Thunderbird install...

I downloaded the tar of thunderbird from the website, unpacked it and tried doing the normal ./configure...etc...but the command told me that there wasn't a configure file. I went to the Thunderbird site and it gave different directions than I've ever used before. I'm not sure if I install properly....here's what I did

Moved tar to my home folder
unpacked
ran ./thunderbird
Thunderbird came up and I went through setting up my email account

Now the issue is that from what I can see the only way for me to really start up Thunderbird is to go to prompt, get into the Thunderbird file and type in ./thunderbird every time. The email accounts are still there but there is no icon anywhere, no entry in Applications (running Ubuntu). Did I do this right? It just seems weird that it wouldn't add any kind of shortcut anywhere for it.


Also I found instruction on how to get my mail moved from my windows thunderbird to Ubuntu account, but the folders that it tells me to look for don't exist in Ubuntu at all...the instructions are below

If you're using GNOME, the Nautilus file manager will come up. Go to the View menu and select Show Hidden Files. Now find the folder called .thunderbird and open it. Inside of that folder is another folder with a bunch of random characters; open it. From there, open the Mail folder. There you should see yet another folder, but this one will have your email account as its title. Open that, then open the CD icon on your desktop. You should now have two open windows -- the one you just navigated to, and your backup CD. Drag and drop your Inbox and Sent files from the CD to the first window. Once they are copied, close the CD window, then select the Inbox and Sent files that you just copied. Right-click them, select Properties from the popup dialogue, and change their file permissions so that they may be written to (files that were stored on a CD will, by default, be unwritable when you copy them to your hard drive).


Thanks all. Much appreciated



Jmadero

you can easily add the thunderbird binary to alacarte (your dropdown menu in gnome where all your other programs are)

open up alacarte (either via gui or go to terminal and type 'alacarte') and make a new entry for thunderbird from there. when it asks for the command to run (or for the binary, or however it words it) type the full path to the binary. It'll save you from typing ./thunderbird everytime anyway.

no need to compile thunderbird. its available in sources. i would suggest you to install Thunderbird using apt-get only.
execute this

Code:

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sudo apt-get install thuderbird

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I already have it working...I don't think I need to do the sudo command. I just don't really understand why I didn't have to do the ./configure. And where those folders are that I'm supposed to use to move my stuff over from windows thunderbird. Thanks


jmadero

I tried the alacarte, it came up and I put in the command but it's still not in the menu. It's weird because when I restart and put in alacarte again and the menu thing comes up it shows the thunderbird command but it's not in the top bar at all. Thanks again

Quote:

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I just don't really understand why I didn't have to do the ./configure.

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you dont have to execute ./configure command unless you are compiling packages from source. there are a lot of ways to install packages in Linux.
best and easiest way is, install packages using Package Manger only.
please check this Tutorial : How to Install Software in Linux?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmadero

I already have it working...I don't think I need to do the sudo command. I just don't really understand why I didn't have to do the ./configure. And where those folders are that I'm supposed to use to move my stuff over from windows thunderbird. Thanks
jmadero

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some programs dont need to be configured. Seems like thunderbird was one of them. If it runs, thats all that matters :P Seems you have that, now you just have to get alacarte to manage it.

I dont know exactly what the trouble your having with alacarte is... its been a year (and a new release) since ive used the program.

Figured out the issue, was logging in as superuser so the menu was only changing for super user. I also got all of my stuff moved over from windows, including settings and address book....thanks again everyon