Hi guys

I am really trying to learn the heart of linux, and not rely on gui's and package managers for everything. I am trying to download firefox 3.6. I downloaded the arc file, and extracted it to my home folder, but I don't know what to do next. I am also clueless as to how to install tar or tar.gz files, and tell them where to go, etc. Can anyone help? Firefox is the priority question here. I am sure I can get it from the package manager, but I want to learn to do it with the arc files, and tar files, etc, and not rely on the gui for everything like in Windows. I am a Linux newbie, converting to Linux for hobby and educational purposes, but I have no direction, or no sense of where to go, or how to learn. Thank you all in advance for your help. Any book reccomendations would be greatly appreciated. I am running Kubuntu 10.04 LTS.

With Firefox, a folder is created when you extract the archive. Simply open the folder and enter "./firefox". To make it accessible to all users, I think you neet to extract it in /opt, set the permissions appropriately, and add the pathname to $PATH.

Much easier to use the package manager....

More generally, what happens after extracting an archive depends on what you are installing. Sometimes it's ready to go (like FF), sometimes it's an installer script, and sometimes it's source code that needs to be compiled.

You can use your package manager without using GUI. Open a terminal and type: To learn about using the package manager from the Command Line Interface (CLI) type: This works for most, if not all linux commands: EDIT: It's ALWAYS best to use the package manager to install software, if at all possible.

Thanks so much guys. That makes me feel better about using the package manager. I know I am using a "noob" distro, but it works for me. I got pretty handy with Ubuntu 8.04 a while back, but I got bored, so I am wanting to learn KDE. I wanted to use openSUSE, but it is garbage. I couldn't get anything to work right it seemed like. Thanks again guys!

The ./firefox command worked, and opened firefox for me. How could I create a shortcut to it in my menu, or on my desktop? Or does that command make an icon available in the firefox folder. Does that ./xxxxx command work for most zipped files like that? Also, how do I create shortcuts on the desktop in KDE? I am completely clueless with this desktop system. I know I can drag and drop, but I am getting the impression that the desktop is more for widgets and not shortcuts in KDE. I know with gnome you could right click, choose create shortcut, or something similar to that, and then choose the application you wanted to make a launcher for.

Package managers are not for noob convenience. They are serious tools that really help manage the software on your Linux installation, both for noobs and advanced users.

You should ALWAYS use the package manager if possible.

What happens after unzipping is different for everything---I stated 3 possibilities earlier. There is no connection between the "./filename" syntax (which means "run filename in the current directory) and the fact that is was in a zipped archive.

In KDE, try "menu update" to get the app into the main menu. From there, you can create icons in the panel or on the desktop.

Yes, even Arch, a distro which is meant to be minimalist, has a package manager.

Veering further off topic: Don't ALL distros have package managers?

Except LFS.

touche!! (too-shay)