Installing Programs
 

As a complete newbie and sooooo use to the windows enviroment, the thing I am having trouble with is that I have installed SuSE 7 which I like alot, and it's when I want to install programs that I have downloaded from the net, how does Linux know where to install the software, I use the terminal window and then I use tarxxxxx.xxx.xxx.xx, the program is then extracted as far as I know and then how do you tell the program where to install.

As we all know within Windows it's easy to install, click, click choose Drive and Directory name, click, click and then it's installed, it's differnt in Linux so all I am asking is

How do you install a downloaded file into the correct directory?

Regards

Generally two kinds of installs - rpm and build from source. Think of rpm as sort of like using InstallShield in Winders.

If you're installing source files (commonly d/l'd as .gz, tar.gz, bz2...) you need to unpack them to any directory you want and then configure and compile the source. Once that is complete you need to become the superuser and install (copy compiled binaries and/or libraries) everything to where it wants to live.

Genereic instructions:
1. unpack killerapp.tar.gz ' tar -xvzf killerapp.gz' should unzip and untar the bundle to the default directory that is (usually) set by the devloper(s). After this is done you should see a folder in the directory you unpacked it like 'killerapp-0.1/'.

2. 'cd' to that directory and READ the README and INSTALL notes that are commonly included.

3. run the configure script. './configure.sh' (as an example. The README and INSTALL docs will be more specific) The scripts check that your machine contains the necessary tools to build the code.

4. 'make' the project. usually just typing make will suffice. (Insert nag to read the docs here).

5. become the superuser (root) - 'su'

6. 'make install'

7. Did you read the README and INSTALL docs?

rpm installs - depending on your distro there are several tools to manage and install .rpm packages. You also need to make sure that teh rpm you are installing was built for your specific architecture and ditribution/software base.

Installing Programs
 

Thanks for your advice it worked a treat, I did what you said and installed pppoe for my ethernet card and it installed it in to the correct directories and I also clicked on the K Start button, I'm using KDE, I want Gnome but I'm having trouble, anyway I clicked on the K button and looked in the Internet section and there it was it also loads up if I type the command in a terminal and now it loads up automatically after reading some instructions from the Documents folder.

Again many thanks for your kind instructions.

If I may ask, now that my conection is up and running using PPPOE my browser is still looking at my old modem which is how I have logged on now, how do I change Netscape and soon Opera to use my eternet card? and not my old modem.

Regards