I’ve found an easier way to install Adobe Air on Ubuntu without using the Ubuntu Terminal (I’m using Ubuntu 8.04 – The Hardy Heron).
All I did was to visit the Adobe Air Marketplace [http://tinyurl.com/2ydjqx] and requested to install one of the apps there. When you do this, you’ll be told that Adobe Air is not installed on your machine and then be given a chance to install it.
There’s no need to use the Ubuntu Terminal this way.