trouble installing from source

[spilt097]

Hi Im a complete newbie and have both blackbox and fluxbox downloaded (had trouble with fluxbox) Iv read the help file here on this site (among others) and stille cant get past
tar xvzf foo.tar.gz can someone further explain.
Thanks in advance

[mdwatts]

The Compiling Software (http://justlinux.com/nhf/Compiling_Kernels/Compiling_Software.html) Help File does explain the process and also suggests you read the readme/install text files included with most source packages to find out the proper procedures on how to install.

Where are you stuck?

[spilt097]

when I type tar xvzf foo.tar.gz
I get
tar (child): foo.tar.gz: Cannot open: No such file or directory
tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
Im a complete newbie (as of 2 days be nice) all of the files Iv read excluding the one you posted a couple of minutes ago Iv gotten lost instantly (ADD is horrible)
Any suggestions?

[serz]

foo.tar.gz is just an example.. you have to remplace with whatever your tar.gz file is.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by serz
foo.tar.gz is just an example.. you have to remplace with whatever your tar.gz file is.

Please don't tell me that's the reason. :(

spilt097...

Go to the directory where the downloaded i.e. filename.tar.gz resides.

cd /path/to/the/download

ls -al (to find the filename)

and then

tar zxvf <filename>.tar.gz

cd <filename>

and review the readme/install text file(s)

less readme

less install

PgUp - PgDn to scroll
'q' to quit less

[spilt097]

yea I know
i was using it as one too when I type
tar fluxdocs-3.tar.gz
I get
tar: Old option `f' requires an argument.
Try `tar --help' for more information.
whats the argument?

[serz]

Where did mdwatts say to just use "tar filename"?

tar -xvzf ...

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by serz
Where did mdwatts say to just use "tar filename"?

tar -xvzf ...

And in in the Compiling Software Help File.

Please take the time to review before proceeding.

[spilt097]

sorry I was replying while mdwatts said that

[mdwatts]

Did you review the Help File link and is it working now?

[spilt097]

No sorry I know how stupid this looks

When I type cd fluxdocs-tar.gz
I get no such file or directory.
Im still lost

[mdwatts]

You CANNOT change directory (cd) into a filename.

As I already posted

cd /path/to/the/download

ls -al (to find the filename)

and then

tar zxvf <filename>.tar.gz

cd <filename>

and review the readme/install text file(s)

less readme

less install

PgUp - PgDn to scroll
'q' to quit less

Where is fluxdocs-3.tar.gz located? What directory?

cd /to/that/directory (not the filename, but the directory it resides in)

and type

tar zxvf fluxdocs-3.tar.gz

[mdwatts]

Please, please read carefully what has been posted already.

Take it one step at a time and read that JL Help File.

[mdwatts]

Installing from source is remarkably easy. At the most it is a five-step procedure. Here are the commands you will type into a console or terminal screen:

1. tar xvzf foo.tar.gz
2. cd foo
3. ./configure
4. make
5. make install

That is it. Of course, it is only that simple provided you do not run into problems. In the next section we break everything down and examine what is going on.

It should be noted that most programs are built in the above procedure. Certain programs, however, do not follow the above standard. You will need to refer to the documentation included with the source package.
Unpacking the Source Package

When you download a source package, it will normally be in an archived and compressed format. They will have the extension .tar.gz or .tgz. These files are called tarballs in Linux speak. A .tar.gz file and a .tgz file are the same. .tgz is just shorthand for writing tar.gz.

Beware, though, certain .tgz packages are made specifically for Slackware's pkgtool. Make sure you check if a tarball is for generic Linux systems or for Slackware. If the tarball is a .tar.gz it is most likely for a generic Linux system.

If you happen to download a tarball from a Windows OS, there is a chance that the tarball's extension will get mangled. For instance, you want to download foo.tar.gz. After downloading you find that it has been saved as foo_tar_tar. This is probably due to the multiple dots in the original filename. Simply rename it back to foo.tar.gz or foo.tgz. Both are fine.

Save the tarball to a temporary directory. This can be /tmp or wherever you like. Assuming you saved it in /tmp, you can now begin to unpack it with the following command (as root):

tar xvzf foo.tar.gz




Change

foo

to fluxdocs-3

and

/tmp

to the directory where fluxdocs-3.tar.gz resides.

After tar zxvf fluxdocs-3.tar.gz is complete

cd fluxdocs-3

[spilt097]

I get this
tar (child): fluxdocs-3.tar.gz: Cannot open: No such file or directory
tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
When I type this
tar zxvf fluxdocs-3.tar.gz
???

[sploo22]

Are you in the right directory? Is the file actually called fluxdocs-3.tar.gz?

Type "ls *.tar.gz" and post the output.

[Hayl]

Originally posted by spilt097
I get this
tar (child): fluxdocs-3.tar.gz: Cannot open: No such file or directory
tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
When I type this
tar zxvf fluxdocs-3.tar.gz
???

you are trying to cd into a FILE just as mdwatts posted earlier. you can only cd into a DIRECTORY. you haven't unpacked the file, and by the looks of it you haven't read what anyone here has posted in order to help you.

tar -zxvf fluxdocs-3.tar.gz
<the file will unpack at this point. if you get an error, do not proceed>
cd fluxdocs-3

[spilt097]

Sorry I just wasnt getting this. Feel incredibly stupid.

When I typed ls *.tar.gz
I got fluxdocs-3.tar.gz

[mdwatts]

Try this.

tar zxvf flu <Press TAB>

and once the complete filename appears, press enter.

If you still get the error messages, try redownloading as you may have a corrupt file.