How to use the latest stable version of org-mode?

Question

Is there a ppa for org-mode?

I'm using ubuntu 12.04.

If not, can I install the latest stable version of org-mode for Emacs manually?

Answer 1

This does maybe not apply to 12.04 anymore (I think it does though). The easiest version by now (Using ubuntu 14.04.2) is:

sudo apt-get install emacs24

Then, inside of emacs, use the package manager:

M-x package-list-packages

Search (C-s) "org", there may be a few entries but the one with the date is the newest (as of now 20150413). Mark it for installation with I, install with x. Restart emacs, done.

Answer 2

To install the latest, make sure that Emacs is installed on your machine.

If not, just press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard to open Terminal. When it opens, run the command(s) below:

sudo apt-get install emacs23

Once the installation is done. download the latest org-mode from Ubuntu Updates. Once downloaded, from terminal navigate to where the file was downloaded (probably the Downloads folder), and run the command below:

sudo dpkg -i <file_name>.deb

And that will install the latest stable version of org-mode 7.8.02-1

Answer 3

Here is a solution that uses the latest source code, borrowed from two Emacs StackExchange threads (here and here).

Run this in a shell:

cd ~/src/  # or any other location
git clone https://code.orgmode.org/bzg/org-mode.git
cd org-mode/
make autoloads

Then run this Emacs-LISP code before any other org code in your initialization files:

(add-to-list 'load-path "~/src/org-mode/lisp")
(require 'org-loaddefs)

See this answer for details on why you need the second line and in that order to avoid a mixed installation of built-in and latest versions:

The main idea is that you need to make sure that Org mode is set up, using the new bits that you downloaded only. Emacs comes with a version of Org mode bundled up with it, but that is inevitably older than what is available from the Org mode git repo. It is important to avoid loading any piece from the bundled up version or else you might end up with a "mixed" installation (there are many hits for that on the Org mode mailing list).

As I mention in a comment, and @Tobias has verified in another comment, you do not need to byte-compile the new version - you only need to make autoloads. That creates an org-loaddefs.el file, so that all the common entry points into org will, when first invoked, load the appropriate file first. It is important (and contrary to what the OP states in his comment) to set the load-path before loading the org-loaddefs.el file: otherwise, you may end up with the dreaded "mixed" install I mentioned above.