General instructions for installing programs
 

Alright, how exactly do I go about INSTALLING anything in linux? (I'm running Fedora C2 specifically). I can download an rpm file or a .tar.gz file, but what do I do with these files after I've downloaded them? Can someone write out really clear command-line commands or something? Or at least point me to an FAQ that does so? I've googled around and can't find one. Thanks from a major newbie.

With tar.gz packages, go:

tar -zxvf package.tar.gz
cd package
./configure
make
make install

alternatively:

tar -zxvf package.tar.gz
cd package
./configure && make && make install

I never use rpm's..so I'm not exaclty sure. I do know, however, that its different for different distro's, and a quick search will find it faster than it takes me to type this:

http://google.com/linux

RPM is simpler, the command is:

rpm -i package.rpm for installing
and
rpm -e package.rpm for uninstalling