Building From Source

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How-To
Building From Source


This how-to is about: tar.gz, Source code, Package management, Linux

What you need to know to use this how-to: The Terminal

It can be a hard process, but there are a few benefits from building applications from source:

  • Programs typically run faster.
  • One can get the latest version of the program.
  • One can build for any Linux flavour they choose.

[edit] How to Build

  1. Download the source of the package
  2. Extract the .tar.gz and open the folder
  3. open a command line to the folder; it's scary, but it's your friend. There are some small hints on using cd to do this on the bash page.
  4. Type ./configure and press return
  5. Type make and press return
  6. As a superuser, or as root, type in make install and press return.

If you receive an error message, it is best to copy and paste the error into a search engine.

Here is an example run-through showing the commands executed in extracting, compiling and installing the hypothetical source package "example.tar.gz": 

tar xzf example.tar.gz
cd example/
./configure
make
make install


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