LinuxQuestions.org - manual installation of programs

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manual installation of programs

Hello Folks!

I am running SuSE v9.2 and Id like to know how to install programs without the use of YaST. I guess that's called "manual installation".

Anyhow, any help would be appreciated (SP?)

P.S. If you have any other words of wisdom that you think might be helpful to a poor newbie, that would be great as well!

THNX!

The Redneck

It varies from program to program, but quite a lot follow a similar procedure:
- Download the source code (this is often a compressed archive);
- Extract the source code. If the archive name ends in .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 use:

Code:

tar -zxf archive-name.tar.gz

tar -jxf archive-name.tar.bz2

- cd to the directory created by the extraction
- Read the readme and install files
- Install any pre-requisites
- Run the following, supplying any of the options explained in the docs

Code:

./configure

make && make check

su -

make install

Words of wisdom? Always read the readme and install docs... :)

You also have to worry about dependencies, you should be more specific, as if you are trying to install mplayer manually it will be a lot different than trying to install opera manually. Either way there is detailed documentation for both online. Is there a specific program that you are after?

Well, specifically I wanted to install either xine or mplayer. I'm not sure wich one is better though. All I want to use it for is watching movies.

Thanks to the both of you!

Much better is MPlayer :)

PS: Probably, The RedNeck want to install manually some rpm's too :p

When I am looking for a new software, I search for an .rpm file. I find it easier and more straightforward to install. To install these types of files, you just need to give the command

rpm -ihv file.rpm (to install)
rpm -Uhv file.rpm (if you want to update an already existing software)

Cheers

Wow. Nobody says how to use rpms here? I run SuSE. Fucking hate YaST... And i dont know why. To manually install an rpm.. goto a command line and cd to where the rpm is. You can install by using

rpm -Uvh [packagenamehere]

normally. Please, Google Smart Package manager, and look for the suse download page in the first result returned. In other words, install Smart Package manager (either manually or YaST wise) and use it :) It ROCKS. Basically, you need the packages for your version. The one with nothing after it and the gui one.

You must be root to install rpms, so if the reason you need to manually install rpms, your screwed... if your despret to not use root, you can extract it somewhere using file-roller on gnome... then you can atleast run the inner binaries. for library packages, or any package with .so, try extracting it somewhere you have write access... and then, the following command:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=[location of .so files]:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

and programs using it will now run. If you have done this, it will literally install the stuff... unfortanatally, it will not register. So you need --nodeps on the rpm command to force it to STFU when you have all dependencies except for the one manually installed...

So in other words... Use root. Use Smart package manager. If smartpm is not satisfying..... You CAN directly execute rpms and install them using YaST still. It may fail some dependencies... you can search for those too which probably also have dependencies... and so one. Welcome to dependency hell!

Good luck :)

edit: @fatra2: you beat me to it :) I use Uvh even when its a fresh install. Seems to work fine.

I fully agree with you, nmn. I also use the command "rpm -Uhv" for a new iustallation. If the package is not yet install, it will do so. If the package if already installed, it will update it, only if you have a newer version of it.

Cheers

Thank's chaps! I'll give that a try.

God Bless!