While installing mysql-workbench-gpl-5.2.47-1ubu1204-amd64.deb (upgrades to version 5.2.47 rev 10398) on my Ubuntu for Desktop 12.04. LTS, I encountered an error message and installation failed. 

...
dpkg: error processing /home/.../Downloads/mysql-workbench-gpl-5.2.47-1ubu1204-amd64.deb (--install):trying to overwrite '/usr/lib/mysql-workbench/libmdcanvas.so.0.0.0', which is also in package mysql-workbench 5.2.38+dfsg-3
dpkg-deb (subprocess): data: internal gzip write error: Broken pipe
dpkg-deb (subprocess): failed in write on buffer copy for failed to write to pipe in copy: Broken pipe
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess <decompress> returned error exit status 2 bb
Errors were encountered while processing:
...

First, I have uninstalled my old version by: 

$sudo apt-get remove mysql-workbench (newer versions are called mysql-workbench-gpl)

This did not work, error message was still there. I read from multiple sources and checked with apt-get help, than -f option should attempt to correct a system with broken dependencies in place, so I used:

$ sudo apt-get -f install (Attempt to correct broken dependencies.)
$ sudo apt-get autoremove (Remove automatically unused packages.)
$ sudo dpkg -i mysql-workbench-gpl-5.2.47-1ubu1204-amd64.deb

Instead of using dpkg in command line, you may use GUI – double-click on the .deb file, in Ubuntu this opens Ubuntu Software Center and be patient, because it is in long term the slowest piece of software I personally know on running Linux not being improved, it opens the deb file and just click install.

This worked just fine, installation completed successfully.

---

Another computer, another problem, I was installing the most recent Workbench mysql-workbench-gpl-5.2.47-1ubu1204-amd64.deb on jet unsupported Ubuntu 13.04, I ran into the error message in Ubuntu software center after opening the .deb file in it:

 Dependency is not satisfiable: libctemplate0

Easy fix is to install libctemplate0, for example by downloading it from http://ftp.br.debian.org/debian/pool/main/c/ctemplate/libctemplate0_0.97-1_amd64.deb and then installing the mysql-workbench-gpl-5.2.47-1ubu1204-amd64.deb again, remember, if you have older version of Workbench installed, uninstall it first, don’t worry about settings, they will all remain in your home folder under ~/.mysql/workbench