Primarily, I am trying to install OpenOffice and the Linux print drivers for my HP LaserJet 1012. I have the files downloaded from the web. I am just not having any luck getting them installed. Please provide detailed instructions, (as much as possible), as I have tried most things I have already found on linuxquestions.org and 1 or 2 other sites. It is probably something minor I am skipping.

1. You are missing three important peices of information. What type of files are they? What distribution are you using? What type of errors are you getting? With out that information I can only give you the most basic of answers.

   Here are the general answers:
   .RPM
   RPM is a package format pioneered for RedHat. There are several program that can install them. At the command line type "rpm –install <filename>".

   .TAR.GZ
   Tarballs or a .tar.gz file is a compressed tar file. Usually this means it is the source code for the program. These are the basic steps and are typed at the command line:
   gunzip file in a directory
   run "./configure" if it is present.
   run "make"
   run "make install" as root

   .DEB
   The format was created for the Debian distribution, on which Ubuntu is based. It uses an a different program called dkpg to install software. I am not sure of the command syntax, since I use a Reh Hat based system.

   Final thought
   There are some programs that can convert between rpms and debs. One program called alien converts from rpms to debs. Not sure what program converts the other way, since I typically use rpms or .tar.gz files.

Tags: linux laptop, linux cluster