Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after I
unzip it. I try double clicking on a n executable file and nothing
happens. Any help would be greatly appreciated..just trying to get away
from Windows

Scorp118 wrote:
> Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after
> I unzip it. I try double clicking on a n executable file and nothing
> happens. Any help would be greatly appreciated..just trying to get
> away from Windows

If the program hst had a .gz extension, it is usually installed by
uncompressing it and putting it in /usr/local/bin: that's the most common
location for personally installed widgets that should be available to
everyone on the system.

What program, and what Linux disttribution are you referring to? Most Linux
distributions have some sort of package management for installing binaries
along with their documentation and libraries from a pre-built, binary
bundle. Maybe we can point you to one so that your OS can keep track of what
is put into it.

On 26 Jun 2006 05:53:27 -0700, Scorp118 wrote:
> Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after I
> unzip it.

if something like aa.gz I would gunzip aa.gz
if something like file.tar.gz I would tar -xvzf file.tar.gz
if something like file.tar.tgz I would tar -xvzf file.tar.tgz

Scorp118 wrote:
> Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after I
> unzip it. I try double clicking on a n executable file and nothing
> happens. Any help would be greatly appreciated..just trying to get away
> from Windows
>

What Nico and Bit Twister wrote, but normally you will find (at least
one of) README or INSTALL files, once you have done that - these are
text files that contain instructions or important information that will
help you get the software up and running on your box.

SadOldGit

"Scorp118" <nbond@ptd.net> wrote in
news:1151326406.991827.173120@i40g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com:

> Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after
> I unzip it. I try double clicking on a n executable file and nothing
> happens. Any help would be greatly appreciated..just trying to get
> away from Windows
>

A specific example of one file. Most of those I run into are the source
code for a package (but that's what I download). Try using Midnight
Commander to see what's in it first before you copy anything:

<user>#mc

at which point you get an win explorer (or norton commander for those
who know) type screen) use your cursor keys to switch to the directory
of the file (tab to change from left to right panes) enter to enter (or
exit with the /.. file) a directory and then press enter on the file
when you get there. You can view any file with F3 (the single key not
"F" "3") and exit viewing with F10 (same as above).


Oh, and F10 to exit midnight commander.
--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )

Scorp118 <nbond@ptd.net> wrote:
> Can anyone tell me how to install a program with a gz extension after I
> unzip it. I try double clicking on an executable file and nothing
> happens. Any help would be greatly appreciated..just trying to get away
> from Windows

Step 1. Throw away the compressed archive you got from God Knows Where.
Scorp, surely you didn't come all this way from MS-Windows,
just to bring all those bad habits about trusting untrustworthy
code with you?

Step 2. Actually, not _all_ compressed archives ("tarballs") of
programs to "install" are necessarily bad, but I wrote the
foregoing mostly to get your attention. You should work
on developing a very strong prejudice in favour of installing
_only_ properly packaged software put together by your
distribution's package maintainers, that your system is able
to prove was cryptographically signed by them. There are
multiple reasons for that. Some are detailed here:
http://linuxgazette.net/118/weatherwax.html#1

Step 3. If you're _very sure_ your distribution does not offer a
packaged version of that software, then
a) if it's "something.tar.gz", then open a shell and do:
$ cp something.tar.gz /tmp
$ cd /tmp
$ tar xvzf something.tar.gz
b) if it's "something.gz", then open a shell and do:
$ cp something.gz /tmp
$ cd /tmp
$ gunzip something.gz
You'll find the unpacked contents under /tmp, whatever they
are. Follow the instructions you'll probably find in a
README.TXT file, or such. You are strongly advised to be
extremely careful about what code you're willing to run --
doubly so if the instructions call upon you to do anything
with root-user authority.

Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote in
news:4f88$44ce8e32$c690c3ba$4383@TSOFT.COM:

> Step 3. If you're _very sure_ your distribution does not offer a
> packaged version of that software, then
> a) if it's "something.tar.gz", then open a shell and do:
> $ cp something.tar.gz /tmp
> $ cd /tmp
> $ tar xvzf something.tar.gz
> b) if it's "something.gz", then open a shell and do:
> $ cp something.gz /tmp
> $ cd /tmp
> $ gunzip something.gz
> You'll find the unpacked contents under /tmp, whatever they
> are. Follow the instructions you'll probably find in a
> README.TXT file, or such. You are strongly advised to be
> extremely careful about what code you're willing to run --
> doubly so if the instructions call upon you to do anything
> with root-user authority.
>
>
>
Try compiling a package sometime *without* root authority - won't happen
- are you making this up as you go?

--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )

On 1 Aug 2006, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.setup, in article
<Xns9811D4BAD6E2Echuckcar@85.227.11.7>, chuckcar wrote:

>Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote

>> You'll find the unpacked contents under /tmp, whatever they
>> are. Follow the instructions you'll probably find in a
>> README.TXT file, or such. You are strongly advised to be
>> extremely careful about what code you're willing to run --
>> doubly so if the instructions call upon you to do anything
>> with root-user authority.

>Try compiling a package sometime *without* root authority - won't happen

I wonder if you are having problems given that English is not your primary
language. Otherwise, please identify such packages that won't _COMPILE_
as an ordinary user. There is a difference in the meaning of the words
_compile_ and _install_

Just for your understanding:

[compton ~]$ grep builder /etc/passwd
builder:x:65523:65523:Software Building account:/usr/local/src:/bin/bash
[compton ~]$ grep builder /etc/group
builder:*:65523:builder

Those are not distribution or UNIX standard accounts. They are on our systems
because a software auditor from corporate recommended them. Neither user or
group accounts own ANY other files/directories. The user has permissions of
'others' which is to say they can write to /tmp/ and /usr/tmp (other than
their home directory) and that is all.

Tarballs are unpacked in /usr/local/src/ then audited and built there. If the
software does not _require_ root permission to _run_ (for example, it's not
opening a network socket), then the software is test run from the source
directory by the 'builder' user, so that if something goes horribly wrong,
'builder' is the only user effected. Only when things are correct is root
needed to _install_ the software so that regular users can then run it.

We've been using this method WITHOUT PROBLEMS for over twenty years - yes,
that predates Linux.

>- are you making this up as you go?

I have to ask YOU that question.

Old guy

On 2006-08-01, chuckcar wrote:
> Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote in
> news:4f88$44ce8e32$c690c3ba$4383@TSOFT.COM:
>
>> Step 3. If you're _very sure_ your distribution does not offer a
>> packaged version of that software, then
>> a) if it's "something.tar.gz", then open a shell and do:
>> $ cp something.tar.gz /tmp
>> $ cd /tmp
>> $ tar xvzf something.tar.gz
>> b) if it's "something.gz", then open a shell and do:
>> $ cp something.gz /tmp
>> $ cd /tmp
>> $ gunzip something.gz
>> You'll find the unpacked contents under /tmp, whatever they
>> are. Follow the instructions you'll probably find in a
>> README.TXT file, or such. You are strongly advised to be
>> extremely careful about what code you're willing to run --
>> doubly so if the instructions call upon you to do anything
>> with root-user authority.
>>
>>
>>
> Try compiling a package sometime *without* root authority

Never compile as root.

> - won't happen

Of course it will; that is what you should do.

You only need to be root to install the package.

> - are you making this up as you go?


--
Chris F.A. Johnson, author | <http://cfaj.freeshell.org>
Shell Scripting Recipes: | My code in this post, if any,
A Problem-Solution Approach | is released under the
2005, Apress | GNU General Public Licence

chuckcar <chuck@nil.car> wrote:
> Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote in
> news:4f88$44ce8e32$c690c3ba$4383@TSOFT.COM:
>
>> Step 3. If you're _very sure_ your distribution does not offer a
>> packaged version of that software, then
>> a) if it's "something.tar.gz", then open a shell and do:
>> $ cp something.tar.gz /tmp
>> $ cd /tmp
>> $ tar xvzf something.tar.gz
>> b) if it's "something.gz", then open a shell and do:
>> $ cp something.gz /tmp
>> $ cd /tmp
>> $ gunzip something.gz
>> You'll find the unpacked contents under /tmp, whatever they
>> are. Follow the instructions you'll probably find in a
>> README.TXT file, or such. You are strongly advised to be
>> extremely careful about what code you're willing to run --
>> doubly so if the instructions call upon you to do anything
>> with root-user authority.
>>
>>
>>
> Try compiling a package sometime *without* root authority - won't happen
> - are you making this up as you go?

I think you're more than a little confused: I was describing the
general method for compiling (upstream) tarballs, not packages.


Since you raise the subject, however, there _are_ in fact standard
methods for compiling packages for various distributions without root
authority. On Debian & similar, you use the "fakeroot" package
(http://packages.debian.org/stable/utils/fakeroot). On RPM-based
systems, you must create appropriate files ~/.rpmmacros and ~/.rpmrc
plus a basedir to use instead of /usr/src/redhat. Details here:
http://www.techonthenet.com/linux/build_rpm.php

In any event, you seem to have gone to great lengths to ignore and sail
at top speed past my main point, which was that the original poster
should _always_ stop and think twice before going outside his/her
distro's packaging regime, think three times before just grabbing
some code off the Net and running it, and four times before doing so
as the root user.

It's vital that we keep that meme alive with newcomers, I hope you'll
agree. (It's true whether you agree or not, however. ;-> )

--
Cheers, Your eyes are weary from staring at the CRT. You feel
Rick Moen sleepy. Notice how restful it is to watch the cursor
rick@linuxmafia.com blink. Close your eyes. The opinions stated above are
yours. You cannot imagine why you ever felt otherwise.