Can't install widgets?

[princeofnam]

I don't understand how to install widgets in Kubuntu. I download the tar.bz2 file but upon trying to install the file I'll often get a "failed" error. Also for some reason the files are initially filtered by "plasmoid." I'm not sure if I'm doing something completely wrong. Right now I just want to find a different Task Manager widget because the default one is terrible when set up vertifically (the icons constantly shrink).

I'm trying to install http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=129291 and also don't understand the manual instructions. Where is the "main directory?" Do you not have to compile the tar.bz2 first?

[HalationEffect]

I don't understand how to install widgets in Kubuntu. I download the tar.bz2 file but upon trying to install the file I'll often get a "failed" error. Also for some reason the files are initially filtered by "plasmoid." I'm not sure if I'm doing something completely wrong. Right now I just want to find a different Task Manager widget because the default one is terrible when set up vertifically (the icons constantly shrink).

I'm trying to install http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=129291 and also don't understand the manual instructions. Where is the "main directory?" Do you not have to compile the tar.bz2 first?

First step is to extract the .tar.bz2 file into a directory of its own, typically a subdirectory below your home directory. This subdirectory is the "main directory" you want to be in when you execute the instructions given, which compile & install the widget.

Let's say you create a directory below your home directory and name it 'flex-tasks'. You then download the .tar.bz2 file directly into that folder (or move the file into that folder if you already have the file).

Next, you open a Konsole window, type

cd flex-tasks

and enter that, then type

tar -xvjf <name-of-file.tar.bz2>

(replacing <name-of-file.tar.bz2> with the actual file name) to unpack the archive. After that is done, you can enter the commands given on the website.

[princeofnam]

After I follow the instructions and install can I remove the original folder that I ran the compiling instructions on? Also is there a standard folder where I should make the folder to compile in? Something like the Program Files folder in Windows?

[HalationEffect]

After compiling & installing is done you can delete the folder that you extracted the .tar.bz2 file into, but unless you're desperately short of disk space I wouldn't bother. If you later decide to uninstall the widget, you can run "make uninstall" from that folder... but you can't do that if you deleted it.

There isn't a standard folder for compiling that I'm aware of; however, you could create a folder within your home folder for that purpose if you wanted, then create sub-folders below that for each source package.