Hello guys...
I have just switched from Windows XP to Fedora Core 7. I am finding it diificult to install or uninstall any software.
I found the linux versions of some softwares in the form of .rpm, .bin and .tar.gz files. Could anybody suggest me what are the best ways to install these files? i.e. whether they should be opened with "Software Installer" or are there any better commands to get them installed?
I don't know anything about linux. Please try to explain clearly.
Thanks in advance.

to install .tar.gz
tar zxvf <filename>.tar.gz
cd <filename>
./configure
make
switch to root
make install
to install rpm files
as root run rpm -ivh <filename>.rpm
to install .bin files
./<filename>.bin

rpms install with the rpm command.
bin files are executable type files that usually run and installer.
tar files are archive files like zip. Extract and read the install readme docs on how to install. They sometimes differ as to what is needed to compile.
You can use google to search those terms and read about them.
Also the man command can help. Like for rpm command type ' man rpm '. One can learn a lot about commands and config files using the man command.

Brian

Fedora defaults to rpm packages, but like any other Linux distro, can also install .bin and .tar.gz files.
Rpm stands for RedHat Package Manager, and the files in installs have a .rpm extension. Somewhere in your system m
enu, you should find the GUI package manager. It should show you which files are available on the installation cd,
and flag which are installed. To install something not already installed, select it and click on Install/Apply/et
c, whatever the option button is. Dependencies for rpms on the cd should also be installed from the cd.

Rpm doesn't provide any more dependency resolution than that. If you download and try to install an .rpm from some
other source, you will have to resolve those depencency problems yourself.

There are other distros which are .rpm derivatives. Packages for those distros will not necessarily work in Fedora
. So, whenever possible, get your .rpms from a Fedora repository.

The alternative is .src.rpm. But that's a bit beyond you at this point.

.bin files are binary files. To install them, you must first make the file executable. In a console, cd (change directory) to the directory that contains the file, and issue this command: chmod +x <filename>.bin, where <filename
> is the name of the file.

Then, this command: ./<filename>.bin should run it.

.tar.gz files are source files in gzip compressed format. First you must uncompress the file, then unpack the file
, then cd into the folder it creates and compile the file. Most commonly, three commands: ./configure, make, make
install. You can do both unzip and unpack in one command with: tar zxvf <filename>.tar.gz.

You may occaisionally find one with other commands. In any case, after unpacking a .tar.gz, look for READ
ME and INSTALL files for instruction on how to compile and install.

Be advised that applications installed via .tar.gz don't update or upgrade as easily as .rpms. Tar is a old format
, and that functionality (update and upgrade) haven't bee added to tar.
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