Tips: Care while installing a software manually

Installing a software manually on Linux platform is quite a difficult task, especially to those who comes from Windows platform. It's not like Windows  where executable file is double clicked by the user and perform few next-next steps to complete a task. In Linux system, most of the downloaded softwares are manually configured through terminal (though Synaptic Package Manager, Ubuntu Software Center and others are GUI based package management tool for apt (Advance Packaging Tool) that not only checks the dependency of the software but also guides you how to install the software successfully).  But, installing a software manually not only guides you but also allows you how to configure it on your own way. It makes you technically sound and allows you to know more about your Linux system. If you keep few things in mind the you could install a software easily and successfully.

Tips:

1. Once you download a software please check the online documentation of the software and read it carefully.

2. If somehow you miss the online documentation of the file, then please check README.txt or INSTALL.txt file/s in the software folder extracted to a specified location. README and INSTALL files itself guides you how to install, configure, set path variable, dependency and bug-fixes of the software.

3. If somehow installation fails, please check and read the error message carefully. Reading the error message or log file itself guides you to resolve the step on your own (to an extent).

4. (a) If you install the software successfully, do not forget to update and upgrade the system.

(b) But, if you fail to install the software, then take a note of the error message or take a screen-shot (if possible) and then post it to a technically forum. Please give them a necessary idea of your problem so that technical team will assists you to resolve your problem quickly. And, if there is a serious problem in the software itself, then they will release its bug-fix.