How to Run KompoZer in Ubuntu and place the following text there, substituting the information for your system:

• Look in YourFolderNameAndLocation
• Open Kompozer folder
• Open Kompozer with icon
• RUN

Finally and optionally, in your system tray, go to Applications-Add/Remove to remove the newest version of KompoZer that keeps crashing. This is so you don't get confused at a later date and try to call up this version.