I need help installing packages through the shell i need help for installing .tar.gz, and .bz2. i have a .rpm manager but knowing how to install those through the shell would be much appreciated. if someone could atleast tell me step by step how to do this this would help greatly. thank you. <---- yes i am sorry

To install such packages you have to unpack them first. Use tar zxvf for the .tar.gz files and tar jxvf for the tar.bz2. Then go to the directory they've created and read the INSTALL and README files. Usually after that you must run "./configure", "make" and as root "make install"

I wouldn't bet on them working once you did, though.

The entire point of having a binary (RPM) distribution is that the program is already compiled in a manner compatible with SuSE library locations and file tree protocols.

A "loose" source tarball will probably not respect (or even know about) any changes SuSE has made in default filepaths, so may install to the "wrong" place, if it installs at all (because the libraries it needs to install and/or run are in the "wrong" place as far as the .configure and Makefiles are concerned).

And this of course assumes that you have all of the development tools available (make, autoconf, etc), which, as I understand it, are not even available on SuSE Personal Edition. In which case you're "physically" incapable of compiling an application from source, as you don't have the compiler necessary to do so.

On the whole, binary distros strongly discourage users from compiling from source, and do so with good reason. The preferred method of program installation is to use binary RPMs compiled for your distribution, also with good reason.

If you really want to make a habit of compiling applications from source, use a distro that supports that better, such as Slackware, Gentoo, LFS, or SourceMage. Even Debian supports compiling from source better than a binary distro such as RedHat, SuSE, or Mandrake.

yes but bathory i know how to unpack the files in shell command. after i unpack them i cd to the dir. then i type ./configure and i get a few error messages. and i thought this may have been normal so i typed make but there was no ability to do so.

but motub, where should i unpack these tarballs to? if i need to have the unpacked files in the same dir as the autoconf, etc files. what dir do these need to be unpacked to? /bin? /bin/usr?

and i thank you for helping me out alot... i have been a fullblown linux box usr for about three-4 days so far. but i absolutely love it. no windows here and i have found that linuxquestions.org is the best source besides books for me to find answers this young into a linux box owner's life. so thank you again