Installing software..
 

Hi,
I have just given Linux another go!! That is I have installed Simple-Mepis on another drive, yes its good and unlike my last try with Red-Het all seems to work. But how do I install new software and programs... it sure aint' anything like windows, Ho'dear bad language.
I know they come in packages and are .Tag, GZ, etc. I just need a few basic instructions to try, and how do I control where it's installed??

Any help would be much appreciated..
kind regards
Mel.

Mepis is a binary distribution; that means it has a package management system (I think it's apt) with which you can install precompiled packages, and thus don't need to compile them from source if you don't want to. For example to install a package called firefox from the web you could use
or some front-end for apt (if I remember right, Mepis is something off Ubuntu which is based on Debian which uses apt..)

Or, if you downloaded a Mepis-specific .deb binary package, you could install it with
Those .tar files are (non-compressed) archives, and anything that ends with .bz2 or .gzip or .Z are compressed files. Thus .tar.gz and alike are compressed archives. They contain anything, but mostly software distributed in compressed archives is source code, which you'll need to compile in order to use it. The classic three-step method is to run
the last step requires root privileges, first two don't. First one configures the source (actually it runs a script file called 'configure' from the current directory), second compiles the code and third copies the compiled files to the right places in your system. Note: there are many other ways, and you'll eventually bump into things like autoconf etc. so the build process can, and often will, be different from that. Instructions are in files called README and/or INSTALL, read those -- they are inside the archive file you download. Read, and you'll know what to do. My instructions? Start off with the binary files - they're easy :) resemble those .MSI installer files, but are somewhat different. You don't have to worry about where they install, it's predefined (you can change that, but don't have to).

Hello and welcome,

The simplest way to install software on your distro is to fire up the package manager with K->System->package manager.
Then use the reload button and the search button.
Select your software with a right click, then go with the "Apply" button.
Your software is then ready to use.

More advanced options are available on the command line with the "apt-get" command. try "man apt-get" for in depth informations.

Regards

the debian package manager is usually Adept or Synaptic or if you like the command line you can type aptitude

Installing programs in Simple Mepis
 

HI,
Thanks to all for your replies...

It looks like installing software's not too difficult, but can't quite get to grips with it..

I have Just installed Avast from a DEB package that's should suit my difficult OS. I did it from the terminal with dpkg -i avast4workstation_1.0.8-2_i386.deb. It all seemed to go OK,as the terminal displayed a list of actions, none of which looked like a disaster. But now I can't find the program or run it, where as it gone??

I was logged in a ROOT, as usual as I'm the only one using the computer... Can't remember if I read this was a bad idea. Or I suppose you need to be root in order to install software..

Help!!

Regards

Cactusface

BAD STOP, Please don't log in as root, you can harm your computer. just use su or sudo install a package like
$ sudo apt-get install avast
or
$ su
Password:
apt-get install avast
exit