Hi I did this on Ubuntu 12.10 32 bit.
1. download the dropbox link
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2183775/kobo-desktop.deb
2. get this file
http://launchpadlibrarian.net/911281....10.1_i386.deb
3. install both debs (plus any other dependancies, see previous posts for libzip and others)
4. Kobo 3.04 linux version runs
BUT kobo desktop doesn't see the Kobo Touch when I connect him to the laptop.
That's the only issue, but it's important.
I'm looking forward to your help.