Running a file in Linux, Mandrake

[odinfire]

NOOB QUESTION:

I am just getting started in Linux and was wondering how to execute a file. I was able to gunzip/tar it, but now I am left with the contents. How can I execute this in order to install it? By the way, this is a macromedia plug-in for the mozilla browser. Can anyone guide me to a list for mandrake linux's CLI/Shell? Thanks!

Odin

 

[pansophic]

I hope that you have already found an answer elsewhere, but I thought that I'd give it a crack anyway.

Most tarballs will contain an executable file called 'configure.' If this is source it will also contain a 'Makefile' or 'Makefile.am.'

Normally you will run the configure file './configure' and it will test to make sure that you have all of the dependencies covered and create Makefiles as necessary.

Next you will 'make' the file, which actually runs the compiler against the source code.

After that, you need to run 'make install' as root, or sudo if you use that instead.

Occasionally, a product will include an 'INSTALL' file that is executable instead, especially if it uses statically linked binaries.

You can use 'ls --colour -F' when you list the directories and they will be color coded and have symbols after the files that indicate whether they are executable, a directory or a symbolic link. You can also just use 'ls -l' and look for files with X's in the permissions.

So a normal tarball would look something like this:

# ./configure
# make
# make install

or you can simplify it as:

# ./configure && make && make install


pansophic

 

[flugh]

I still have the files extracted in my ~/tmp dir from installing Flash 6 on my Mandrake box. It's got a 'flashplayer-installer' script. Run it by cd'ing to the directory with the extracted files and running:

./flashplayer-installer

Pansophic: good advice. Works for source code stuff. The installer file question comes up a lot though, especially regarding RealPlayer and Flash plugins ;-)

----
JBR

 

[thedaver]

Flash and Real installers can be deleted once you install.

cd /tmp
rm flashplayer-installer


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