Quick Question

[Tracer]

Are ALL .tgz files packages for Slackware?
EDIT: Follow up question, for you who have had more linux xp., im looking for a linux distro that you can up and compile most programs on with the least of trouble... whitch would that be? Slack? Debian? I dunno...
Thanks Ahead of time!

[ilja]

If you like compiling take gentoo ;) It is compiled completelly and so it fits to you system. And please choose a better topic the next time.

[imdeemvp]

gentoo is not easy to compile unless you are as expert or advanced user......i gurantee you at the first prompt command you will go crazy :D

college linux is a one disc installation in .tar file format

[crackers]

To answer your original question, no - files that end with .tgz are commonly called "tarballs" - Slackware uses a tarball-based system for it's packages, but many source-only applications come that way as well as .tar.gz and .tar.bz2 - and a few occasional .zip files.

Any Linux system, given the proper installation, will allow you to compile and install programs distributed that way. The "problem," so to speak, is making sure that you have the correct dependent libraries installed. I used to compile a lot of stuff, but that need/desire has reduced considerably (almost to "never") with the addition of apt-get and yum and their respective repositories.

[Ug]

gentoo is not easy to compile unless you are as expert or advanced user......i gurantee you at the first prompt command you will go crazy :D What the hell are you talking about? Of course its bloody easy to compile source in gentoo, programs are managed using the portage system. This downloads the source code and compiles it by default, unless of course you specifically request a precompiled version of a program such as OpenOffice.

I suggest you think more carefully, before replying in such a misleading way.

On a different note Tracer. Gentoo (http://www.gentoo.org) is a really great distribution, and it will teach you a lot about Linux. Thats not to say it isn't hard to come to terms with if your a relative novice, because it is. When you have some experience under your belt, I heartily recommend you give it a whirl.

[Jman]

I believe .tgz is just an extension that means the same as .tar.gz i.e. a gzipped tarball archive. Try running locate .tgz you might find some.

Anyone had any luck compiling source RPMS? I suppose these are nice if you want to compile your own but want a rpm package. Of course these require SRPMs.

[Ug]

Yes I have compiled a couple as an experiment. There's nothing that great about them.

[imdeemvp]

What the hell are you talking about? Of course its bloody easy to compile source in gentoo, programs are managed using the portage system. This downloads the source code and compiles it by default, unless of course WHAT ??? you specifically request a precompiled version of a program such as OpenOffice.

I suggest you think more carefully, before replying in such a misleading way.

Well i totally disagree with you Ug....Gento is not easy for a beginner! AS you know gentoo is recommended for advanced linux user...i read of people taking them about a week to compile the basic installation! Why do you think Mandrake and Fedora are the most easy to install and use? because of GUI! and Gentoo is not that way.
You and I know of few people using Gentoo (dont get me wrong i am not saying is not a large community)....i know more people using Slackware than Gento or Debian alone!

Misleading in which way? Telling a newbie not to use it is not misleading, I am just preveting him or her from a headache and dumping linux which what they do when they have it the hard way, we started the easy way...NOT everyone is as smart as you think they are, kiddo! :eek:

[Ug]

imdeemvp please reread my post carefully. This argument ends here.

[Jman]

Why don't we just say that Gentoo packages are built automatically for your system and leave it at that? Anybody can try it if they want.

[Ug]

:D

Anyway you can more or less do what Gentoo does with Source RPMs in Fedora.

[cathal]

I agree with indeemvp, Gentoo is a bullocks to install for an extra little bit porformance gain. I spent nearly a week, very late nights installing it But once its installed it becomes very easy to get to grips with.