How do I install a program?

[Coco999]

Installations are straightforward if the program is catalogued in your repository. But if I got it elsewhere, I am at a loss. I got a folder conaining the executable plus ancillary files. Clicking or double clicking are useless. What do I do?

Incidentally, this program requires JAVA. I've downloaded it but again don't know how to install it. It might be already installed. How do I check it? If necessary, how do I install it?

[nothingspecial]

What program is it?

Is it contained within a tarball. Is it a .deb?

Is there a README file contained within it?

[Shippou]

Installations are straightforward if the program is catalogued in your repository. But if I got it elsewhere, I am at a loss. I got a folder conaining the executable plus ancillary files. Clicking or double clicking are useless. What do I do?

Incidentally, this program requires JAVA. I've downloaded it but again don't know how to install it. It might be already installed. How do I check it? If necessary, how do I install it?

Did you downloaded the installer? And if so, what format?

It should be .deb, .rpm, or something like that. Not .exe.

[MelDJ]

this might help: How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu!

[Saiko Berry]

Installations are straightforward if the program is catalogued in your repository. But if I got it elsewhere, I am at a loss. I got a folder conaining the executable plus ancillary files. Clicking or double clicking are useless. What do I do?

Incidentally, this program requires JAVA. I've downloaded it but again don't know how to install it. It might be already installed. How do I check it? If necessary, how do I install it?

CD to the directory it's in. Lets say you put the folder on your desktop and its called that_installer.

cd Desktop/that_installer/
./configure
make
sudo make install

[Coco999]

What program is it?

Is it contained within a tarball. Is it a .deb?

Is there a README file contained within it?

The name is MagnumOpus. What is a tarball?
It is .jar. No readme file

Did you downloaded the installer? And if so, what format?

It should be .deb, .rpm, or something like that. Not .exe.

No downloader available. Extension is .jar, I think this is the exexutable.

CD to the directory it's in. Lets say you put the folder on your desktop and its called that_installer.

Do you use installer as a fantasy name or is it supposed to imply a functionality? I have none.

[SuperSonic4]

If the extension is jar it usually suffices to run

java file.jar

installer is a made up name used as an example (same as file above).The idea is to replace these words with the name of your file

[3rdalbum]

I imagine there should be instructions, either with that file or on its developer's website.

There might be a shell script included (filename might end in '.sh'), that you have to drag to the terminal window to run the program.

[Saiko Berry]

....I was making an example.

.jar files are java archive files not executeables. You're trying to install something made in Javascript. Mind giving an ls on the contents of the downloaded files?

Unpack the .jar

[Shippou]

So it's a jar. Then you really need Java.

Install java by using the repository. Then you can start your app by

java -jar <jar file name here>.jar

That should get you going.

Note: Install the Java Runtime Environment.