Question about installing packages
 

I know there is a Vector Linux forum, but it didnt look like a very active forum, so I decided to post my question here since VL is based on slackware and is slackware compatible. I have not downloaded it yet, but I am considering installing it on a computer I will built out of mismatched canabilized parts from other systems. How do I install packages for VL? I know you can compile packages from source, but I do not know how to do that, but am O.K with that. Is there some type of app that I can point to the source location that will compile and install it?

Vector was compatible with Slackware packages last time I used it. Presumably, it still is. Check the website to see.

So that'd be 'installpkg name-of-package'.

Seems like there was even a desktop icon to go get more packages or something, but I never used it.

Compiling from source, when things go well, is a breeze and, even when things go wrong, is usually (usually) pretty easy to fix. So you might want to give it a shot. The world is your oyster then and you never have to worry about whether there's a package for your distro or which one you need or whatever.

-- Oh. If you want an auto-compiling system, you might want Gentoo or FreeBSD. But I'd recommend an actual Slackware, of course. :)

installing from source is normally done with
./configure
make
su to root
make install

you may want to investigate checkinstall for the make install. it makes a slack pack that will make your life easier for removing or upgrading.

you only use installpkg for slackware packages. one good source for those is linuxpackages.net

OK, thanks very much.

OK, I know i should post in CollegeLinux forum but again, since it is based on Slack too I'll post it here.
I have downloaded CL2.5 image and burnt it on CD, but (me dumb :D) I forgat to make CD bootable.
So, now I've got a CD full of packages and I'd like to give them a try. How can I compile them? I looked into tarballs and there are no Configure and Install scripts in them :(
As an usual Slack based distro CL has all the packages divided into groups like A,F...X, XAP etc.
Again I can feel the question sounds dumb but I'm a n00b :D

----edit-----

BTW, will checkinstall be of any help in this situation?


thanks in advance

If they end in .tgz they are probably precompiled binaries. You will need a running Slack based system to install and try them, otherwise you will need to manipulate them for another linux system.

Oh and you really should start a new thread for a new question.

Actually, what you want to do now is create a bootable floppy disk since you can't boot from your CD!!! There should be a folder on your CD-ROM that labeled bootdisks. You need to use "rawrite.exe" in the same folder to create a bootable floppy disk. Just pick a kernel from that or if not sure, already read README.TXT. Then, boot your system using that floppy disk and tell it to look for in the CD-ROM.

That's all there is to it. ;)

y2k

p.s. Or at least that's how you would do it in Slackware 10.0!