[Solved]Compiling Software

[zebedeeboss]

OK First off please go easy...

I have looked through all 16 screens trying to find a How To on Compiling software for Kubuntu

I need a simple line by line guide - preferably with examples on how its done with no assumption that I know what this means or what that means.

If I have to read other things first to get a generic idea, I have no problem with that... as long as its in simple English and not gobble de gook.

I have finally found a distro that I am prepared to work with and Learn the steep hill to becoming competent... (Ex Windows user for as long as I can remember)

Compiling software that I want to use seems to be a good starting point... Tell me if I am wrong please.

Thanks in advance Zeb...

[de_koraco]

Re: Compiling Software

You're not very likely to need compiling with Kubuntu, since the repositories are huge, and there are PPA's for keeping up to date with some software, but what the hell.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompilingSoftware

A very useful command when compiling a newer version of something that's in the repos is

sudo apt-get build-dep <package name>

This will install all the dependencies that the program needs, so you'll have a much easier time with the compilation itself. The guide above is kinda useful to get the general idea, although you'll always need to read the compiling instructions that come with a piece of software you're compiling.

Also, install bzr, that's the Launchpad version control system, that a lot of developers who are designing software for the ubuntu family need.

sudo apt-get install bzr

Then you browse Launchpad, see something you like, and do

bzr branch lp:foo

[zebedeeboss]

Re: Compiling Software

Thank You de_koraco

from your response. Am I safe to assume then that the Ubuntu forums are another source of useful info that can be applied to kubuntu? or are there suble differences (KDE being the main one) that I need to be aware of when tryng ubuntu things in kubuntu

Zeb...

[claydoh]

Re: Compiling Software

ubuntuforums is a great place to search for info and error messages. There are not many differences in compiling software between Ubuntu and Kubuntu, however there are enough that it it doesn't always translate. Most non gui apps, and quite a lot of gui ones use the basic process:

./configure --prefix-/usr
make
sudo make install

But most KDE applications these days use cmake, which is a bit different, though not any more difficult than the other method. usually, there are instructions inside the sources that tell you the proper steps.

The hardest steps are when the configure process gives you an error, and tracking down what particular foo-dev package you are missing. Even running apt-get build-dep does not pull in everything sometimes.

[zebedeeboss]

Re: Compiling Software

Thank you all for the replies, keep them coming I am sure other users will find them useful as well.

But here is a classic example, for me, anyway of simple instructions that go astray

"And since you may want to get code from some projects with no released version, you should install appropriate version management software.

sudo apt-get install cvs subversion git-core mercurial"

"appropriate version management software" what's this when its at home - the assumption here is this idiot guide assumes all idiots know what they are talking about - sorry I don't

Do I simply run the sudo command as is or am I substituting "mercurial" for some other equally randomly meaningless name (meaningless to me that is) so do I put in "Natty Narwhal" instead ?

is the assumption that with these guides anything highlighted as a command can simple be run as is ?

Zeb...

[de_koraco]

Re: Compiling Software

git, subversion and mercurial are version control systems, like bzr. They're online repositories where developers put in their code before it is published as a software package. Useful for installing development software. All of them have their own methods of "pulling" the code to your machine, whereupon you proceed with the installation instructions.

[zebedeeboss]

Re: Compiling Software

arrrrh ok so the sudo line is installing all 3 in one go... penny drops thank you

another quick question... is it worth while appending apt-get install "softwarename" commands with checkinstall

ie sudo apt-get install cvs subversion git-core mercurial checkinstall

[claydoh]

Re: Compiling Software

, no checkinstall is a tool to create a basic deb file from a compiled source, so the command you have would simply install the checkinstall program along with the others there.

I say start simple. Either compile something that already has a package in the repos, or perhaps one that is slightly older than what is in there.

git, svn, cvs, mercurial are at the slightly advanced end, imo.

An easy program to build is Krecipes, as it is fairly small and has decent instructions in the source. Also, often there are application-specific how-to's out there if you find a particular one you want to try. Also, as all the software sources can be a little different from each other, it might be just as easy to pick something and we can walk you through the steps. irc and/or IM are good for this too.

But I really think a first step is to become more comfortable with the command line. That way you get used to some of the gobbledygook you will not be able to avoid

[zebedeeboss]

Re: Compiling Software

Thank you all for the help and guidance

[de_koraco]

Re: Compiling Software

Yup, I second the try to install something small from the repos at first approach, just so you can get a sense of it. It's the kinda stuff you learn as you go along.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Compiling Software

If you came from Windows and used their development tools, especially MS Visual Studio whatever, the tool similar to it in Kubuntu is the Qt4 SDK, which features QtCreator, a GUI RAD tool using the Qt4 API. The KDE4 desktop is built using the Qt4 API. Qt4 features, among SO MANY THINGS, the powerful "Signals & Slots" functions, which make callbacks seem 18th century. There are LOTS of Youtube videos for Qt and QtCreator. I used MSVSC++ at work for several years before I retired. QtCreator was released just after I retired. But, I had Linux dual booting with my workstation and I'd develop in-house apps using Qt4, Kate and KDbg at about 3 to 5 times faster than I could with MSVS. When I was done writing and testing against a PostgreSQL data base I'd transfer it to XP and compile it against the Oracle DB using compiler defines to automatically chose the proper environment vars and paths.

Both the "Online Installer" and the "Offline Installer" for Qt SDK are here.
The Offline is a 1 Gb download, but even the kitchen sink is in it. The website for online help with Qt4 is here. From Novice to Expert, they have the answers.

Like de_koraco, I LOVE the Bzr version control tool. It is easy to use for both local and remote repositories, as a single user or part of a team. There are several GUI interfaces for Bzr in the repository.

Gnome, on the other hand, is built using the GTK+ widget set. That tool was used to build Gnome. The GTK is not as unified as Qt4 and by comparison, IMO, not nearly as polished nor as extensive. With the advent of the Unity Desktop in Natty and Oneiric, Canonical is moving away from the Gnome to Unity. I'm not following Unity so I don't know what tool was used to build it.

Be careful about installing alien applications, regardless of the site, unless it has been vetted and keyed with the PGP. Otherwise, you could easily compile back doors or keyboard loggers into your system. For all but the highly technical newbies to Kubuntu I'd recommend staying with what's in the repositories and use Muon or Synaptic to install them.

[zebedeeboss]

Re: [Solved]Compiling Software

Many thanks for all your help, I have enough to be going on with

Zeb...