can't launch application listed in Ubuntu software center

Hi Stan! Thank you for your question and welcome to Ubuntu! If you are using a recent version of Ubuntu, there will be a launcher bar along the left edge of the window. If it is hidden, just move your mouse to the left edge of the screen and the launcher bar should appear. You can use your mouse to find the icon for the application you want to launch and click it. More info below:

  https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-help/unity-launcher-intro.html

An alternative way to find and launch applications is to click the "Dash Home" icon (an Ubuntu logo icon) in the top left of the launcher. This will display the "dash" which includes a search field prominently displayed. Just start typing the name of the application into the search field and the application's icon should appear below under the heading "Applications". You can simply launch the application from there by clicking on it, or if it is not included in your launcher applications icons, you can drag the icon into the launcher to add it. Finally, while any application is running, you can right click on its icon in the launcher and select "Lock to Launcher" to add it. More info on these below:

  https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-help/unity-dash-intro.html
  https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-help/shell-apps-favorites.html

These are all linked from the main Ubuntu help site: https://help.ubuntu.com/

And lots more useful information can be found here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community

Finally, there are lots of good resources here, including a very active community of folks who want to help you get the most from Ubuntu:

  http://www.ubuntu.com/support

I hope this has helped! If this information is not what you were looking for or if you have any other questions, please let us know.

Many thanks!
Gary

This is actually a very good question, and although the answer is technically accurate, it doesn't really address the issue raised.

The problem is that it really should be possible to launch an app directly from the "Ubuntu Software Center". You've found the app, you have the icon, name, details etc. on the screen, and you can see that it is installed. Why isn't there a button right there to launch it? Why do we have to retype the name of the app into the "Dash Home" when all the details are there? It's actually quite a big design flaw in the otherwise excellent Software Center.

For comparison, the Google Play market on android allows you to search for apps and, when they are found, you can open them immediately, without going back to another app to find it.

I totally agree with what Robert says here - I can't think of any reason why you should have to search for the app again on your computer after installing it. It may not be that hard to find, once you know what you have to do, but that's not the point!

Is there any plan to add this to the Software Center, and if not why?