tar.gz installation newbie to ubuntu

[shadowdevelopment]

guys i am completely new to umbuntu and i would like say that i have vmware stuck on winodws xp. and with umbuntu on it. but i have afew problems compileing programs as i have said guys newbie to linux but i belive that the files are not like windows as i can see but they are in scripts but if anyone would like to show me or give me the complete tutorial or knowledge that they have would be appreciated. i already have the program but i would need to know how to instal it i know prety lame. but i would like to know how to instal it from terminal or any other way it is a tar.gz (tarball) i guess any help !!!!

[aysiu]

Forget about the .tar.gz. For a new user, .tar.gz files should be a last resort.

More details here:
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installingsoftware

[Revolutionary101]

Most, if not all, of the applications you need are in synaptic

[iponeverything]

a tar.gz is compressed archive. Generally there is an appropriately named file at the top level of the tree for documentation. These files almost never written for the novice, as it would take longer to explain everything that it did to write the program in the fist place.

There is no set way to handle a program that you get from source. The only real thing you can do is try to figure it out.

Asking a question like yours is bit like seeing fluid on the cement under your car and asking someone how to fix it. It might be complicated or it might be easy, but you have climb under your car and look under the hood to try to get an idea of what is going on.

A better route would be to try to figure it out on your own goggling your error messages and come back and ask specific questions when you can't find the answer.