Why to use ppa?

Why everyone recommends using ppa?

For example...

Why not just:

sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

and why: Something like this...

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xyz/grub-customizer
sudo apt-get update sudo
apt-get install grub-customizer

EDIT:Ok then how to remove ppa thats added before? is there any remove-like command?

Thanks

Solution 1:

There are various reason why to use a ppa. Sometimes they offer newer version of packages than there are in the normal repositories. But mostly you will use a ppa for packages that aren't in the normal repositories at all. E.g. I can't find the grub-customizer in the normal repositories. I guess thats why someone recommended that ppa to you. Important is that you have to do the add-apt-repository only once. After that the packages from that ppa are available and updated the same way as the other ones.

EDIT

If you add a ppa a file is added to the folder /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. If you want to remove a ppa just delete that file (with sudo rm) and run sudo apt-get update. The packages you have installed using this ppa are not removed if you remove a ppa.

Solution 2:

PPA stands for Personal Package Archive. When you install a PPA to your system with the way you described above you actually tell your system to monitor a personal archive that has nothing to do with the official ubuntu sources. These PPAs can be created at the website https://launchpad.net

PPAs are recommended many times because they may contain the latest available software for a program while this latest version isn't on the software sources. Take for example the Gimp PPA at launchpad. It contains the single window version while it isn't still available through the official sources.

Be careful! Anybody can upload PPAs and they are completely untested! You have to be careful while you are installing PPAs because they don't necessarily contain tested software as the official sources do and may harm your computer. So, install only well known official and tested PPAs!

• Are PPA's safe to add to my system and what are some "red flags" to watch out for?