Skip to main content

By clicking Submit, you agree to the developerWorks terms of use.

The first time you sign into developerWorks, a profile is created for you. Select information in your developerWorks profile is displayed to the public, but you may edit the information at any time. Your first name, last name (unless you choose to hide them), and display name will accompany the content that you post.

All information submitted is secure.

  • Close [x]

The first time you sign in to developerWorks, a profile is created for you, so you need to choose a display name. Your display name accompanies the content you post on developerworks.

Please choose a display name between 3-31 characters. Your display name must be unique in the developerWorks community and should not be your email address for privacy reasons.

By clicking Submit, you agree to the developerWorks terms of use.

All information submitted is secure.

  • Close [x]

Compiling and installing software from sources

Getting open source programs from their original source code

Daniel Robbins, Chief architect, Gentoo Linux, Microsoft
Daniel Robbins lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was the founder and chief architect of the Gentoo Linux project. Daniel now works with Microsoft and describes his position as "helping Microsoft to understand Open Source and community-based projects."

Summary:  If you're relatively new to Linux®, or any other UNIX® or UNIX-like operating system, and would like to learn how to compile and install open source programs from their original source code, then this tutorial is for you. In this tutorial, you learn how to compile the vast majority of UNIX sources. The unpacking, inspection, configuration, compilation, and installation steps are covered in detail.

Date:  15 Aug 2000
Level:  Intermediate PDF:  A4 and Letter (34 KB | 10 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity:  11043 views
Comments:  

Before you start

About this tutorial

Let's say that you find a particular application that you'd like to install on your system. Maybe you need to run a very recent version of this program, and this most recent version isn't yet available in a packaging format such as RPM. Perhaps this particular application is only available in source form, or you need to enable certain features of the program that are not enabled in the RPM by default.

Whatever the reason, whether of necessity or simply just because you want to compile the program from its sources, this tutorial will show you how.


Prerequisites

To get the most from this tutorial, you should already have a basic knowledge of Linux and a working Linux system on which you can practice the commands covered in this tutorial.

1 of 7 | Next

Comments



Help: Update or add to My dW interests

What's this?

This little timesaver lets you update your My developerWorks profile with just one click! The general subject of this content (AIX and UNIX, Information Management, Lotus, Rational, Tivoli, WebSphere, Java, Linux, Open source, SOA and Web services, Web development, or XML) will be added to the interests section of your profile, if it's not there already. You only need to be logged in to My developerWorks.

And what's the point of adding your interests to your profile? That's how you find other users with the same interests as yours, and see what they're reading and contributing to the community. Your interests also help us recommend relevant developerWorks content to you.

View your My developerWorks profile

Return from help

Help: Remove from My dW interests

What's this?

Removing this interest does not alter your profile, but rather removes this piece of content from a list of all content for which you've indicated interest. In a future enhancement to My developerWorks, you'll be able to see a record of that content.

View your My developerWorks profile

Return from help

static.content.url=http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/js/artrating/
SITE_ID=1
Zone=Linux
ArticleID=132880
TutorialTitle=Compiling and installing software from sources
publish-date=08152000
author1-email=
author1-email-cc=

Tags

Help
Use the search field to find all types of content in My developerWorks with that tag.

Use the slider bar to see more or fewer tags.

Popular tags shows the top tags for this particular content zone (for example, Java technology, Linux, WebSphere).

My tags shows your tags for this particular content zone (for example, Java technology, Linux, WebSphere).

Use the search field to find all types of content in My developerWorks with that tag. Popular tags shows the top tags for this particular content zone (for example, Java technology, Linux, WebSphere). My tags shows your tags for this particular content zone (for example, Java technology, Linux, WebSphere).

Try IBM PureSystems. No charge.