You can check whether any prog has been installed (even if you
can´t find the relevant icons in the menu) by typing in cmd line : sudo
apt-get install <prog>
If already installed this will be reported accordingly . If not ,it will be
installed.

Alternatively you can goto or install synaptic where you can see all the
progs/apps installed on your machine ,by scrolling all the apps or apps in
a specific category.

Personally I prefer the command line method.

As for the programs you've installed and don't have an icon for, some
are meant to be called from the command line ( a legacy of how Linux
was used before the modern GUI appeared ) but you can create your own
shortcut on the desktop if needed. Usually the reason for command line
running is that it expects parameters to be supplied when launched.

Would help if we knew the program names.

One that does not appear is 'postgresql'

"Now, I have returned to Kubuntu 11.04. for most things."

I wonder about using 11.04 since its support has expired. Perhaps that was
a typo and you meant 12.04. If it is 11.04 then I would install 12.04
instead. Its support runs out in 17.04.

It must have been a typo, I am definitely using 12.04,
I thought about 12.10 but decided against.

There are significant improvements to Unity in 12.10, but its performance
is not as good. The biggest drawback to 12.10 is that is a six month
release and it puts you on the treadmill of upgrades. If you can live with
the limitations of Unity 12.04 then it is a good place to be.

Unity is not an issue Roy, I moved to the KDE version around about
Hardy Heron.

I should add that because I could not find
Postgresql in
the Muon collection, i installed Postgresql from the Command Line.
Subsequently there after not finding a few more packages in Muon,
the Synaptic Package Manager was installed, it told me that Postgr...
was installed and that the version was supported.

I guess that I was then expecting to find it through the Kickoff
Application Launcher. A bit more to learn about 12.04 I suppose.

Muon is like the Software Center in many ways. It lacks the detail of
Synaptic. It is simplified and all bling. I like to know the dependencies,
origin and being able to filter so do not use either the SC or Muon in KDE.
I like good old Synaptic or use the commandline.

Muon Installer is like the Ubuntu Software Center but Muon Package
Manager is similar to Synaptic and I prefer to use that when looking
for software in the repositories. Confusing it has the same name !

I am not a fan of either. I agree about the confusion in the names. Right
now I am on enforced pain and using Unity for a week. It isn't so bad, but
I miss KDE. I just like to stay on top and figure that I cannot speak
authoritatively without some direct experience. I do this every so often to
myself --- fool that I am.

Another thing that drives me wild is when I open a deb file and it wants to
use SC and then SC cannot install it and gives you no feedback about why it
won't install. I open the same package that won't install in Gdebi and it
will offer to install, tell me the missing dependencies and
then install them with no problem. I think dumbing things down goes to far
when it does not give you the proper feedback. That is why I stick with
Synaptic. It will tell me if something is broken and allow me to fix
it instead of leaving me in the dark.

Thanks for clearing up the Muon differences.

Not had any issues with the Muon Package Manager as it's always
flagged up the required dependencies / checked for any conflicts.

Agree totally about the default software package installer not being
as friendly as it was - was never a problem with 10.04 !!

It is not so much the flagging of dependencies, but knowing what they are.
For example, I am Mono averse so I want to know before I install that it
includes Mono so that I can avoid it. That is not the only thing, but it is
just an example. Software Center and the Muon equivalent do to present it
in the detail that Synaptic does. The Muon SC does not even mention Mono.
Instead it gives rave reviews and shows how many stars which I could not
care less about.