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#1 2009-12-01 14:55:52

XLR3204S
Member
Registered: 2009-12-01
Posts: 2

Installing Software from Source

This question might sound a little bit retarded, but I'm just starting out, so I'd appreciate a little bit of help. I'm trying to install software from source, but it does not seem to work. Or at least, not for lynx, so I'm wondering if pacman is the only way of installing software on Arch (which I pretty much doubt).

I've downloaded lynx, unarchived it, went into its directory, and typed ./configure, followed by make and make check. Everything seemed OK, as I have even got the "Welcome to Lynx!" message. So I went on and typed sudo make install, and no errors occurred. But when I tried launching it with lynx, it said the command is not found. What am I doing wrong?

Also, one more thing: when I loose the prompt, how do I get it back? I mean, like this (http://bit.ly/4tkurS)

Thanks in advance!

Last edited by XLR3204S (2009-12-01 15:01:04)

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#2 2009-12-01 15:10:35

tomk
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From: Ireland
Registered: 2004-07-21
Posts: 9,839

Re: Installing Software from Source

Very first thing: pacman -S lynx, and be happy. smile

Next - if you really want to build stuff yourself, use the Arch Build System (ABS) to create an Arch package, which can then be installed, removed, and generally managed by pacman. Details in the wiki.

Last - if you decide to ignore all advice from anyone who takes the time to advise you (their advice will be as above) and install from source, it helps to know what you're doing. ./configure --help is a good start, knowing about your $PATH is also useful.

In your screenshot, the prompt is not lost - it is right there, waiting for you to complete and enter your tar command.

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#3 2009-12-01 16:15:47

XLR3204S
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Registered: 2009-12-01
Posts: 2

Re: Installing Software from Source

Thing is, I'm trying to learn my way around Linux, not specifically Arch Linux. I've got lynx through pacman before, but this time I wanted to get my foot wet with installing programs from source, as, in fact, I don't need lynx at all. I'll look more into it as soon as I get other things I want to built from source.

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#4 2009-12-01 16:24:11

fsckd
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Registered: 2009-06-15
Posts: 4,173

Re: Installing Software from Source

You mean GNU/Linux. tongue

Did you understand tomk's post? That's like 90% of what you ought to be looking at.


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#5 2009-12-01 16:28:05

.:B:.
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Registered: 2006-11-26
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Re: Installing Software from Source

There is no surplus value in building a package and installing it from source. From the moment you have built it (ran make, most of the times) the majority of the work is done. Of course it is interesting stuff to learn, but more useful is turning it into a package, so you can install it on other systems, remove and upgrade it, etc. From that perspective you're better off with Slackware; Arch's build system is a further evolutionary step, so to say.

If you really want to learn, you need to use a distro that does virtually nothing for you. And that's exactly what Slackware does: nothing tongue. Well it does do a tiny bit, but nothing like Arch (which provides extensive frameworks and streamlined configuration) or even Ubuntu and the likes (which provides nearly 100% autoconfiguration).


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#6 2009-12-01 17:28:45

Mr.Elendig
#archlinux@freenode channel op
From: The intertubes
Registered: 2004-11-07
Posts: 4,092

Re: Installing Software from Source

XLR3204S wrote:

Thing is, I'm trying to learn my way around Linux, not specifically Arch Linux. I've got lynx through pacman before, but this time I wanted to get my foot wet with installing programs from source, as, in fact, I don't need lynx at all. I'll look more into it as soon as I get other things I want to built from source.

This isn't really arch specific. Installing from source without using the package system is a bad idea(tm) on (almost) any distro. Only the method used to create a package differs.

Edit: not that you "learn GNU/Linux" by compiling anyway. The best way to learn GNU/Linux is just to use it, and to read. There are several good books on the kernel, init systems, userland basics and so on.

Last edited by Mr.Elendig (2009-12-01 17:30:51)


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#7 2009-12-01 18:16:27

Misfit138
Misfit Emeritus
From: USA
Registered: 2006-11-27
Posts: 4,189

Re: Installing Software from Source

As tomk said, check out the abs wiki article. Especially this section.

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#8 2009-12-01 19:32:41

patroclo7
Member
From: Bassano del Grappa, ITALY
Registered: 2006-01-11
Posts: 915

Re: Installing Software from Source

I think that in certain circumstances installing from source without using the package system is the fastest (but also most egoistic) way to get a not already packaged app or to compile it in the way you like. And if the user is skilled enough to contain it in /usr/local there is no danger in this choice.

However, in the specific case, I agree that abs/pacman is the way to go :-)


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#9 2009-12-01 19:34:02

tavianator
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From: Waterloo, ON, Canada
Registered: 2007-08-21
Posts: 858
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Re: Installing Software from Source

OP: did you do "./configure --prefix=/usr"?  Most packages will install themselves in /usr/local/bin by default, which isn't in the default arch $PATH.
But I agree with everyone else, it's way better to use PKGBUILDs so that you can track the package and properly uninstall it if need be.

Last edited by tavianator (2009-12-01 19:35:00)

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#10 2009-12-13 20:38:45

Luis Sousa
Member
From: Portugal
Registered: 2009-07-19
Posts: 36

Re: Installing Software from Source

Man, i looked at wiki about this, because i wanted to build a package for DiskWrapper (its a tool for printing dvd covers) and i almost had a heart attack! For a newbie that doesnt understand much of installing from source, its much easier to do this 3 steps (./configure, make, sudo make install) that building a package! How an i create a PKGBUILD file? I really doubt that it would be working, lol... Why there isnt a tool like checkinstall from Ubuntu?


XP -> Ubuntu -> Arch

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#11 2009-12-13 21:58:03

Dheart
Member
From: Sofia, Bulgaria
Registered: 2006-10-26
Posts: 956

Re: Installing Software from Source

Short answer:
Because this is not ubuntu.
Long answer:
Read The arch way at the wiki
Longer answer:
You can find PKGBUILD for almost anything. If the package you want to build is provided by pacman, then go to the main page of the archlinux web site. At the right there's a package search. Search for your package. Click on it. Select "View SVN entries" (or something like that) and from there you can download the PKGBUILD or all the required files.
If the packages is not in pacman's DB, then just go to the aur section and search for it. There should be a PKGBUILD for it.
If you don't find the PKGBUILD anywhere, then you would need to create one. You could try by yourself OR you could ask at the forums. I'm sure that someone would be kind enough to create one for you.


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#12 2009-12-13 22:11:56

quarkup
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From: Portugal
Registered: 2008-09-07
Posts: 497
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Re: Installing Software from Source

Dheart wrote:

You can find PKGBUILD for almost anything.

But you can use a PKGBUILD for every single software IMO

if you cannot find it in the AUR or the ABS you probably just need to create one or ask in the 'AUR Discussion and AUR Package Requests' Forum (here: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewforum.php?id=38)


Then you may want to share it and upload it to the AUR


If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

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#13 2009-12-14 06:33:34

Luis Sousa
Member
From: Portugal
Registered: 2009-07-19
Posts: 36

Re: Installing Software from Source

I have to agree with you guys that it is the arch way, and im fine with it, or i wouldnt be using arch smile. Just happened that i was a bit curious about building a package myself, and it hapenned to find a software that is not in the repositories, even AUR. So i stumbled in this post and had a look at the process, and its hard. I already installed from 'make' and the software runs fine, even has 'make uninstall', i tried it and its ok, you only have to clean his directories afterward. But i would like to install it from package, so i will give it a try reading in the posts you showed. Thanks!


XP -> Ubuntu -> Arch

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