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I'm running ubuntu server virtually . I can't select any text with the mouse since we all know there is no mouse in the server version. so how can I select particular lines of text in Ubuntu server?

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can you ssh into it? – adempewolff Sep 17 '12 at 14:29
@adempewolff I guess what you mean is that you should ssh in from your current desktop and then copy the text from there. – Alvar Sep 17 '12 at 14:40
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@Alvar that is what I do for my local virtualized headless servers, only time I access them directly is when there is a problem with the ssh server. Because the server is local you aren't going to get any more lag using ssh than you would using it directly, and having copy/paste, windowing, etc. capabilities makes such a difference for productivity. – adempewolff Sep 17 '12 at 14:49

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The Package gpm enables mouse support for the console.

GNU screen Supports copy&paste as well if you don't have a mouse at all.

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Does that work on a headless server? – ObsessiveSSOℲ Sep 17 '12 at 14:03
I doubt it, but since you usually connect to a headless server via ssh or something similar it's not the servers problem anymore, it's the clients problem. – Gerald Schneider Sep 17 '12 at 14:05
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Is there a way to select text with the keyboard, though, over something like SSH, or just on a mouse-less machine? – ObsessiveSSOℲ Sep 17 '12 at 14:06
After a little googling I found out that screen supports copy&paste as well .. I've been using it for ages and wasn't aware of it. – Gerald Schneider Sep 17 '12 at 14:13
@obsessive: With ssh, the responsibility for copy and paste lies with the client, not the host. Therefore, if the terminal you run ssh from supports copy and paste, your server does too. If it doesn't, it's time to find another one. – Scott Severance Sep 18 '12 at 9:42
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