"Basic" Help With Package Installation

[OldBob]

Newbies are always warned about Linux's "Steep Learning Curve". I have the greatest difficulty with package installation. [tar.gz & apt-get] I want to install the latest browser.

Using my "Windows skills" I can get the package onto the desktop or into /usr/local/package folder but then I'm "lost". Using RH 8.0 and RPM, I get somewhere between "install" and "make" then everything falls apart.

Question: Should a "successful" installation put an icon on the desktop ??

My present problem is, the distros I'm using [Xandros OCE & PCLinuxOS] seem to be Debian and the packages I find to download seem to be RPM [tar.gz]

Question: Can a tar.gz package be install in a Debian distro ?? If so, how ??

I will probably have many more questions, but this is a start.

[arochester]

Unless it has recently changed PCLinuxOS is RPM. Why are you compiling instead of using the given Package Managers e.g. Xandros Networks or Synaptic? See "Installing Software under PCLOS" at http://www.pclinuxonline.com/wiki/HowToInstallSoftware

Answer to questions: "Should a "successful" installation put an icon on the desktop ??" No, not necessarily."Can a tar.gz package be install in a Debian distro ?? If so, how ??" Yes. I use Kubuntu- see "How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu!". (K)Ubuntu is Debian based

[OldBob]

arochester,

Thanks for response - More details on my problem.

PCLinuxOS is a dual boot on my T-21 Thinkpad notebook [along with Win98SE] PCLinusOS includes what I suspect is an old version [3.5.3] of the Konqueror browser. The Realtek wireless card has the yellow & green lights blinking away [so I believe it's correctly installed] but when I try to load a web page the Konqueror browser shows an error message "Page not found".

My only "hotspot" is the local library, where Win98SE and the Realtek card work just fine. BUT since I can't connect PCLinuxOS directly to the internet, I have to download packages onto my desktop and transfer them into the Thinkpad using a flash drive.

Now that I know PCLinuxOS is RPM based I will make another attempt to install the SeaMonkey browser on the Thinkpad. I will keep you advised of my success.

P.S. Where do I find "How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu" ???

[arochester]

Sorry. Here: http://cutlersoftware.com/ubuntuinstall/

[flipjargendy]

To install things in Ubuntu it's much easier to user apt-get. But not all applications are going to be in the repositories (the servers that Ubuntu looks in for applications and updates for the system) so you're going to have to install some things manually. If you end up doing that you should download the '.deb' file of whatever it is you want to install. Ubuntu is based off Debian so it uses Debian packages.

Here are some helpful links:

• A concise apt-get / dpkg primer for new Linux users

• Installing Additional Software in Ubuntu

• Ubuntu Starters Guide - Contains a massive amount of information on just about everything in Ubuntu.

[OldBob]

NOTE: I am attempting to install SeaMonkey browser in PCLinuxOS on my Thinkpad.
Ubuntu info just adds to the confusion !!!

So far:
I created a NEW [empty] directory - /usr/local/seamonkey

I ran - tar zxvf sea*.tar.gz

Then ran - ./seamonkey

Clicked on the "installer" and got the "opening window" of the SeaMonkey installation. "Hurray !!!"

!!!! Here's Where Things Start to Fall Apart !!!!

All went well until step asking "Where to install SeaMonkey ??"

No matter what folder I tried, I got Error Message "You do not have permission to install in this folder".

Finally gave up and shutdown Thinkpad. [I'm on desktop now]

[Thrillhouse]

All went well until step asking "Where to install SeaMonkey ??"

No matter what folder I tried, I got Error Message "You do not have permission to install in this folder".

Finally gave up and shutdown Thinkpad. [I'm on desktop now]

I see you unpacked the package to /usr/local/seamonkey. As a regular user, you don't have permissions to directories outside of ~/ which is equivalent to /home/your_user_name . Try creating a directory for seamonkey in your home folder and then choosing that during the installation process:

$mkdir ~/seamonkey

Then run the installer again.

[OldBob]

Thrillhouse & company,

After much, much trial & error I got SeaMonkey "semi-installed" !!!

The installer kept wanting to go the old /usr/local/seamonkey route. But I finally figured out how to change it to /desktop/oldbob/seamonkey. And I watched as the files loaded into the new seamonkey folder.

Now my problem is I can't run the browser. The ReadMe file is for a GNOME desktop and I use KDE [which I prefer]. I need to create a Sea Monkey icon on the desktop.

I still need more help, I barely understand what I did so far.