Stupid Newbie Q #3: How To Manually Install Software Fr. The Net???

Sumguy · 07-28-2010, 10:02 PM

Couldn't find this one in the forum search, though I thought for sure it'd be there- and I even read the manual....but to no avail.

How do I manually install software that I download off the net? i.e. like when I download a tar.gz or .deb file that is not found in the repository- and want to install it. I tried the old Winders(Windows) way- unzipping and double-clicking (Only in private, of course)....but I guess as most of you know...that does not work in LINUX.

I read in the manual where it says something about adding things to the repos- but they apparently have to be .pps or .ppa files or some junk....

So how does one install downloaded software manually in Ubuntu?

evo2 · 07-28-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Couldn't find this one in the forum search,

Hmm, seems your searching skills could use a bit of fine tuning.

Quote:

and I even read the manual....

What manual?

Anywho:

Code:

sudo dpkg -i foo.deb

foo.tar.gz will vary, but if it uses gnu autotools the procedure is something like

Code:

tar xzf foo.tar.gz
cd foo
./configure
make
sudo make install

HTH, YMMV,

Evo2.

Sumguy · 07-28-2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evo2

Hmm, seems your searching skills could use a bit of fine tuning.

Kind of what I was thinking when absolutely NOTHING came up (I'll try again tomorrow when I'm not tired....)

Quote:

Originally Posted by evo2

What manual?

Why, this manual [clears throat], of course:
http://ubuntu-manual.org/
(My search skills were working that day....)

Quote:

Originally Posted by evo2

Anywho:

Code:

sudo dpkg -i foo.deb

foo.tar.gz will vary, but if it uses gnu autotools the procedure is something like

Code:

tar xzf foo.tar.gz
cd foo
./configure
make
sudo make install

HTH, YMMV,

Evo2.

Gah?

The .deb routine seems easy enough. The tar.gz I'm not too clear on, but you've provided enough for me to figure it out, I'm sure. Thanks!!

cybercastaway · 07-28-2010, 11:28 PM

I am a newbie to Linux in a certain sense, and experienced in other ways. I know it is a pain when you first start, but it has been

my experience that there are better ways of going about installing software according to each distribution. For instance, I found

with Debian to install aMSN (the Linux version of MSN messenger), the best way is to just use add/remove programs. Conversely,

to install Skype I had to download it and look up how to install the dependencies in the terminal by reading on forums. The

manuals do not seem geared toward installing third-party software, but they leave that up to the third party. Really you need to

have search skills to learn your way around. That is how I turned an already awesome Debian installation into an even more

rockin' virtual machine I run in VMware. Try studying advanced search engine operators. Here are some helpful links...

For Yahoo:

http://www.bruceclay.com/newsletter/1004/seoperators.ht

ml

For Google:

http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators.html

For Bing:

http://help.live.com/Help.aspx?market=en-US&project=WL_Searchv1&querytype=topic&query=WL_SEARCH_RE

F_AdvancedSearch.htm

As you can see, using the operators is the best way to search. Once you get used to them, you will never use the search engines

the way you did before.

sumeet inani · 07-28-2010, 11:49 PM

I can tell you one thing , sumguy

The easiest way to install softwares is the repository (seems you are using ubuntu)

Code:

$sudo apt-get install Software_name

But installing from tarball helps when your computer does not have internet.
Though , with them during configure you will often get some dependency missing .
That would mean install devel package for that through repo or tarball of that library.
There is also a work-around.

Code:

$sudo apt-get build-dep software_name

Also
'sudo dpkg -i Debian_file' will succeed if the software is packaged into just that file.
Usually installing softwares involve multiple debian files .

craigevil · 07-29-2010, 12:44 AM

Installing software in Ubuntu : http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installingsoftware
InstallingSoftware - Community Ubuntu Documentation : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware
Ubuntu Cheat Sheet : http://www.scribd.com/doc/2608130/Ubuntu-Cheat-Sheet
Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference : http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/index_main.html

You might also want to read :
Debian Reference
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/

There is also a nifty reference card that you can print out.
http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#refcard

Basics of the Debian package management system
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/de...basics.en.html

The Debian package management tools
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/de...gtools.en.html

MTK358 · 07-29-2010, 07:52 AM

The .tar.gz is NOT a package!

It's a simple archive containing the human-readable source code (the stuff that non-open source developers keep top secret

) for a program. You have to compile it.

pixellany · 07-29-2010, 08:01 AM

Common misconception # 439: A .tar.gz archive does not always contain source code----it is simply a way of efficiently packaging files.

As already suggested: If possible, always use the package manager to install software.

If you have to install something that you downloaded, the first thing to do is extract the archive and look for instructions. (eg a README file)

Sumguy · 07-30-2010, 01:36 AM

Hello, Everyone!

[Communal reply]

Thanks for all the info and great links.

Cybercastaway: To tell you the truth, I really don't consider Ubuntu a pain. It actually seems more intuitive in many ways than Windows- or at least very similar to Windows- so just by a bit of exploring and looking around, I can pretty much do what I need to do. Everything seems to work very smoothly- and if I do get stumped...there's always you guys!

You'd think I'd be more proficient at searching after 'putering for 11 years...I will definitely rectify that issue. Although I have to say, I do like to try and get some live info from people in the know, as a simple question specific to one's situation can often save a lot of time and trouble.

Sumeet: Yes, I discovered that early on- always check the repositiories/Synaptic/Software Center first. I had downloaded a tar.gz file because I couldn't find that particular application in Synaptic...but then after downloading it and not being able to install it, I ended up checking Software Center and found it there, so installed it that way and discarded my downloaded version. I just started this post so that if the situation ever arises where I can't find something in a repos and need to install it manually...I'll know how. (Gotta love the apt-get command, too!! It doesn't get any easier than that- trouble is, how does one know which programs/apps are available vie apt-get?)

Craig: Reference card- excellent! I love stuff that's short and sweet and too the point- and contains all the info right in one place!

MTK: Now that is useful to know.

Pixel: The instructions! LOL- yes, I sawe the doc in the tar.gz....but for some reason, never thought to read it!!! (and surprisingly, this issue is not dealt with in the Ubuntu-manual.org downloadable manual. (And not dealt with sufficiently at help.ubuntu.com -at least as far as I could tell in a quick perusal)

Thanks, everyone, and goodnight.

evo2 · 07-30-2010, 02:18 AM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumguy

Gotta love the apt-get command, too!! It doesn't get any easier than that- trouble is, how does one know which programs/apps are available vie apt-get?

With the apt-cache command. For example if you are looking for the clasic first person shooter doom:

Code:

apt-cache search doom

Then among other packages you would see

Code:

prboom - clone of the legendary first person shooter Doom

For more information you could use apt-cache again:

Code:

apt-cache shwo prboom

For more information try googling for "apt howto".

Cheers,

Evo2.

b0uncer · 07-30-2010, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumguy

Gotta love the apt-get command, too!! It doesn't get any easier than that- trouble is, how does one know which programs/apps are available vie apt-get?

Well, apt has a list of available packages, and you can see that list. If you prefer graphical user interface, something like Synaptic does the job. Simply start it up, and scroll through or search the very long list of packages. From command line, you can use apt-cache, for example if you were interested in packages having to do something with php,

Code:

apt-cache search php

might return something useful. If you get no results, try other keywords, or if you get too many results to fit onto your screen at once, use a pager or scroll your terminal up.

The .tar.gz compressed archives are not packages as such, but can be used as packages--simply place some instruction files inside the package along with the to-be-installed files, write a "package manager" that knows to look for and act based on those instructions, and you've got yourself a .tar.gz package. Or you can rename it as .mysticpackage and tell people it's a Mystic Package, altough it of course really isn't...

One extra option, if you really can't get around any other way, is to download a package for some other distribution and convert it to a package for your distribution, if it is possible. There are tools like "alien" that can (at least try to) convert a .rpm package to .deb for you, but of course a native .deb package would be better, and perhaps source code as well (you can always compile the source yourself and form a package from it that suits your distribution, if you've got the tools installed).

Edit: ah, took too much time to write, evo2 was faster

Sorry.

By the way, Ubuntu (among some others) has implemented a way to get package names by typing in a command they provide, which may or may not be useful. For example if you'd like to run 'fancy-command', but it is not installed, typing

Code:

fancy-command

at terminal usually just tells you "command not found". On Ubuntu, if it finds the package which provides that executable, it in addition tells you the package name (and if I remember this right, the apt-get command to install it as well) that you'll get it from.

cybercastaway · 07-30-2010, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumguy

Cybercastaway: To tell you the truth, I really don't consider Ubuntu a pain. It actually seems more intuitive in many ways than Windows- or at least very similar to Windows- so just by a bit of exploring and looking around, I can pretty much do what I need to do. Everything seems to work very smoothly- and if I do get stumped...there's always you guys!

You'd think I'd be more proficient at searching after 'putering for 11 years...I will definitely rectify that issue. Although I have to say, I do like to try and get some live info from people in the know, as a simple question specific to one's situation can often save a lot of time and trouble.

That's what the messenger handles in the profiles are for.

repo · 07-30-2010, 04:51 AM

As a site note, make sure the source you download from is trustworthy.
Best way is to use the packagemanager from your distribution.

cybercastaway · 07-30-2010, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by repo

As a site note, make sure the source you download from is trustworthy.
Best way is to use the packagemanager from your distribution.

It is also good to get Avast anti-virus and anti-spyware for Linux. It is free for home use:

http://www.avast.com/linux-home-edition

Shadow_7 · 07-30-2010, 05:16 AM

Using your package management system for your distro is almost always the preferred way. Especially for newbies. How to use it should be well documented in your distro and probably on your distros website and user forums as well.

Baring that however.

.gz is a file archive format
$ man gunzip
$ man gzip

.bz2 is a file archive format
$ man bunzip2
$ man bzip2

.tar is a file archive format
$ man tar

.tar.gz is the combination of two archive formats. tar can normally handle both formats for you.
$ tar -xzvpf <file>.tar.gz

.tar.bz2 is the combination of two archive formats. tar can normally handle both formats for you.
$ tar -xjvpf <file>.tar.bz2

.tgz is shorthand for .tar.gz and other quirks depending on what, where, and when.

What you do with it after that is normally contained in the archive. Probably a README or INSTALL or other file that you can open in a simple text editor. A lot of times it's sources that need to be compiled and installed. But not always. And it can be a real headache if you don't have a development system installed yet, or know what you're doing. You can sometimes use your distros package management system to bundle it up from sources into a distro package. But that can be harder to do (or do right) than just compiling from source.

.deb is a file archive format specific to a package management system. You can install such a thing on a debian system with fairly simple commands.
# dpkg -i <package>.deb

But, if there's unmet deps and other things it can be more trouble than it's worth. And various others compiled against version X of something with compiler that differs from yours. And this is why you want to use your package management system. It has some built in layers of protection to keep you from shooting yourself in the foot. Not to imply bullet proof.

And then there's patches, repositories, and other joys of layering an LFS system over an existing system / distro. LFS being the short form of linux from scratch. Which might be worth reading about if you're truly curious about what happens under the hood. And otherwise don't have anything productive to do with your life.