~ Installing Source Files in Ubuntu

Most of the source files are in tar.gz or .gz format. To install from these source files, first u need to compile them. So u need to install build-essentials frm Synaptic package manager. Or else, type in terminal:

sudo aptitude install build-essentials

Suppose you have a source file abc.tar.gz

1) Extract the source file.
2) Navigate to the folder to which the source file was extracted.
3) Type the following:

./configure
make
sudo make install
clean install

4) Done

Explanation

./configure checks whether required dependencies are available.
make compiles source code.
make install installs the compiled source code.
clean install removes temporary files created during installation process.


* If it asks for an installation location it is recommended to install all the source to /usr/src