Mendeley reference manager for Software Boutique?

Continuing the discussion from Programs to add to the Software Boutique:

Since I was informed that my favourite reference managers Zotero and Docear cannot be included in the Software Boutique due to a current lack of PPA or Apt sources, I am wondering whether Mendeley can be included instead. I am not sure if it meets these requirements. Without a reference manager it is very difficult to use Ubuntu MATE for academic work. Does anyone know of other alternatives that would work with Ubuntu MATE?

Hi, I am not sure if any of these meet your requirements as I have not tried to install them. But, I thought I might link to them just in case:

There is a PPA for zotero standalone:
ppa:smathot/cogscinl
I’m currently using that one on xenial and works just fine (libreoffice integration too), it can also be used in firefox as an extension without needing to install it separately on the os.

1 Like

The Zotero plugin for FireFox is easy to install and works excellent.

1 Like

Does this PPA work with UM 16.04 @Asta1986? Could we then include Zotero in the Software Boutique? @anon42388993 @wizd3m @lah7

1 Like

You have a PPA, maybe you should add it to the 'wiki post'.

@lah7: It's now a Wiki post, feel free to add more community suggestions!

1 Like

I’ve added Zotero (zotero.org and launchpad) to the wiki. It is the best alternative to the proprietary referencing tools Thomson Reuters EndNote and Elsevier Mendeley. PPA is working well. Do you need to reinstall the Zotero Firefox extension each time after a regular Firefox update? @anon42388993?

Has anyone tried the proprietary Mendeley and how well does it work with Ubuntu MATE? It seems that there are apt sources available that would work?

Install it and forget about it. You will be offered updates when available.

Yes it does. I’m using it since I switched from firefox to chrome, first on trusty now on xenial.

1 Like

The wiki post got very messy, if you’d like the program to be seriously considered for the Boutique, please follow these guidelines so we get the information it needs:

Mendeley is available as a debian package but can receive updates via apt. I have read through the Requirements for adding Software Boutique applications but I am not sure if it qualifies. I have previously added Zotero to the wiki and hope for it to be included (instead).[quote=“lah7, post:10, topic:6290”]
The wiki post got very messy, if you’d like the program to be seriously considered for the Boutique
[/quote]

Yeah, I guess the Zotero detour contributed a bit to that. Is Zotero on a roadmap for inclusion?

I am still undecided if Mendeley is suitable for the Software Boutique. It is certainly a great program but there are several issues I am not sure about and that need additional clarification. Their anti-privacy policy, forced online syncing of all files, its association with Elsevier, as well as a forced sign-up all make me less than enthusiastic to campaign for its inclusion. In their developmental release notes (under Mendeley uses …) I read that their LibreOffice Plugin is essentially based on the one developed by Zotero. Doesn’t the use of code from other open source software projects explicitly require that modifications must be made available to the project it was taken from and not be included in a license which is itself proprietary? I hope that @marfig can shed some light on this with his background from both the proprietary and open source worlds. Do you use any reference managers or bibliographic tools in Ubuntu MATE? @CrazyDesi?

The only reason I am still considering Mendeley is its excellent PDF annotation and highlighting function and the lack of a good and free PDF annotator for Ubuntu MATE that could replace it. This is yet another example that (at least concerning functionality) proprietary software can be better than software based on an open source development model, a topic which is currently discussed here.

It’s on the “Ideas” list. Not sure what’s going on with that.

I went to George Mason for my MA degree and my old advisor used to be one of the developers for Zotero.

I have used it now for almost eight years now, and I have never found a better bibliographic manager. Mendeley works well, but there was a lot of controversy surrounding the company that purchased it a while ago. The only issue with Zotero is that its standalone program(if I remember correctly) is just a skin surrounding Firefox. Nonetheless, it is open source, and it is very useable.

I also use Recoll to store my pdfs and search through them. It allows you to “find similar” documents so when I find an article/source I like to cite, I make sure that I go ahead and use that. For Mac, there is DevonThink that does something similar. I think Recoll works similarly, although not as well. We may also want to include it in the software boutique.

1 Like