How to best install various types of software packages

[SumBloke]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a lot of confusion trying to install various software and am hoping to get a basic overview of the best way to start. Here are my (mis)understanding so far:

1 Tar.gz files must be unpacked first and then 'built' or compiled. Is that correct?
2 Why cant tars be installed via software center? Therefore there is no un-install available later. Are those 2 things right?
3 How can you install a tar.gz package if there is no readme and no 'configure' file or makefile in the package? This one is driving me nuts.
4 Is pi2 only for installing online tar.gz files? Or can it install local files? I have succeeded with the former and failed with the latter for some reason.
5 Is it worth using checkinstall to create uninstall options for later?
6 Is there an easier way for newbs?
7 Is running the software in these files with a ./filename a bad idea and teh software should be installed properly somehow or is it ok to always use it like that?
8 Should I use apt? install? apt-get install? pip2 software centre?

Gosh!
9 If today is 0 degrees centigrade outside, and it will be twice as cold next week. What temp will it be outside next week?

I really need to get a grip on doing this properly before I toast the OS once again. There are loads of guides out there but none that specifically address my confusion, or, im just not getting something important and basic.

PS Number 9 is just your Brucie Bonus question

Thanks everyone for any tips. If you can help with just one of the above that would be very helpful.

[oshunluvr]

The easiest way is to install .deb programs. If you're a noob, start slowly - don't go nuts installing from all over the place. Install what's available from Ubuntu - like 55,000 packages. If you just have to, build a Virtualbox install and try anything you want to install there before mucking up your actual install.

apt and apt-get are my go-to installers, but I'm an old DOS guy so the command line makes more sense to me. Most GUI install programs just irritate me.

#9? Several way to answer that. My answer is -145.42° C - BTW, while centigrade is a correct description for the temperature scale designed by Celsius, it's more respectful to refer to it by his name just like we do with Fahrenheit. Just sayin'

[claydoh]

2 - the software management system needs particular files with particular information about what file goes where, and dependencies and all that sort of information, which is particular to that software management system - this is separate from the bare source code, which does not have this information, since it can be be built and installed with all sorts of different options and locations. In other words, the tar.gz (source code) is distro-agnostic. The packager takes the code from the developer(s) and makes a package that can be installed, uninstalled, and have any missing dependencies installed as well, for that particular distro

The manual installation (the 'make install' part, or similar) can often be removed by "make uninstall" if you save the build directory after compiling and installing. This does not always work, however, especially with large, complex scenarios

3 - Not all things are built with 'configure" or "make". tar.gz file is really no different than a simple zip file, so it is just an archive containing the code, or pre-compiled binaries, or whatever. If there are no easily found directions there, you may need to ask or look around the project's website, or wiki, a web search, or in some forum somewhere with helpful people who can give pointers

But, as Oshunluvr says, take things slowly. Most everything is available in an Ubuntu-friendly package somewhere.
In my own experience, often those things that are not are either are old and crusty, or in too early a stage of development to be useful to most except the die-hard.
Compiling from the code itself is not overly difficult, but it is extremely frustrating and time consuming to learn, especially when you get errors. And you will get errors. And missing dependencies. And more missing dependencies. Then unintelligible build errors. Then lather, rinse , and repeat numerous times.

4 - pip2 is specifically for certain things written in the Python language, sort of an apt-get for python utilities, frameworks, and the like

5 - yes, with caveats. it is a good thing to use, but is not perfect. I don't think it is good with missing deps, though it has been a while since I used it.

6 - no, not really

[SumBloke]

Thanks for the tips, im slowly getting there
But I still have no idea how to proceed and get this software installed. I found a discussion about qt4-qmake which sounded promising.
But, I dont know if this is the correct route. I dont want to just install qt4-qmake and try it in case its not the right way to do it.

Is qt4-qmake the right way to install software that comes without a .configure or a .make file?
How would you install some software in this situation:
1 You download the software in a compressed file.
2 You unpack the contents to a new folder
3 Now what?

There must be something standard and basic that im not aware of surely?

thanks again for the help

[oshunluvr]

The answer to your question is (usually):

./configure
make
make install

but programs distributed this way aren't all created the same. There should be a README file in the archive with at least basic instructions.

Since you haven't posted anything I can see about what version of Kubuntu (or anything else) or what program(s) you're trying to install, it's impossible for us to give any real advice. However, assuming you're using a recent version of Kubuntu, your reference to "qt4-qmake" is an example of what I'm referring to when I suggest you slow down - a lot. We haven't used qt4 since 2014. If you're reading install advice from 2014 you're headed toward trashing your install.

[oshunluvr]

https://robots.thoughtbot.com/the-ma...e-make-install

[GreyGeek]

Thanks for the tips, im slowly getting there
But I still have no idea how to proceed and get this software installed. I found a discussion about qt4-qmake which sounded promising.
But, I dont know if this is the correct route. I dont want to just install qt4-qmake and try it in case its not the right way to do it.

Is qt4-qmake the right way to install software that comes without a .configure or a .make file?
How would you install some software in this situation:
1 You download the software in a compressed file.
2 You unpack the contents to a new folder
3 Now what?

There must be something standard and basic that im not aware of surely?

thanks again for the help

At your skill level Qt4-make IS NOT the way you should go. For now, stick with the apps that are in the repository. (BTW- you mention Qt4. Currently, Kubuntu is at Qt5 and Plasma5.

If, during your browsing, you come across a *.deb package for a plasma5 package from a reputable source (ask us!) you can, after your download it, right click on it in Dolphin and chose "Open with ..." and from that popup menu choose either Discovery or QApt Package Installer, if you have it installed from the repository. Then, if you want to delete it you can do so from Discover or from Muon (or Synaptic), if you have it installed.

Tar files come it two types:
1) those that have the code ready to compile (and after unzipping it into a suitable location you have to switch to that location and in a Konsole issue "make", followed by "make install". Good packages have an uninstall ability you can use with "make uninstall". Poor ones do not.
2) those that contain ELF binary files that require you to mark them executable so you can run them by clicking on them or calling them from the command line.

At your current skill level I recommend that you DO NOT download or install apps that come as tar files, zipped or not.

Why? Apps in the repository are vetted and signed by known people. What you download from the Internet is usually not.

To infect Linux with malware you must:
1) Download the malware (unpack it, etc...)
2) Add the execute permission bit, otherwise it will not run. Even then, only ELF files and scripts with "!#/bin/bash" as the first line will run. Others will not.
3) YOU must execute it by clicking on it or calling it from the command line.

Linux does not contain Windows type "ActiveX" controls that automatically open and run attachments to you email or automatically run downloaded executables. YOU have to be a party to the infection of your Linux system. It cannot be infected without your help.

Oh, another caution: be careful of java and java applets. If you keep a Java virtual machine running while you are surfing the web any java applet can execute within your browser and cause untold havoc. So, Disable Java in your browser. Many have even uninstalled Java from their system. If you run Minecraft or something similar that uses Java there is generally not a risk, especially if you have a firewall active and port forward the 25565 port to your local LAN address (usually 192.168.1.xxx).

You have automatically installed on your system a firewall app called UFW, the Ubuntu Friendly Firewall. Download gufw, the graphical front end to ufw. Then, gufw will be in the Settings sub menu. Run it. It will ask for a root password. Then turn the slide switch to ON to activate it. Leave it on, unless you have DD-WRT firmware installed on your router. If you do, then turn on its SPI Firewall. and leave ufw off. Will it is possible to have two firewalls running at the same time if one of them is on the router, having two firewalls on at the same time is a waste of cycles.

The gufw has a very nice pre-configured settings section where you can search for settings for various games and utilities, etc. and one click activates their ufw settings. It also has an advanced tab where you can graphically configure a firewall setting for apps or ports which are not in the pre-configured tab.

And, as a bonus, updates to ufw and gufw are automatic

[SumBloke]

Thanks so very much for these posts GG and oshun, really very helpful. I got the job done and learned a heck of a lot. So thank you both and sorry i took me so long to reply!