A Few General Questions

[Eptora]

Alright, here we go: These are my few introductory questions that are just general knowledge and any moderate linux user can answer. Only two for now, but as I find more I will edit :).


Heres what I'm running:
P3 933
RH7.2 dual boot w/ Win ME
256 MB RAM


1) I downloaded netscape 6.2 xxxxxx.tar.gz, now I can somehow uncompress this in KDE but not GNOME... how do I uncompress this in GNOME?

2) When I did download this file for netscape, it uncompressed into a few files, I tried to open all of them and... well nothing happened... how do I install it?

3) Ok, so, if I come accross the source file for a program as people seem to like programs better in, how do I complie it and structure it to work on my system.

4) What is a shell I've heard of bash and such, but I don't know what they are or what they do.

5) Does anyone know of a site that has commands when I am in text-based mode?

[error27]

For almost everything you can get rpms instead of .tar.gz packages.

People tell you to install .tar.gz packages but don't. It's a pain in the butt and it means uninstalling things a pain. Also you it will cause incompatabilities and conflicts with other programs you have.

With .rpms you don't have this problem. I think there is a graphical way to install rpms. I know there is in mandrake.

To unzip you can just use the command line.

zcat filename.tar.gz | tar -xv

To install from source you need to install a compiler and libraries and various tools. Use rpms instead of source.

Bash is just the text mode stuff you see.

I think linuxnewbie has a list of some important text mode commands somewhere. In the NHF or somewhere? Or press tab twice real quick to get a list of the ones installed on your computer.

[Dark Ninja]

Here's some more detailed answers:

1.) In console mode, go to the directory of the .tar.gz file, and type:

tar -xvzf filename.tar.gz

2.) RPMs are easier. However, there should be a README type file that came inside the tar.gz file. Read that for help on how to install.

3.) README file - read that.

4.) Bash, Csh, Tsch - these are all command line shells. Bash is probably the most popular (and the best) of these shells. It is what you are running in command line mode.

5.) Search Google for commands available in command line modes.


Dark Ninja

[vee-eye]

The NHFs for the basic commands are here:

http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/shells/basic.html

And here:

http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/commands/index.html

[X_console]

3) Ok, so, if I come accross the source file for a program as people seem to like programs better in, how do I complie it and structure it to work on my system. http://it.yorku.ca/moonfrog/tutorials/compiling_software.html

4) What is a shell I've heard of bash and such, but I don't know what they are or what they do.
Think of the shell as an interpreter. When you want Linux to do something, you can't tell it directly. You need to tell the shell, and then the shell will tell Linux what to do. When Linux is done with the task, it will tell the shell, and the shell will tell you the result.

[Eptora]

Hey, thanks for the info I'll check it out, but I do have one finishing question kind of simple: HEHE, how do you change resolution in Redhat 7.2? Oh and another question: Little Harder: I have SBLive! 5.1 and digital speakers, how can I get the SBLive drivers that came with Redhat to use digital sound.

edit: Let me refine my monitor resolution: I have it at what I want, but the proportion in inocrrect, same with windows, until I set my refresh rate 100, then It fits the screen, how do I do that :).

[ 01 November 2001: Message edited by: Eptora ]