Is it REALLY this hard to install a package?
 

Come on people, how can this be?
Slackware 9.1 comes on 2 CD's, installs @ 1 1/2 gigs.
Yet can't figure out a package made for it?
Did i select a dud package?
Who else has installed Gift? How?

THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY!
(I know there is but I don't know it yet.)

Couldn't find this package at slackware.org so went:
http://personalpages.bellsouth.net/b...n03/slackware/
DL'd:
giFTcurs-0.6.0burn-i686-1.tgz
gift-0.11.3burn-i686-1.tgz
gift-plugins-0.0.1burn-i686-1.tgz

Used Kpackage to install them.
Re-started, then activated /usr/bin/giftd, nothing.
activated /usr/bin/giftcurs, locked up my box!
1st real lockup I've had with 9.1

It's a bit disheartened when this sort of thing happens.
After searching for an answer I found none.
Enough whining . . .

Please send help!

Thanks,
John.

If it's not for 9.1 but 9.0 build it from source.
Not hard at all.


Cheers,
Tink

No, I was a windoze tech for almost 8 years, when i finally got disgusted with it and choose to swap to linux, i noticed many things, one of which was that obtaining, installing, and configuring software, is easier and faster on linux, than it ever was in win..

heres what i did to install gift + giFTcurs
download packages to my usb drive
transfer to a directory /gift
cd'd to /gift
tar -zxvf gift-(version).tar.gz
cd'd to gift-(version) directory
./configure
make
make install

same five commands for giFTcurs-(version)
hell you can do them all on the same line in a bash console
as root
tar -zxvf gift-(version).tar.gz;./configure;make;make install

this gave me a complete install, though since i don't know what gift is and problably don't want to use it, i am now going to rm it.

hope it helps, console is king.
JD

PS. all software was obtained in standard source format, .tar.gz compressed form freshmeat http://www.freshmeat.net

I followed your instructions and now have the programs in their own dirs.
I'd done that uncompress process before with out really knowing what I was doing . . .
How do you start these programs?

Thanks very much!
John.

it is probably gift. type "g" or "gi" and press "tab" and you'll see it.

M.

./configure create a makefile which will be actually used for building the package through the command "make", "make install" then installs the built programes to the target dir u gave to configure. Say if u done "./configure --prefix=/usr/local". Then the binaries will be likely installed into /usr/local/bin, their documentation/manual pages into /usr/local/man ..

Normally if u used --prefix=/usr/local or --prefix=/usr u will be quite safety. If don't gave any "--prefix=xx" there is normally a default prefix, can read from the README, INSTALL or from the Makefile. U should also find wut the buit program should be called from there. That is overview on handling with configure/make stuff, that is common in linux, just do it then u ll learn ..

The answer for the easier way to install a PACKAGE:
NOTE about slackware packages: Not every abc.tgz is a slackware package ! U ll find slackware packages on yer CDROM on /slackware/{a,ap,d,e,f,gnome,k,kde,kdei,l,n,t,tcl,x,xap,y}, or from some third party sites like linuxpackages.net ..

To find out whether a package say java sdk is installed on yer system, do "cd /var/log/packages; ls -lA|grep java" will show u every package starting with java, therefore it is important to remember the keyword/name of a package, slackware package almost always start with that keyword+release-info ..
so for the above u might also do "ls -l | grep j2sdk". If some related package is installed, u can delete that package first by "removepkg j2sdk-xxxx", then go to say "cd /mnt/slackware-cd/slackware/l" then install a package (answer to your question) is installpkg j2sdk-xyz

done !

I'm afraid that miaviator278 left out two steps:

1) after 'cd'd to gift-(version) directory' you should read the two files README and INSTALL.

In the README file, you'll find information about running giFT, the most important part being that you must run the gift-setup script that sets up the config files for giFT.

2) after 'make' you should su to root.

If you're not root, then 'make install' step won't work for most programs.

Another very important point to remember is that most of your questions can be answered more effectively by using the search feature of this forum. For example:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...highlight=gift

Enjoy!
--- Cerbere

Thanks Cerbere!
Next time I 'll search better . . .
How did you make out with gift?
I tried the konsole method, it seemed to work OK!
BUT, I must admit kPackage is easier, long as you have a real package.
I installed the packages as I originally outlined in my 1st note.
THEN I ran gift-setup
I run through a SMC router so tried to get the numbers right.
Here's what I get now:

root@hal1:~# giftd -v
[09:01] giftd 0.11.3 (Jul 31 2003 11:27:53) started
[09:01] OpenFT: ft_openft.c:156(openft_start): Booya! OpenFT in the house!
[09:01] OpenFT: 0.0.0.0:0 (USER) -> FINAL:
[09:01] *** GIFT-ERROR: bind: Address already in use
[09:01] *** GIFT-ERROR: OpenFT: unable to successfully bind listening ports, aborting OpenFT startup
[09:01] *** GIFT-FATAL: unable to start 'OpenFT', no idea why (hopefully the protocol provided some info)
[09:01] *** Often times more information can be found in the log file or with the -v command line switch.
root@hal1:~#

If you run through a router could you help me out with the numbers?
Thanks!
John.

Dont forget about checkinstall!! This is a great program. I run ./configure make and then instead of running make install I run checkinstall. checkinstall creates a slackware package then installs it to the same place as make install would. It leaves the package in the current directory. Now you can save it and reinstall the package anytime you need to, plus you can use the standard removepkg command to remove it. That way if the program doesnt have a make uninstall you wont be up a creek.

Good point, and thank you for correcting me, Those files will always tell you how to install and run a decent program, and being that i am a learn by documentation fanatic, i should have included that...

My apoligies...