problem using ./configure
 

i am attempting to compile my first tar...
i have unpacked the tar... and am attempting to use the
./configure
but this bash returns
bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

what am i doing wrong?

Did you change to the directory that the tarball extracted into? Usually listing the directory will tell you what this is (usually the same name as the tarball, minux the .tar extension).

yes... im in the new directory

Then perhaps the softwqare you're trying to install does not use autoconf to generate its Makefile or needs some extra steps to go through. Sometimes, for example, you need to actually run autoconf to create the configure script. There should be a README or INSTALL file detailing how to install the software. If not, let us know what software it is and we'll try to help.