I just installed SUSE 10.0 and I wanted to try out enlightenment 17. I found that I'd need to use cvs to get the most recent beta but when I tried to use the command line tool it wasn't there! Fine, I moved on and decided that I'd just use their secondary, though possibly rather out-dated, download resource. That went well until I got to the configuration stage of installing from source.

I gather you're supposed to do this at the command line to install from source (more or less):
Everything went fine and dandy until I tried to use ./configure. Here's what I get everytime I try to use ./configure:
I assume that this must be user error or some misinterpretation of what I'm reading about compiling from source.

Unless you want bleeding edge there is no need for cvs.
Startup kde and under system you should find the package manager kpackage, or some such I'm not in SUSE at the moment, click on that to start and it will show you all the packages you can install and set up on your system, cvs shouldbe there as well, you will probably find what you are looking for there.

First up, when replying to someones comment don't edit your original post as your new post is not sent out for others to see either use the quote button or the quick reply window, which is what I'm using now.

To answer your question, the tar xvf <file> command will create a directory, usually, into which it puts all the tar contents in. You should see the head of this directory in the display above the command prompt when tar finishes, you now have to cd into this directory.
At this point do an ls to get a directory listing and look at any README or similar files these will tell you what you have to do to configure, make and install. sometimes these instructions are different for different kernals, cards etc. you may need to cd into a subdirectory before you do ./configure etc

By the way could you also update your location and distribution info it helps.

I'm sorry about the edit, I wasn't editing to reply (they replied while I was editing) I was editing because my original post only covered an issue I was having with cvs, which I've now just kind of given up on.

But what exactly does the "./" before configure mean? I just don't quite know =/

And thanks I'll try that

If you do "set" you will get a list of environment variables that are preset when your user account was created, one of those variables is PATH which shows you the order in which linux will try and find a program you want to execute. So if just type configure it linux will search in, usually, /bin /usr/bin /usr/local/bin etc but will not execute anything in your current working directory(CWD): this is to protect you from running maliscious code.

So, in order to execute a program in your CWD you have to preface it with "./"

You may find it useful to search the web for docs on howto use bash, make, gcc etc. Your questions are basically UNIX101.