how to install a program?

[Unforgiven1]

I'm a complete Linux Newbie...fresh out of windows, and I'm still adjusting to the change.
I run Redhat 9, and I've downloaded several linux versions of programs I like...but haven't a clue how to install them.
so could someone walk me through the standard (or most common) method for installing a new program I downloaded off the net?  and tell me a good place to find more available for download (like downloads.com..only for linux)

[slvadcjelli42]

Hi again Unforgiven1. I'm sure there are more qualified people to answer this, but... well.. I'm here first    
Since you're on Redhat, the easiest way is to install whatever program you want as an RPM (I'm pretty sure that stands for "Redhat Package Manager"). Usually you can just double click on the file, enter your root password, click "forward" or "next" or whatever and you're done. That's only if they provide RPM files, though.
Another way I've seen a lot is groups of files packaged together in a single compressed file, like .tar or .tar.gz or .tar.bz or... something.. (there's a bunch of them). A lot of times for those you can just extract the files and the run an included script (usually install.sh, I think). If it comes with one of those, it usually asks a few questions and then installs whatever it needs to automatically, from the rest of the stuff.
Problems that come up with RPM's are dependencies, where it will tell you it can't install the RPM until something else is installed. You can technically still force it to install, but it's not a good idea since it probably won't work right. You can solve those by searching online for whatever it says it needs and then installing that first. As for the other method, make sure you're root when you try to run the script and that the right permissions are set (sometimes they aren't set to be "executable," you have to do that first). I'm sure there are more ways to install stuff but I don't know much about them.

Oh, and where to get them! well, http://www.sourceforge.net has a LOT of stuff listed, such as Gaim (a pretty nice IM program), but a lot of times you have to sort through inactive / "pipe-dreamy" projects to get to the good stuff. http://www.freshmeat.net is a very good resource too. The linux.org application list ( http://www.linux.org/apps/index.html ) has a ton... If you use KDE, theres a list of apps for KDE at http://apps.kde.com/rf/2/latest And http://www.happypenguin.org/ has games, although don't expect anything of the level that you were asking about in the other thread    

downloads.com USED to have a Linux section... kind of bothers me that they took it down for no apparent reason, but, whatever....

Well, that's what I have to say  

[suselinux]

quote:Originally posted by Dirk Gently:


downloads.com USED to have a Linux section... kind of bothers me that they took it down for no apparent reason, but, whatever....

 

They took it down because of the SCO vs. IBM/Linux thingy

[slvadcjelli42]

quote:Originally posted by suselinux:


They took it down because of the SCO vs. IBM/Linux thingy

What?! But just because the... they haven't even... it's not... wow, that's pretty stupid! There's no reason at all, even if SCO won! Oh well, thanks for explaining.

[Unforgiven1]

thanks for that dirk.  I'm trying really hard to learn redhat and this place is very helpful.  It seems like the RPM's are never included.  

I was trying to install limewire earlier and it said I couldn't install it from the GUI (I use gnome) so how the hell should I do it form the CLI?

[suselinux]

open the shell console

type su   (this stands for Super User otherwise refered to as Root) press enter

it will ask for a password type your root passwrd

then find where your Tar file is located Use the GUI, just find te icon, and remember the adress  ie /home/unforgiven/downloads/limewire.tar.gz

now ine the shell console type cd(1 space here)/home  (it will look like

linux:/home/user3 # cd /home)

now again type cd

but insted of typing /home after words type in the next part of the address so for /home/unforgiven/downloads/limewire.tar.gz

the next cd (stands for Change Directory) will be
unforgiven  (no slash needed, unlike the "/home" you just typed)

linux:/home # cd unforgiven

if you notice the first word after Linux has changed from /home/user3 to just /home

this area of text shows you where are in the file system

now do the same untill you have full address after the word Linux

so for
/home/unforgiven/downloads/limewire.tar.gz

you should see


linux:/home/unforgiven/downloads #

notice that you are one short of the full address
you donot include the limewire.tar.gz

instead after the # you type  ./limewire.tar.gz

the ./ tells the computer to exicute the tar file to run it

linux:/home/unforgiven/downloads #./limewire.tar.gz

some times you need to configure the file first

so unpack the tar easiest way put it on the desktop double click and it will ask you if you want to extract it click yes

now look for a config, or configure file

use the same method as before cd all the way to the desktop and then to the now extracted tar file
put ./config after the "#" and press enter


press enter

this should work if not look for files in the tar file that say   filename.bin

that .bin means its is also an executable file except you just double click that one

also look for one that says "install" double click it

this should be a text file explaining how that particular file needs to be installed

or a readme file, or look for files inside of the tar and use them in the CLI like


linux:/home/unforgiven/downloads/limewire.tar.gz ./install.sh

If this is totally wrong I will apologize now other wise I hope it works for you


look here as well

web page

really well explained here

web page

Good Luck!

[kibawarior]

wow this is real useful

[flap]

quote:type su (this stands for Super User otherwise refered to as Root)

substitute user - you can su to any account; not just root.

[solo]

quote:Originally posted by flap:


substitute user - you can su to any account; not just root.

i didnt even know that

why do i keep posting pointless posts???

oh yeah to pump up my post count

[suselinux]

quote:Originally posted by flap:


substitute user - you can su to any account; not just root.

I hang my head in shame......

[Faust]

quote:
but insted of typing /home after words type in the next part of the address so for /home/unforgiven/downloads/limewire.tar.gz

You can cd to a tgz ed directory?  More importantly you can execute a .tgz directly?    :confused:  

If this doesn't work try tar -xvzf fullpathtocompressedprogram (where fullpathtocompressedprogram is /home/username/file.tgz or similar) for .tgz files.  This will unpack it to a subdir of your current dir.  Then cd to that dir and read the readme - usually make ; make install as root will install a zipped app from source.  Or you could just click on a .tgz file from konqueror or whatever and have it opened in the compressor/decompressor.  (I use ark)

For .rpm files at the cli do "rpm -i fullpathtoprogram" or something like that.  Been a while since I used rpm so you may care to read rpm's manual...  Again just clicking on it from konq should open it up in an rpm gui.

edit:
Please ignore this : "You can cd to a tgz ed directory?"  Must RTFP.  BTW you dont have to cd dir by dir -

ie instead of:
cd /home
cd unforgiven
cd downloads

you can do:
cd /home/unforgiven/downloads

[ August 09, 2003: Message edited by: Faust ]

[M51DPS]

quote:Originally posted by Fury: Freedom Fighter:


i didnt even know that

why do i keep posting pointless posts???

oh yeah to pump up my post count

You people should stop posting stuff to boost you post count . . . like I've been doing. But at least I have a question. There seem to be a bunch of different encodings, like GZip and BZip. And if I look at stuffit's DropTar they also have UNIX Compress and Stuffit for compression methods. What's the difference between them all?

[ August 09, 2003: Message edited by: M51DPS ]

[Faust]

gzip | .gz files | basic, tgz still owns zip and rar | tar -x

bzip | .bz files | compresses a bit better than gzip | tar -j ?

unix compres | .Z files ? | not as good as gz / bz. don't use! | tar -nfi.  man tar etcetera, but I know it works under Linux / BSD (duh...)

stuffit | sounds like the companies own method, considering the name.  as such, probably non standard and crap.  

[Unforgiven1]

it seems like as soon as I ask a question I figure it out by myself.

Limewire is .bin
here's how I did it.

su
root pw
cd home/unforgiven/
sh /LimeWireLinux.bin
it ran and then informed me I needed a Java Virtual Machine.  where the hell do I get one of those?

[slvadcjelli42]

Sun Microsystems are the Java people, try their website, http://www.sun.com or http://www.java.com . I always get the different java-related stuff confused (virtual machine... runtime environment... scripting language... blech), but this might work: http://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp (or  it might not, but it's worth a shot    )