Installing a .tar.gz file

Many of you ,(those who are new to linux) must be wondering how on earth to get the softwares installed?Believe me,even I thought the same.I was actually struggling with my VLC package for Linux.I started off with Open Suse XI with absolutely no prior knowledge and almost screwed up my system.So this tutorial should be able to get you running with respect to installation of .tar.gz files..

What is a .tar.gz file?

.tar.gz file is a format registered under GNU.

.tar represents uncompressed version of packaging,which was used in the earlier days.After applying some compression techniques such as Gzip ,etc. it led to a new format ,which was compressed form of tar and hence the name .tar.gz

Why should I bother about .tar.gz file?

Good Question.But majority of the softwares available in linux,are present in either .rpm format or .tar.gz or .deb . So more or less , you’ll come across this term in the linux circles.

How do I identify a .tar.gz file?

Simple,the file is followed by a .tar.gz extenstion

Eg: dpkg_1.13.25.tar.gz

general form : <filename>.tar.gz

F*** the stories now,take me to the important place!

Alright,chill! So here we go.!

Go to the directory where you have downloaded the .tar.gz file.Suppose it was downloaded to /home/xyz

CODE:

cd xyz

Now extracting the .tar.gz file…Remember this is only the second step,you have just extracted the setup files,you still have to install them!!!

For extracting use the following,

say file name was extractme.tar.gz

CODE:

tar -zxvf extractme.tar.gz

Once you hit this code on your terminal,you’ll get a folder of the same name at /home/xyz,indicating that the file has been extracted.

Now open the folder.

cd extractme

followed by,

ls extractme

Generally, the final 3 stages are as follows:
- Configure the installation
- Compile the software

- Install the binaries

You’ll find two – three key files which are to be used.

1.README , open the same to get instructions on how to install the package.

2.INSTALL

3.CONFIGURE

Last few steps…

code :

./configure

make install

And thats’ it! You have installed your .tar.gz successfully!!