tar.gz files?

[Conf1rm3d_K1ll]

Ok......time to show just how much of a linux newbie I am-



Just recently partitioned and installed Red Hat running the KDE desktop. I have absolutley no idea about shell prompts or anything like that, as your about to find out! Please be patient with me...
My question concerns tar.gz files. I have a CD with the new Netscape browser for Linux in the form of a tar.gz file. After the CD mounts I can navigate my way to this file using file manager. I than double click it and it "unzips" showing the install file (netscape-installer). Now Im stumped. If I double click this file I get a message saying "Warning-No action taken".
I can hear you all laughing now but like I said, Im just a Linux newbie. I assume it's something very basic but it's driving me crazy!

[linuxcomando]

If the tarball has also been gzipped (compressed), you can use the following command:

tar -xvfz something.tar.gz

[petemcevoy]

tar -xvzf netscape-4.9.0.tar.gz
cd netscape-4.9.0
./configure
make
make install

This is how you usually install apps, might be a slight variation on this - i've never installed netscape.

[IchNiSan]

I don't know exactly what you are looking at now, but,

open a shell, browse to the directory on the CD with your file.
copy the gzip'ed file off the cd onto your hard drive(wherever you usually store data).

cp myfile.tar.gz /home/myusername

or something...

then type

gzip -dv myfile.tar.gz

and you should end up with

myfile.tar

then type tar -xvf myfile.tar

(you can do with out the v(verbose) but I like watching all the filenames scroll by.

You can also | the two commands together, but I always screw it up somehow.

now you should have a new directory in /home/myusername named myfile(or netscape-6.2 or whatever)

now you should be able to run through the install process, you will probably need to take 3 steps.
There should be a readme in the unzipped directory, but it may look something like this.

from the new directory where your tar file created type

./configure
./make
and finally

./make install

or maybe just

./install

you may or may not need root priveledges when you do this(Im not much past a linux newbie myself, although I have managed several times to install different distros, and to install many different apps to each. most of them went something like this)

Good luck,

IchNiSan

[IchNiSan]

doh 2 people responded in the time it took me to write that....

You can also find a lot of basic guides to completeing other tasks at....

www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/index.html


They are usually pretty good, although you will have to do a fair bit of improvising sometimes..

Keep at it, and have fun...

IchNiSan

[Conf1rm3d_K1ll]

Thanks for all your help. I'll give it another try and see how I go. Thanks for your patience..