Noobish question on installing apps on debian.

[pogi1100]

I have a very noobish question: how do you install apps onto debian (and make it appear ont the Apps option when right-click on desktop) without using the apt-get install option? The reason I am asking this is because some packages in the apt-get repository causes my debian to crash everytime I boot it up. (It doesn’t boot up at all.)

Can anyone please give me a link or a step-by-step explanation on how to do this?
Also, if I could extract the contents of tar.gz files, how can I make the software name available when I right-click and tells me the software installed in the Apps section?
The only way I know of getting to put the software name in there is to use the apt-get install option. Do I have to create a symbolic symbol in some directory or something?
Actually it’s not debian I’m using, it’s xebian on my xbox.

Any help is appreciated.

[multios]

Does xebian also have aptitude?
If so, just start aptitude, type "u" for update and then see what aptitude says.
It might even have a message for you when it starts.
Try that first.

[pogi1100]

yes, xeban has all of the features that debian has. I do not want to use aptitude to install programs (or do anything with programs that has to do with aptitude). I want to be able to download the binaries and extract them to some directory. After that, I want to be able to access the program by right-clicking on the desktop, selecting the apps option, then find software somewhere in there; but I don't know how to do that. My mistake for double posting.

[jledhead]

if you can't use apt then it sounds like you have other problems and may want to figure that out first.

Installing without apt can be done by downloading the package as a deb file, if available, and then install as
# dpkg -i filename.deb

[devils casper]

yes, xeban has all of the features that debian has. I do not want to use aptitude to install programs (or do anything with programs that has to do with aptitude). I want to be able to download the binaries and extract them to some directory. After that, I want to be able to access the program by right-clicking on the desktop, selecting the apps option, then find software somewhere in there; but I don't know how to do that. My mistake for double posting.

If apt-get is not installing packages properly then compilation is a bad idea. If anything goes wrong, you wont be able to uninstall compiled packages easily.
Which package are you trying to install? Does apt-get throw any error message?

[pogi1100]

Well, sometimes I get problems when I apt-get install a large program like acroread. (But otherwise apt-get is a very good way for me to install programs.) It goes through the process of replacing and removing packages then it gets to a particular package and suddenly it displays an error message like:

Could not access /var/lib/etc…

Then it says “failing with errors”. I reboot it but then it doesn’t reboot properly. It reboots up to a point then freezes. I think this is just because I tried to install acroread. But Adobe has its own package for the Linux Acrobat Reader and I just want to install it that way. I don’t know how to install it that way, do I have to compile it or extract it to some directory? (How do I compile it?) Then, if I extracted it to some directory (or compiled it), how do I launch it from the desktop using a shortcut. Or, how do I launch it using the right-mouse click and selecting the Apps>Tools section.

And is there anyway for me to convert a tar.gz package into a .deb package?
What about .bz2 and other archives? How do I make those into .deb packages?

[devils casper]

Check this tutorial : How to install Softwares in Linux.

[pogi1100]

tyvm that really helped no really. Last few questions:
So how do you install a pre-compiled program/binaries?
I'm guessing you also use the "make install" option for that?
And then will it appear when I right click? Will it make a shortcut so I can access it?

[devils casper]

Check README file for installation instructions. You wont have to install most of pre-compiled binaries. Just execute that binary in Terminal or Create Shortcut in Menu or on Desktop.

ln -sf <path_of_binary> ~/Desktop/<binary_name>

[pogi1100]

nvm i found this link

Thanks so much for the help guys!! I really appreciate it.