hi i'm totally new to linux, and having trouble getting going. I'm currently using fedora core 2, and i have been able to do many things i normally did on windows, but when it comes to installing new programs i am lost. May seem stupid, but there you have it. I do a ./configure and make install, and my understanding is that in general, to use the given program i just need to run the executable... my only problem is figuring out what file is executable. I'd be very thankful for help, linux seems to be lacking nothing i want if only i could figure out how to run progs. Last thing i want is to be part of a demand for Windows, whether it be by pirating or buying it. I am confidant that this particular problem is simple, i just need to be pointed in the right diretion.

thanks

Well generally the executable name is simply the name of the program. For example, if you install XMMS it's a fair bet that the executable will be called xmms (binaries are nearly always exclusively lower case).

However, if you install something and you're just not sure of exactly what it's called but you have a vague idea you can always use the autocomplete feature of the shell to let it make suggestions. For example, let's say you're not quite sure what you need to type to run the xproperties program (it gives window info when you click on a window), so in the shell start typing xpr and then press tab twice... it will suggest all binaries on the system that it could be. Try it...

Alternatively, if you've tried just typing the name and nothing happens, it could be that you've installed it into the default location (/usr/local/bin) but that path isn't in your search path, in which case you can either type the full path to run it, or add that to the search path by adding:
to your .bashrc file.

To see your current path type:

Oh, should add that if you look in the src or source directory (whichever is present) for the program you've just compiled, an ls --color listing will show executables in green...that will give you an idea of the name of the file as it's installed on the system.

e.g. if you've unpacked the tarball containing the program source to: /home/joe/aterm-0.6 then look in /home/joe/aterm-0.6/src (or source) to see what the executable is.

fedora is an rpm based distro...so you're best bet is to find the programs you wanna run in the "rpm" format...i.e. gaim.rpm.

http://www.rpmseek.com is a great place to start....most programs are available in an rpm format. once you download them, simply open a terminal, su to root and type rpm -i <packagename>.rpm and it'll install

*edit:

you should also check out http://www.icon.co.za/~psheer/book/index.html

it's an online book that will teach you tons about linux, and rpm...

He's got the programs installed, just doesn't know the executable name...and in any case I couldn't disagree more - RPM is a horrible format whose soul purpose is to give a rash of dependency errors whilst putting newbies off linux for a while in frustration.

Stick to source, you'll have far fewer problems, trust me.

I would add that since you are using Fedora, the Apt-get program may be helpful. This is sort of equivalent to Windows Update but it is also capible of getting new software and installing it. There is numerous articles on apt-get but an introduction is at:

http://www.linux-mag.com/2003-10/apt_01.html

In addition to installing source RPM's for you, apt-get can also scan your system to see what updates you need and then install those updates for you.
This is LinuxMagazine article.

In Slackware you can use whereis which tells you where the binary, source, and man page is for a specific program,
ex; blah@blah:/$ whereis ls
ls: /bin/ls /usr/bin/ls /usr/man/man1/ls.1.gz /usr/share/man/man1/ls.1.gz

Also in Slack you can use whatis which tells you what programs are which is helpful for starting off
ex; blah@blah:/$ whatis whereis
whereis (1) locate the binary, source, and manual page files for a command


I'm not sure if Fedora has these apps installed or not though....

Hope It Helps!