Plain English

[kelv23]

Will someone please,please either tell me in plain english how to install tar.gz files or at least point me in the right direction.Ive already googled this and all I seem to come up with is guides that are just too confusing to follow or that assume the reader is some kind of Linux genius already.Im a total beginner at this and Im using suse 10 (open)

thanks

[Wallalai]

It seems you have downloaded a compressed archive of the source of the program you want to install. I suppose you save this archive in your /home directory, and I'll name it myprog.tar.gz.

So first let's be a bit curious, in a console (xterm) decompress this file in your /home directory with this command as USER:

~$ cd
~$ tar -xvzf myprog.tar.gz

(the "cd" command brings you back in your /home directory)

By uncompressing this archive you'll get a directory "myprog" containing diverse files. The most useful are README, HOWTO and INSTALL describing the program, the dependancies and the commands to compile, create the files and install the program. You HAVE to read it !! Let's go :

enter the directory myprog:

~$ cd myprog

read the text files :

~$ less README
~$ less HOWTO
~$ less INSTALL

The most common way to compile is the 3 step "./configure, make, make install".

The "./configure" command will check if you have all progs and libs to build the program, so:

~$ ./configure

When finished you can go wirh the command

~$ make

And for the last step you will have to be ROOT. (type "su", then your root password)

# make install

If the ./configure step doesn't work you'll get messages describing the problems and the missing progs and libs.

Post or PV me If you need, more help.

[francois]

hi'

nothing more to add, this is the way

console and follow instructions, and don't forget to read the read me file

francois

[stumonster]

if you are new to linux , grab this and print it out on a sheet of A4 ( both sides ) :-)

The One Page LInux Manual

I have found it quite helpful

[Tywais]

Wallali spelled it out quite well. Here is a good site to learn the fundamentals of unix without overpowering you with jargon. It shows the extraction/compilation process and other need to know aspects.

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/

[kelv23]

Thank you Wallalai .I couldnt have expected a better explanation.There are several progs and libs that are missing but at least I'm able to untar the files now.

This is the result of ./configure

kelv@linux:~/opendchub-0.7.14> ./configure

checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c

checking whether build environment is sane... yes

checking whether make sets ${MAKE}... yes

checking for working aclocal... missing

checking for working autoconf... missing

checking for working automake... missing

checking for working autoheader... missing

checking for working makeinfo... missing

checking whether build environment is sane... yes

checking for gcc... no

checking for cc... no

checking for cc... no

checking for cl... no

configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH

Thanks again

[Tywais]

Appears when you installed Suse you didn't install the development tools. You will need at least the following:

Development/Tools/Building

Development/Languages/C

[kelv23]

Appears when you installed Suse you didn't install the development tools.  You will need at least the following:

Development/Tools/Building

Development/Languages/C

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Any way they can be installed thru Suse? ie Yast/Control center?

[Tywais]

Appears when you installed Suse you didn't install the development tools.  You will need at least the following:

Development/Tools/Building

Development/Languages/C

Any way they can be installed thru Suse? ie Yast/Control center?

I'm not familiar with Suse enough to give a definitive answer to that (I use Slackware) but there should be a package tool (maybe it is Yast) that should give you a list of packages available/installed and an option to install them.

The answer appears to be here: http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tip/15494.html

and

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1788&page=4

[francois]

hi'

open yast and go to software menu(you'll be asked for the admin password), look at install or suppress a package, and clic on it, you get a new window Yast2, search, in the top button you have selections, look at the menu, and hilight "Selections", you'll have the entire list of the package already installed, just check the one you may need as a dependency

you may search one by one also, if you like

Suse will ask you the cd when is needed.

francois

[francois]

you may look here too :

learn Linux

any how-to or read-me file will teach you something

francois

[kelv23]

ok heres the latest. carry on or do I need more progs/libs?

kelv@linux:~/opendchub-0.7.14> ./configure

checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c

checking whether build environment is sane... yes

checking whether make sets ${MAKE}... yes

checking for working aclocal... found

checking for working autoconf... found

checking for working automake... found

checking for working autoheader... found

checking for working makeinfo... missing

checking whether build environment is sane... yes

checking for gcc... gcc

checking for C compiler default output... a.out

checking whether the C compiler works... yes

checking whether we are cross compiling... no

checking for suffix of executables...

checking for suffix of object files... o

checking whether we are using the GNU C compiler... yes

checking whether gcc accepts -g... yes

checking for socket in -lsocket... no

checking for gethostbyname in -lnsl... yes

checking for crypt in -lcrypt... yes

checking for crypt in -lcrypto... no

checking how to run the C preprocessor... gcc -E

checking for ANSI C header files... yes

checking for sys/types.h... yes

checking for sys/stat.h... yes

checking for stdlib.h... yes

checking for string.h... yes

checking for memory.h... yes

checking for strings.h... yes

checking for inttypes.h... yes

checking for stdint.h... yes

checking for unistd.h... yes

checking crypt.h usability... yes

checking crypt.h presence... yes

checking for crypt.h... yes

checking fcntl.h usability... yes

checking fcntl.h presence... yes

checking for fcntl.h... yes

checking malloc.h usability... yes

checking malloc.h presence... yes

checking for malloc.h... yes

checking sys/poll.h usability... yes

checking sys/poll.h presence... yes

checking for sys/poll.h... yes

checking sys/select.h usability... yes

checking sys/select.h presence... yes

checking for sys/select.h... yes

checking sys/time.h usability... yes

checking sys/time.h presence... yes

checking for sys/time.h... yes

checking syslog.h usability... yes

checking syslog.h presence... yes

checking for syslog.h... yes

checking for unistd.h... (cached) yes

checking for gcc option to accept ANSI C... none needed

checking for an ANSI C-conforming const... yes

checking whether time.h and sys/time.h may both be included... yes

checking for mode_t... yes

checking for pid_t... yes

checking for vprintf... yes

checking for _doprnt... no

checking for gethostname... yes

checking for mkdir... yes

checking for poll... yes

checking for select... yes

checking for socket... yes

checking for strstr... yes

checking for strtoll... yes

checking for strtoq... yes

checking for perl... yes

configure: creating ./config.status

config.status: creating Makefile

config.status: creating src/Makefile

config.status: creating config.h

config.status: executing default-1 commands

*** Type "gmake" to build opendchub ***

*** If "gmake" does not work, try "make" ***

kelv@linux:~/opendchub-0.7.14>

[Tywais]

You're good to go. When it informs you like that at the bottom it is telling you everything is there and do the next step (in this case gmake or make). Normally 'configure' will show 'error' at various points if anything is missing and at the bottom will not give you information about the next steps to follow.

This assumes that the configure script is written with full dependency checks in it. You will know more after running 'make' if any libraries are missing that it may require. Usually though the configure scripts will check for those.

[kelv23]

You're good to go.  When it informs you like that at the bottom it is telling you everything is there and do the next step (in this case gmake or make). Normally 'configure' will show 'error' at various points if anything is missing and at the bottom will not give you information about the next steps to follow.

This assumes that the configure script is written with full dependency checks in it.  You will know more after running 'make' if any libraries are missing that it may require. Usually though the configure scripts will check for those.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK done all the steps but the programs not showing up on any menu

[Tywais]

OK done all the steps but the programs not showing up on any menu

Usually you have to add the program to your menus yourself. When you finished 'make' there will be an executable by the name (guessing here) of 'opendchub'. If you just run it from a terminal window by typing it's name in from the directory it is in it should run. If so then you need to add a menu item to point to it. Did the "INSTALL" file say anything about 'make install' after running make?

[kelv23]

kelv@linux:~> opendchub

Enter port number to listen for connections.

Ports below 1024 is only for root:

[Tywais]

kelv@linux:~> opendchub

Enter port number to listen for connections.

Ports below 1024 is only for root:

Congrats kelv23, you just successfully built your first application. You will need to read the documentation for the application (opendchub) to see what parameters need to be used and what they mean. There often is an initialization file that you can put them into with an editor but don't know anything about this DC app.

[kelv23]

kelv@linux:~> opendchub

Enter port number to listen for connections.

Ports below 1024 is only for root:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Congrats kelv23, you just successfully built your first application. You will need to read the documentation for the application (opendchub) to see what parameters need to be used and what they mean. There often is an initialization file that you can put them into with an editor but don't know anything about this DC app.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So theres no GUI for it then? Its not going to appear like say skype for example?

[Tywais]

kelv@linux:~> opendchub

Enter port number to listen for connections.

Ports below 1024 is only for root:

Congrats kelv23, you just successfully built your first application. You will need to read the documentation for the application (opendchub) to see what parameters need to be used and what they mean. There often is an initialization file that you can put them into with an editor but don't know anything about this DC app.

So theres no GUI for it then? Its not going to appear like say skype for example?

Need to check the website that sponsers the application and see what they say. It's possible that it is asking for the initial required parameters to set it up and then a GUI will start after you are finished. Also they will tell you the recommended port for example in the 6000 range is normal for P2P applications. Usually though you would see in the 'configuration' run a search for KDE or GNOME or TCL/TKL libraries to make it graphical.

[Wallalai]

So theres no GUI for it then? Its not going to appear like say skype for example?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From the Project page :

The hub is run as a daemon, i.e, it runs in the background [...]It's also possible to administer the hub directly from the chat in Direct Connect.

So I doubt there is an included GUI. But you should be able to administrate it through a software like dc-qt-frontend or DCGui-QT .

Some more file sharing softwares HERE. Have a look.

Good luck and always keep RTFM in mind.