How do you install a tar.gz?
 

I downloaded iscan-1.10.0-3.tar.gz from epkowa.co.jp for my 'Epson Perfection 3170 Photo ' scanner and the Linux version of Adobe Acrobat reader, linux-509.tar.gz. I put them
in a folder named Downloads located in /home/username/Downloads. How do I install these .tar.gz items? One last thing, the Adobe reader came with an installation script. :newbie:

first su into a root shell by typing:
su
<enter your root password>

then cd into your 'downloads' directory eg:
cd /home/username/downloads

then.... tar.gz is a file which is compressed twice.. once by the 'tar' or Tape ARchive ( i think) compression the next is trhe 'gz' gzip .. which is winzip for linux.....
to unopac the file type:
gunzip thefilename.tar.gz

this wil ltake a second and if youtype 'ls' you will see taht the .gz has dissappeared from the file name... now...
tar -xvf thefilename

(tar is the command -eXstractVerboseForce are the options which are shortned to xvf.... one big list of files later and you will be abel to see the directory you have untarred by typing ls

cd directorycreatedbytar
ls

one of theese files should be called INSTALL type:
cat INSTALL

and reed... it will tell you excatally what to type to get the install script running.... however as a general guide typing....
./configure && make && make install
genberrally works okay... to brake it donw... ./configure tests the system to make sure you can compile the file... then && command meens literally 'uif the previous command works, do the next command' make tells the program to compile eg: install... and finalyy make install copies all the relovent files to there correct posisions on the os (i htink)

you're running FC1, so i'll assume the .tar.gz that you downloaded is a source package. -- run and that'll extract it. then read the <directory>/README and <directory>/INSTALL files which are commonly found

with install scripts, you usually just run those, otherwise it's usually --run from within the extracted directory