How to install a .tar.gz file

Question

I downloaded a file called SOURCE_SVR_Linux_38037.tar.gz, how do I install it?

It's the package for splashtop.

I'm pretty new to Linux, so please explain with detail.

Solution

Just to rank your options:

1. You'd be best off just installing it from the Software Center.
2. Second best would be from downloading one of the four "installer packages" they provide. These are .deb files and they would be a double-click-to-install process.
3. Lastly your choice is downloading, extracting, compiling and installing manually. The following covers your starting point: How do I install a .tar.gz (or .tar.bz2) file?

Unless you've got a really good reason to need the hardest install path, I'd just pick one of the others.

Comments

[Panther]

Although that unpacks the archive, it still needs to be installed.

[joe]

As I'm new to Linux, I don't know what the Command Line is, what is it and how do I get to it?

[Ben Lin]

since you don't know about command line, have you tried the other option (double clicking the file) to extract it? How to open Command Line depends on your desktop environment. You need to find a Terminal in your Applications Menu. After you open the Terminal (Command Line), you need to cd (change directory) into the directory where the SOURCE_SVR_Linux_38037.tar.gz is kept.