How to install a bz2 package?
 

I downloaded some source files in xxxxx.tar.bz2 format.
How would I install a package that is in that format
on slackware?

you should extract the source and compile it yourself. It might be easier to search for this software at SlackBuilds.org for a ready build script that will do this for you:

http://slackbuilds.org/

Actually, this file most likely is not a package, but contains the source code of the SW you want to install. I would suggest extracting it on a directory (ie /usr/src) and then read the README or INSTALL file usually contained in the pack.

I think I tried this and it did not work --> slackpkg install seamonkey.tar.bz2

So I did this (specified current directory) --> slackpkg install ./seamonkey-2.32.tar.bz2



5 minutes of garbage on screen

then please wait for a minute

then 5 minutes of stuff about grep like:
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Invalid range end
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Invalid range end
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Unmatched [ or [^
grep: Unmatched
then 5 minutes of rotating the characters - / | \
so that it looked like a spinning bar.

then 2 minutes of more grep stuff.

then the rotating bar again for minutes

then more alternating grep stuff and rotating bar forever
I finally did a control-C to get aborted the rotating bar
after about 20 minutes.

To my surprise it got installed, and seems to work.

What a puzzling mess!

Slackware comes with seamonkey, if you did a full install.

From where did you get that tar file?

I will check out the slackbuilds.org

Thanks all for the help. I guess the problem is fixed, maybe?

I did the full install, and had seamonkey but it was an older
version, but I wanted an update, because they said there was
some security issues with what I had.

I also uninstalled the older version.

I got the newer from this site:
http://www.seamonkey-project.org/releases/

I downloaded the first one at the top of the page version 2.32

...

do you know how to work with slackpkg, how to install and uninstall packages, pkgtool, etc?

may be we start from here :)

Probably seamonkey was already installed, as Richard Cranium said: it's part of Slackware. That's why you can run it.

You won't find it in slackbuilds.org that ships only packaging material for software not already included in Slackware.

The slackpkg install command is only for Slackware package, and seamonkey.tar.bz2 is not a Slackware package but a source tarball as koloh said, hence the errors.

As previously mentioned it is better to use the Sea Monkey that ships with Slackware. However, if you must have the latest package you could try to use gnashley's utility called src2pkg. His utility takes source files and creates a Slackware package that you can install using the installpkg command. That may work for you.

Src2pkg

Well I guess it is not really fixed. I am using it right now,
but I have to run it as root.

It will not run as a simple user, it gives the following errors when
running it as an ordinary user:

bash-4.2$ seamonkey
1422627568044 addons.manager WARN Application shipped blocklist has an unexpected namespace (http://www.mozilla.org/newlayout/xml/parsererror.xml)
GLib-GIO-Message: Using the 'memory' GSettings backend. Your settings will not be saved or shared with other applications.
Segmentation fault
bash-4.2$

========================

Before beginning to use src2pkg or similar tools, it would be better that EldonCool learn to use the Slackware tools.

And in this specific cas, Seamonkey 2.32 has already been provided as an upgrade, so the good way to upgrade is:No need to remove the older version first, slackpkg takes care of that.

I checked the release notes, and it says I am running version 2.32 so it is the
current one I installed.

Also I uninstalled the original.

But I still have this problem, that it only runs if I am logged in as root.

I have to get on to other things, will get back to this tomorrow, or later
today.

You have messed your system, the software was not properly installed.

To check, please provide output of following commands:

For most things I just go to a mirror and go into Current and grab the latest version of what I want. So for Sea Monkey I would go to: http://slackware.cs.utah.edu/pub/sla...slackware/xap/ or for 64 bit: http://slackware.cs.utah.edu/pub/sla...ackware64/xap/

And download: seamonkey-2.32-i486-1.txz or seamonkey-2.32-x86_64-1.txz then install it with pkgtool. Sure you could run into an issue where a library needs upgraded or something before the current version will work (haven't seen that yet), but in all these years I have never had an issue getting upgraded versions of software for Slackware right out of current. Quick, simple and flawless. Works for me!