xpro.se

Have you tried to install whatever programs you need from the repositories?
$ aptitude search whatever # will show all available packages (installed or not installed) that include “whatever” in their name.
$ aptitude show whatever # will show details about package named “whatever”
$ sudo aptitude install whatever # will install package whatever
$ sudo aptitude remove whatever # will remove package whatever

Ubuntu’s server edition is very basic, so server admins can install precisely what they want. If you want a graphical desktop environment, try
$ sudo aptitude install ubuntu-desktop # for a Gnome-based desktop environment, or
$ sudo aptitude instsall kubuntu-desktop # for a KDE-based desktop environment.