To date, I have been a RPM user, as I'm still a newbie to Linux. But, I wanted WINE and winehq.com was pretty insistent about compiling source instead of using packages.

WINE was the first tar I have downloaded that didn't produce an error at the end of ./configure. It's happily compiling as I write this. (I'm still keeping my fingers crossed, though.)

My question: as updates to WINE come out, I'm going to want to install and use those changes. Does one usually have to "uninstall" to install new versions of software compiled from source files (tar)? How is that done? (I ask because the README and INSTALL files that were in the source directory didn't mention uninstall procedures...)

If anyone could refer me to a good tutorial on the general principles and steps for installing and removing software from tarballs, I will RTFM. (I like to know the "how" and "why" of these things...)

Many thanks!

you *should* uninstall software (with "make uninstall") before installign a newer version, but it is seldom essential as the old files will just get overwritten by the new. but ther'es always a chance the developers have change the setup somewhere.

Thanks!

...What does "make clean" do?

Would I be unable to do a make uninstall if I had previously done a make clean?

Make clean erases the Makefile and other stuff that is created when you do ./configure. You use this when you get a error at ./configure and want to try installing it again.

And yes you still will be able to uninstall. Make clean only effects the files inside the source folder.

do you have to do the "make uninstall" from inside the source where you compiled it?