Hi. I am trying to install gaim from the tar.gz file under Debian. When I run the ./configure script, it says that I need to download GLIB. So I downloaded GLIB, where I needed some pckgemaker thingy. So I installed that, and then installed GLIB without any problems. But when I run ./configure on gaim, it still says I need GLIB 1.2.5 or greater, when I just installed 2.2 (I think that''s the number)! Do you know what I may be doing wrong? Thanks.

Dude, you''re using Debian. Just type ''apt-get install gaim'' as root and it''ll do all the dependancy crap for you.

-- John

cool thanks. I thought that that whole apt thing was just for drivers or such. Thanks.

When you''re using Debian, try as hard as you can to never deviate from the managed packaging system. If you have to, install the files with a /usr/local prefix (in Debian, that''s ''your'' area, it tries not to place any files there on its own).

I suggest you install synaptic (apt-get install synaptic) or kpackage (apt-get install kpackage) to use as graphics front-ends to apt-get (they allow you to browse the package list, without the crowdedness of dselect).

hey do you know where I can get stuff that I installed over APT like kpackage or gaim? I can''t find it anywhere. Thanks.

quote: Original post by elendil67
hey do you know where I can get stuff that I installed over APT like kpackage or gaim? I can''t find it anywhere. Thanks.

It should automatically add it to the menu/panel system of most desktop environments (there''s a special "Debian" sub-menu that contains everything the regular menu doesn''t). If you can''t find it there, try the command line (open a terminal and type "kpackage", or whatever).

NUll and Void is right, but for future reference, if you find a software package that isn't included as a Debian package and you need to compile it from a tarball, I think what you ran into was the library not being associated correctly.

Sometimes after you install a new library, you have to run:
ldconfig

To let ld (the library linker) update the version of the library.

Here's a nice little tutorial on the subject, and includes a little stuff about Debian (which I don't use, so I know nothing about it)

[edited by - dauntless on February 6, 2003 11:38:44 AM]

I use Debian, and let me just say that when you try to install things without dpkg (apt is just a front-end to it), there are sometimes problems.
For instance, once I tried to install a kernel from source.
Next thing I know, apropos was not able to find any man pages.
It was only after a friend came over to help that I found out that there is a Debian way of doing things like recompiling the kernel.
If you recompile something like GAIM from source, don''t expect that apt-get update will grab security updates for you. You can still get the latest source packages and such from a website or CVS, but you just should know that apt/dpkg will not know about it.

For most things, "apt-get install" should work just fine. If you find that the stable packages aren''t up to snuff, there is always testing and unstable.
If neither of those have the package you need, you can either find a website that hosts the .deb file, download it and then use "dpkg -i package_name" to install, or you can compile it yourself and then create your own Debian package.