Hey, I'm pretty confused. I've got

[Jestr1]

Hey, I'm pretty confused. I've got Mandrake Linux 8.0 installed, but I can't figure out what I need to do to install new applications. I have the KDE desktop installed.

1.) Once I download a file where should I untar/ungzip the file to and do I need to put the executable portion of the application in my /etc/profile "path" so that I can open the application on call?
2.) Should I be looking for X11 download links? What is "X11"?
3.) Do you know any good sites for shareware?


ANSWERING ANY ONE OF THE THREE QUESTIONS I HAVE ABOVE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU.

 

[sleipnir214]

I'll take a stab at all three.

1. What you do with the tarball depends on the tarball itself. Some apps come as precompiled binaries, some as source code that must be compiled. Untar the file in a convenient location, then look for a file named README or INSTALL for installation instructions. Another likely place is the documentation at the site from which you downloaded the app.

2. X11 is the shorthand for Xwindow major version 11. Xwindow is the core GUI application suite on top of which desktop systems like KDE and Gnome run.

3. There are hundreds. Google is usually a good place to start. Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!

 

[Jestr1]

Thanks a bunch! I just didn't know where to start looking for those answers. My real goal is to install ddd for school onto the Linux OS. I absolutely hate gdb debugger and a visual debugger would be right up my alley. I've been spoiled by Borland C++ and now I'm at a point where the libraries that the teacher requires are not part of Borland's standard library set. Now I'll have somewhere to start.

 

[smah]

Also use mandrake's urpmi (in Contol Center via KDE). It works similar to Windows Add & Remove programs. Just search for the app you want to install. They may already have an RPM for it, which makes life very easy.