new to linux. how do you install downloaded programs?
- Thread starter Kroze
- Start date
Nothinman
Elite Member
- Sep 14, 2001
- 30,672
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Please, install something newer. There have been 4 releases since 9.1 and AFAIK it's not supported by anyone anymore. If you want to stick with RedHat, Fedora (fedora.redhat.com) is the replacement.
If you don't need to stick with a RedHat based system, I would suggest Ubuntu. Then I would suggest you look at http://www.ubuntuguide.org/ which has instructions on installing Flash, DVD software, etc.
If you don't need to stick with a RedHat based system, I would suggest Ubuntu. Then I would suggest you look at http://www.ubuntuguide.org/ which has instructions on installing Flash, DVD software, etc.
Well... It realy depends.
Most good distros have what is known as "package management", that is most programs are pre-compiled and pre-configured to work specificly with your distro and are stored in special package format.
With Linux you have as much code sharing as possible between programs. Generally this is in the form of system libraries... You'd probably notice if you go to a directory like /lib/ you'd have all these *.so files that look like 'libblahblah.so.1' and such. Those are library files and are designed to provide functionality to many programs at once.
These are very similar to the *.dll files in Windows.
That and many programs depend on other smaller programs for functionality. Like how your using the Gnome desktop it will depend on Metacity window manager to take care of the details like the windows borders and the close/maximize/minimize buttons.
So those and some other tidbits are what is generically called 'dependancies'. Dependancies are what you need to have already present on your system to run certain programs.
Linux is very modular and it's changing so these dependancy issues can be quite challenging.
the accepted solution is to use packages and package managers. Package managers are designed to keep track of dependancies and were and what you have installed on your computer.
One of the earliest and most successfull examples of a advanced package management sceme is one that was developed for Debian GNU/Linux OS. It revolves around .deb files (the packages themselves) online repositories (like ftp servers that are full of .deb files) and dpkg and apt-get programs. It's generally refered to as 'apt-get'.
So if I want to install firefox I need to do this:
1. make sure that the 'sources' are setup correctly for my distro (generally done at install time, but is easily modified for third-party repositories and updating between Debian versions) And update my records of aviable packages:
apt-get update
2. Find the name of the package I need..
apt-cache search firefox |less
3. Turns out it's mozilla-firefox
apt-get install mozilla-firefox
And that will install firefox along with any dependancies that I need to get it to run properly.
If I want to upgrade my OS to reflect all the latest packages aviable to me, in a safe manner. For instance if I want to make sure that I am up to date security-wise, I can go:
apt-get upgrade
And that should do it. Note that this has to be done as root, otherwise known as superuser.
Either log in as root, or use sudo (for debian your user has to be setup to use it)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get ugprade
It's pretty simple. There are graphical tools to do a similar function for apt-get.. Like synaptic (aviable by default if your using Ubuntu)
Other distros have similar package management scemes.
For instance Ubuntu/Kubuntu is based on Debian and uses apt-get, too. Deb is the package format.
Gentoo has portage. Things are generally installed from source code.
Mandrake/Mandriva has urpmi, with RPM as the package format (based on Redhat.)
Redhat has up2date or redcarpet and such. As well as a ported apt-get and Yum. (something like that)
Fedora uses rpm package format and uses Yum (preferably) or a ported apt-get (looses some of the features of rpms)
So that's usually the 'best' way to download and install programs.
Unfortunatly that's only realy usefull for programs that are freely distributable. For flash from macrovmedia it's not aviable thru those systems.. usually.
Sometimes distros will include flash because they have a license for it or are a bit unscrupulious and want to make it easy for their users (watch out for stuff like that if you use those distros in a professional enviroment). Other distros like Debian will often have a 'helper' package that will assist you installing those sorts of programs, but will often require you to download a package or setup extra repositories that include 'non-free' or restricted material.
What you downloaded is a called a tarball. The file with the *.tar.* at the end.
*.tgz and *.tar.gz files are tar files that have been compressed with gzip.
*.tar.bz2 files are tar files that habve been compressed with bzip2
Tar stands for 'tape archive file' and a tarball is the Unix/Linux equivilent to the *.zip file in Windows.
From a graphical enviroment you can often doubleclick on them and have them be openned in a graphical archival tool.
Often the best way is to untar them from a command line, though. That works by this command:
tar zxfv filename.tar.gz
or if it's a bzip2 compressed file:
tar jxfv filename.tar.bz2
If you do that to your flash tarball then it should open up. Included in the file should be directions and readmes on how to isntall them.
Also Firefox/Mozilla has a plugin page that will tell you what you need to do to get it working....
However the easiest, and what I do, is that when using Firefox I double click on were flash animations are trying (and failed) to get displayed then Firefox will try to help you download and install the flash (as well as java, I believe) stuff semi-automaticly.
That's the easiest way, I think. doesn't always work, or if you want them to be installed system wide (instead of just for your user) you'd have to use the tarball and follow the directions.
Hope that helps.
Most good distros have what is known as "package management", that is most programs are pre-compiled and pre-configured to work specificly with your distro and are stored in special package format.
With Linux you have as much code sharing as possible between programs. Generally this is in the form of system libraries... You'd probably notice if you go to a directory like /lib/ you'd have all these *.so files that look like 'libblahblah.so.1' and such. Those are library files and are designed to provide functionality to many programs at once.
These are very similar to the *.dll files in Windows.
That and many programs depend on other smaller programs for functionality. Like how your using the Gnome desktop it will depend on Metacity window manager to take care of the details like the windows borders and the close/maximize/minimize buttons.
So those and some other tidbits are what is generically called 'dependancies'. Dependancies are what you need to have already present on your system to run certain programs.
Linux is very modular and it's changing so these dependancy issues can be quite challenging.
the accepted solution is to use packages and package managers. Package managers are designed to keep track of dependancies and were and what you have installed on your computer.
One of the earliest and most successfull examples of a advanced package management sceme is one that was developed for Debian GNU/Linux OS. It revolves around .deb files (the packages themselves) online repositories (like ftp servers that are full of .deb files) and dpkg and apt-get programs. It's generally refered to as 'apt-get'.
So if I want to install firefox I need to do this:
1. make sure that the 'sources' are setup correctly for my distro (generally done at install time, but is easily modified for third-party repositories and updating between Debian versions) And update my records of aviable packages:
apt-get update
2. Find the name of the package I need..
apt-cache search firefox |less
3. Turns out it's mozilla-firefox
apt-get install mozilla-firefox
And that will install firefox along with any dependancies that I need to get it to run properly.
If I want to upgrade my OS to reflect all the latest packages aviable to me, in a safe manner. For instance if I want to make sure that I am up to date security-wise, I can go:
apt-get upgrade
And that should do it. Note that this has to be done as root, otherwise known as superuser.
Either log in as root, or use sudo (for debian your user has to be setup to use it)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get ugprade
It's pretty simple. There are graphical tools to do a similar function for apt-get.. Like synaptic (aviable by default if your using Ubuntu)
Other distros have similar package management scemes.
For instance Ubuntu/Kubuntu is based on Debian and uses apt-get, too. Deb is the package format.
Gentoo has portage. Things are generally installed from source code.
Mandrake/Mandriva has urpmi, with RPM as the package format (based on Redhat.)
Redhat has up2date or redcarpet and such. As well as a ported apt-get and Yum. (something like that)
Fedora uses rpm package format and uses Yum (preferably) or a ported apt-get (looses some of the features of rpms)
So that's usually the 'best' way to download and install programs.
Unfortunatly that's only realy usefull for programs that are freely distributable. For flash from macrovmedia it's not aviable thru those systems.. usually.
Sometimes distros will include flash because they have a license for it or are a bit unscrupulious and want to make it easy for their users (watch out for stuff like that if you use those distros in a professional enviroment). Other distros like Debian will often have a 'helper' package that will assist you installing those sorts of programs, but will often require you to download a package or setup extra repositories that include 'non-free' or restricted material.
What you downloaded is a called a tarball. The file with the *.tar.* at the end.
*.tgz and *.tar.gz files are tar files that have been compressed with gzip.
*.tar.bz2 files are tar files that habve been compressed with bzip2
Tar stands for 'tape archive file' and a tarball is the Unix/Linux equivilent to the *.zip file in Windows.
From a graphical enviroment you can often doubleclick on them and have them be openned in a graphical archival tool.
Often the best way is to untar them from a command line, though. That works by this command:
tar zxfv filename.tar.gz
or if it's a bzip2 compressed file:
tar jxfv filename.tar.bz2
If you do that to your flash tarball then it should open up. Included in the file should be directions and readmes on how to isntall them.
Also Firefox/Mozilla has a plugin page that will tell you what you need to do to get it working....
However the easiest, and what I do, is that when using Firefox I double click on were flash animations are trying (and failed) to get displayed then Firefox will try to help you download and install the flash (as well as java, I believe) stuff semi-automaticly.
That's the easiest way, I think. doesn't always work, or if you want them to be installed system wide (instead of just for your user) you'd have to use the tarball and follow the directions.
Hope that helps.
Ya, Ubuntu is nice. It's a nice place to start.
Alternatively if you need to be in a redhat enviroment check out Fedora and stuff like 'dag rpms' for third party packages.
Always be sure to read the faqs, readme, and always check out the documentation when aviable. It's very handy stuff...
See drag's signature. There's a collection of nice guides for linux newbies. I recommend reading Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide provided in his link.
wow, that was a great little read, thanks drag. that answered several quesitons i had about linux
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