Easiest way to install .tar.bz2 files.

[colobix]

Hey you guys.
Untill now I have used nautilus to install .tar.bz2 package files, but that's a hell of a pain because u have to sort the files in the right directories which takes forever. Isn't there any easier way to install them? Maybe with a command in terminal or a program that audomaticly installs them?

Plz answer.
Thank you.

[jerome1232]

I'm confused are you talking about just extracting bziped tar archives?

Or building a program from source (which can't be done from nautilus...)

If your talking about just extracting them from a terminal


tar xjf [archive-to-be-extracted]

or if you want it to go somewhere specific

tar xjf [archive-to-be-extracted] -C [target directory]

for more information on using tar

man tar

edit: made the examples more generic

[colobix]

Thanks but i mean to install the files.
When I have downloaded a program from the web or something.
How can I do it as easy as possible?

[jerome1232]

If they are pre-built binaries all you have to-do is extract them somewhere, if they are source files then you have to build them after you extract them.


being a tar.bz2 doesn't tell me which one that is, it could be either.

[aysiu]

What's the program?

[DavidTangye]

Thanks but i mean to install the files.
When I have downloaded a program from the web or something.
How can I do it as easy as possible?Tar files are simply compressed (normally) sets of 'real' files, originally so they could be streamed to tapes for backup (tar = Tape ARchive).

If you are getting files and installing them you need to be very careful, as you are not installing proper packages, so version dependencies are not being checked at all. Further down the track you will be back here reporting that something is broken/will not work/works oddly or upgrades fail.

There are no set rules and few conventions for what to do with any software bundled into tars. It depends entirely on what the bundler decides. Hopefully he has either


provided instructions where you got the tar from, and/or
included a README or similar file in the tar. Unpack it from the tar and read it carefully.

To repeat: tar are inherently dangerous. The package manager ie Synaptic is safe.

[colobix]

It's a metacity theme from http://www.gnome-look.org
Sometimes (like now) I dont know where to extract them, so I wish there was a program out there to install archives like that automaticly where they belong.

[jerome1232]

metacity themes, you should be able just to right click your desktop, hit change background, select the themes tab, drag and drop it in.

[colobix]

OH nice. Is it the same with the screensavers too? and what about x11 mouse themes? I know that was a little off topic but ok:)

[aysiu]

metacity themes, you should be able just to right click your desktop, hit change background, select the themes tab, drag and drop it in.
Yes, and do not extract the .tar.bz2 first.

Drag and drop it in just as you downloaded it.

[colobix]

Ok thanks alot :)

[davidbruington]

I'm trying to install a GTK theme, file extension *.tar.bz2, and when I try to install it as described, it says the file does not appear to be a valid theme. I've tried several different themes, and I get the same error. am I possibly missing a required program or something?

[aysiu]

I'm trying to install a GTK theme, file extension *.tar.bz2, and when I try to install it as described, it says the file does not appear to be a valid theme. I've tried several different themes, and I get the same error. am I possibly missing a required program or something?
Maybe it's not packaged properly, or there's a .tar.gz compressed inside the .tar.bz2?