Ubuntu – How to install a software manually

install-from-source

I have recently learnt how to install programs from the terminal and would like to know the meaning of a few commands that I use to install. For example, I downloaded python 3.2 from source and extract and try to install it but failed. I saw in the explanation in other sites that I must use ./configure and make and make altinstall.

When I do that, it installs the software but not the suggested packages. Why is that? And what's the meaning of ./configure and make and make altinstall? And why do all manually installed software be installed only by this or not at all?

Best Answer

Why doesn't it install suggested packages? / Why do all installed packages have to be done by these commands only or not at all?

The commands you are using is to install the downloaded package alone, when the downloaded package is actually a binary source package. That installs just the downloaded package alone. In order to install .deb packages you can use dpkg and even better why not use trusted packages from Ubuntu sources to download packages? You can use the apt-get command for that.

What's the meaning of ./configure,make and make install?

You can get a full understanding of what these commands are and what they do from this link and this link, but here is a short excerpt from one of them summarizing the commands:

You run configure (you usually have to type ./configure as most people don't have the current directory in their search path). This builds a new Makefile.

Type make . This builds the program. That is, make would be executed, it would look for the first target in Makefile and do what the instructions said. The expected end result would be to build an executable program.

Now, as root, type make install . This again invokes make, make finds the target install in Makefile and files the directions to install the program.

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – Ubuntu’s Definition of a “Registered Application”

I think you are running into several problems at once with source installations.

update-alternatives will not allow you to set just any program as a preferred application for a given name. The program will have to be registered first with the --install option. For example:

sudo update-alternatives --set editor /home/peter/bin/foo
update-alternatives: error: alternative /home/peter/bin/foo for editor not registered, not setting.

If you want to see how the registration is done, check for example /var/lib/dpkg/info/nano.postinst.

Note, however, that it would be quite bogus to define a system-wide alternative that points to some user's home directory. There are usually environment variables or other settings to set a preference for one user only.

The issue with the desktop file is probably completely separate, but you will need to provide more details about exactly which paths you used.

In general, installing an application from source can be quite difficult to get well integrated with the rest of the system, depending on the particular application.

Ubuntu – Install program from source to chroot env

If you're not short of a bit of space, you could use debootstrap to install a minimal complete OS in your chroot. This then makes apt available in your chroot.

To start with:

sudo apt-get install debootstrap

To setup a new chroot:

sudo debootstrap oneiric /path/to/chroot
sudo chroot /path/to/chroot /bin/bash

Voila, you're in a new minimal Ubuntu installation. apt-get will work from here. So now you could even install gcc/make et al, and do your entire make install in the chroot, which should pretty much guarantee the end result will work properly (all the libs will be present and so forth).

There's a few other steps you should do like setting up /proc in the fstab in the chroot, see the debootstrap manpage (under EXAMPLES).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – Ubuntu’s Definition of a “Registered Application”

Ubuntu – Install program from source to chroot env

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