how to install .tar.gz files

zaphanol · 08-10-2003, 05:10 PM

How do I install .tar.gz files? I dont get it... Please help.

Thanks,

Riley · 08-10-2003, 05:21 PM

first
tar -zxvf file.tar.gz (this unzips the archive)
cd newdir (go to the directory you just unzipped)
./configure (configure for your machine)
make (compile)
su root (become root user so have install permissions)
make install (install software)

Gªutama · 08-10-2003, 05:21 PM

.tar.gz is a compressed archive similar to .zip (usually called a tarball). These file usually contain the source code and you have to compile it yourself.

first you have to unpack it

Code:

tar -zxf filename

flags explanation:
z run through gzip filter
x extract
f force (like saying "just do it will ya")

probably this will create a folder similar to the filename but without .tar.gz
enter it
look for files called INSTALL, README or anything else interesting.
Follow any instructions in the files mentioned above.

Generally installation procedure is:

Code:

./configure 
make

this will configure and compile the program. hopefully everything will work. If not you have to look at the error messages and try to fix it, this can be really hard.

Now you just have to install the program, this has to be run as superuser

Code:

su
make install

Now it should be installed.

Riley · 08-10-2003, 05:23 PM

EDIT: whoops

zaphanol · 08-10-2003, 06:00 PM

thanks...

whansard · 08-10-2003, 06:46 PM

tar just puts all the files end to end to make them
compress better with gzip. ANYTHING can be in a
tarball. source code that you want to compile. some
precompiled package you just have to extract. or some
precompiled package with it's own installer that you
have to run to install it. most often it is source code
that you have to compile to use. since things vary so much
you must read instructions inside to tarball or from
where you got it to know what to do. most websites
will list all the instructions. you will almost always
have to download a bunch of different stuff to get
something to work.

Slider847 · 04-24-2004, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gªutama
.tar.gz is a compressed archive similar to .zip (usually called a tarball). These file usually contain the source code and you have to compile it yourself.

first you have to unpack it

Code:

tar -zxf filename

flags explanation:
z run through gzip filter
x extract
f force (like saying "just do it will ya")

probably this will create a folder similar to the filename but without .tar.gz
enter it
look for files called INSTALL, README or anything else interesting.
Follow any instructions in the files mentioned above.

Generally installation procedure is:

Code:

./configure make

this will configure and compile the program. hopefully everything will work. If not you have to look at the error messages and try to fix it, this can be really hard.

Now you just have to install the program, this has to be run as superuser

Code:

su make install

Now it should be installed.

Where do you enter all this?

whansard · 04-24-2004, 10:50 PM

with tar the "f" means file instead of device, not force.
tar is a command line application. enter in the terminal or console.
there are some frontends for it though.

Siljrath · 11-08-2004, 03:47 AM

Quote:

with tar the "f" means file instead of device, not force.
tar is a command line application. enter in the terminal or console.
there are some frontends for it though.

know any names of them? I have alot to install and play with, and i nearly everythin i downloaded are tar gzips which seem to take the longest to intstall. waaaa. i want gui! its been too long since command lines for me... i want to click a mouse button! waaaa!

whansard · 11-08-2004, 08:53 AM

http://freshmeat.net/search/?q=tar+f...&Go.x=0&Go.y=0