VERY NEW! A stupid question
 

I download something last night and I want to install it. I have no idea on how to do it. Is there a "tool" I need to use to install the software? I am try to install the firefox web browser.... I read that you have to "build the software" how do you do this? THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

What linux distribution are you using and what file did you download?

I am using Mandrake 9.0 and I am trying to install the web browser firefox 0.9 I have the uninstalled "package" sitting on my desktop

can specify

what package u are having

is it some .rpm or .tar.gZ
regards

There are three ways to install a program (at least that i can think of off the top of my head)

1. And this applies for firefox. Is that they have a binary installer, much like windows. In your case I beleive the package is compressed with gzip and tar it's extension should look like .tar.gz (this is a tarball) or with bzip and tar .tar.bz2

To extract the former type go to terminal, cd to the proper directory and type

tar -zxvf (package name.tar.gz)

for the latter

tar -jxvf (package name.tar.bz2)

the j means decompress bzip, the z means decompress gzip, the x means extract, the v means verbose and the f means force. (The last two are optional, but I prefer them)

this will create a new folder with the extracted stuff. go to that direcotry and run the installer file. in your case ./firefox-installer.

I recommend installing the program to /usr/local/firefox so all users can use it.

To access firefox, create a launcher that points to the file called firefox in the directory you installed it in. There should also be an icon in that direcotry too. It think it's in the "chrome" directory.

edit, generally speaking you should update your "bin"s, creating a symbolic link to the programs bin directory in /usr/local/bin (this contains the bin files which are the command line programs that run the program, Ideally a properly installed firefox is one in which one can type firefox as a command and have a browser pop up. I however have been unable to find the bins and have been accessing the program directly. If I figure out where firefox has it's bins, I'll elobarate further. You sue the ln command but I can't remember the syntax. type man ln for help on that and q or Control C when you are done.

2. Packages - RPM. If you get a program in RPM, which is the easist to install. Be root (or type su in terminal), go to terminal, go to the proper directory and type rpm -Uv (package name).

You're done, it should even update your menu too.

3. Compiling from source code:

extract the source code , go to the folder and read the installation instructions. The basic method is

./configure
make
make install

how about using mandrakes "home" icon, navigating to Desktop, double click, it will open the tarball, copy the firefox folder held within to the desktop, then going back to the home dir, move the firefox folder in, then open rxvt do
cd ~/firefox
./firefox-installer
seems easier to me, course i use mandrake 10 (i highly recommend running it vs 9)

FYI, the 'f' in tar -zxvf means 'file' not force. The filename of the archive must immediately follow the -f tag. So the syntax would be

tar -zxvf filename.tar.gz

and (at least in my very limited experience), you will generally always include the -f.

Just a little hint to avoid future headaches. I am also a newbie, and I struggle with these same kinds of problems as well :) Oh linux command syntax, why must ye be so confusing?

Firefox has easy to understand installation instructions on the page where you downloaded it from.