Hi, i just downloaded "gaim-0.75.tar.gz"
i extract all the files in it and i got a folder call "gaim-0.75"
than there is a bunch of stuff in it!!! AND i don't know what to do next!

plz help me, thx

Is there a README file? If so, you might want to try reading it ;-)

well, there is a read me files, it doens't tell me anything except tell me to read the "install" but i cannot find the "install"

what should i do, plz help!

Its usually

cd to dir where you have untared the styff
(Eg: cd /opt/gaim-blah)
./configure
make
make test
make install

Are you SURE there is no install/INSTALL file in there ?

nram

there is a install, install-sh
it is the only 2 so call "install" files i see!

by the way, there is something really confuse me
when i install programs, can i install anywhere i want or i have to install it back to the /urs/bin/ or /usr/lib/ ....etc?

ok, now i run ./configure and it did a bunch of stuff

now, i type make, make test, make install

they all gives me an error saying
"make: *** No rule to make target "test". Stop
No Target specified and no makefile found. Stop.



I also go error during the ./configure

*** Could not run GTK+ test program, checking why...
The test program failed to compile or link
exact error that occured. This usuallly means GTK+ is incorrectly installed.

The reason you're getting this --> "make: *** No rule to make target "test". Stop -- is because ./configure is failing obviously. If configure fails, then a Makefile will not be created, and thus make will not work.

"there is a install, install-sh"
Try opening "install" with a text editor, pager, whatever (i.e "less install"). That should probably just give you generic compilation instructions (./configure && make && make install). Might be a good idea to check it out anyhow.

The configure error you're getting specifically sounds like either gtk+ is not installed (i.e you don't have Gnome or any gtk apps on your box, somewhat unlikely for most people), or more likely you don't have the devel packages for gtk (something like libgtk-devel). Devel. packages contain headers among other things, and are neccessary to compile software. Check configure.log as well to see what else might be going on. Bear in mind that, as simple as compilation can be, it's really a developmental process, and if you therefore run into problems you may have to hack around to get it to work.

Long story short (and I probably should have told you this from the start), it'd probably be best for you to just get a binary package for your distro. If there isn't one listed on Gaim's website, you can check out rpmfind.net or Red Carpet 2 (my fav) for RPM based distros, and apt-get for Debian based, and if you're running some geekier distro you should be ashamed of yourself for not figuring this out on your own ;-P