# \[Blug-list\] installing from source **URL:** \ **Category:** BLUG\ **Created:** [July 22, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292 "2021-07-22T01:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Kaiman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e79b87/32.png) [@Mark\_Kaiman](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/Mark_Kaiman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/1 "2021-07-22T01:00:45Z")
I am trying to install several packages to add extensions to my Clear Linux system. I downloaded the source and unpacked them. You can see from the attached screenshot that I am getting nowhere when I try to compile them. I don't understand what the errors mean. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? I'm sure this is easy for a lot of you, but I'd appreciate any help. ![Screenshot from 2021-07-21 17-55-40.png](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/uploads/lfnw/original/1X/556c4d8138df83a368fc3e064e79005229f035a8.png) ---
**Author:** ![Kingsley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Kingsley](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/Kingsley)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/2 "2021-07-22T03:28:46Z")
Hi Mark, Thanks for the screen shot revealing the specific errors. I expect someone like Phillip Walden would know better than yours truly, but I see two or three distinguishable errors. 1.) mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master $ ./configure     bash: ./configure: No such file or directory     I suspect this happened because the directory     you were currently working in         mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master     doesn't contain a file named         configure     You can see this is so in the output of the     previous command         $ ls 2.) mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master $ make install     Makefile:5: ../common/Makefile.common: No such file or directory     It would appear to me that the         install:     target (line) in         Makefile     may ultimately refer to a file called         ../common/Makefile.common     which doesn't exist.     I suspect         mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master $ make         Makefile:5: ../common/Makefile.common: No such file or directory     fails with the same error for the same reason. 3.) mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master $ makefile     makefile: command not found     I suspect this happened because the directory     you were currently working in         mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master     doesn't contain a file called         makefile     You can see this is so in the output of the     earlier command         $ ls     but there is a         Makefile     that I expect         mkaiman@discovery~/Downloads/dash-to-dock-master $ make              uses by default. Humble suggestions 1.) Check out what the 5th line of         Makefile     is trying to do when it fails with         ../common/Makefile.common: No such file or directory     Maybe it'll help         explain the error and         ultimately fix it. 2.) Use the         find .. | egrep common     command to look for         ../common/Makefile.common     If you don't find it, I'd wonder if maybe     Clear Linux depends on more files being     installed for your packages, like                  ../common/Makefile.common 3.) Consider watching a few cool videos on     debugging makefiles, like some at         [Sorry](https://inv.riverside.rocks/search?q=debugging+linux+makefile+) 4.) I wonder if Clear Linux automatically     installs dependencies, like other Linux     distros.          If not, and you'd be open to testing another     Linux distribution, maybe you could save     yourself some admin time in the long run.      I hope that helps, or was at least interesting, Kingsley > **···** > > On 07/22/2021 01:00, Mark Kaiman wrote: > > > I am trying to install several packages to add extensions to my Clear Linux system. I downloaded the source and unpacked them. You can see from the attached screenshot that I am getting nowhere when I try to compile them. I don't understand what the errors mean. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? I'm sure this is easy for a lot of you, but I'd appreciate any help. > > > \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ > > Bellingham Linux Users Group Mailing List > > To post send mail to - Blug-list@lists.blug.org > > To change options - [https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list](https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list) > > -- > Time is the fire in which we all burn. > > \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ > Bellingham Linux Users Group Mailing List > To post send mail to - Blug-list@lists.blug.org > To change options - [https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list](https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Weintraub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@John\_Weintraub](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/John_Weintraub)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:17am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/3 "2021-07-22T06:17:32Z")
Hi; I haven’t done a lot of compiling from source but I think I know what the problem is. The small apps and text files (scripts) that you want are installed into a different directory than where you are. So you have find out where the files (.config, make, etc.) are, and add the to your path. You can do this either temporarily or permanently. Do so permanently by editing the .bash\_profile file to include the directory where the unpacked applications and scripts are stored. If you want to do it temporarily, use the export command (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) or I _think_ you use the env command for Fedora and other RPM-based distros. But that only lasts for the duration of that shell session. Google it or use DuckDuckGo (open-source search engine that respects privacy concerns) to find the specific information you need about command syntax. I hope this helps. Sincerely, John Weintraub (Linux+/LPIC-1) > **···** > > On Wed., Jul. 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Mark Kaiman, \<[mkaiman@live.com](mailto:mkaiman@live.com)\> wrote: > > > I am trying to install several packages to add extensions to my Clear Linux system. I downloaded the source and unpacked them. You can see from the attached screenshot that I am getting nowhere when I try to compile them. I don’t understand what the errors mean. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong? I’m sure this is easy for a lot of you, but I’d appreciate any help.\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ > > Bellingham Linux Users Group Mailing List > > To post send mail to - [Blug-list@lists.blug.org](mailto:Blug-list@lists.blug.org) > > To change options - [https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list](https://lists.blug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/blug-list) ---
**Author:** ![chuckwolber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@chuckwolber](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/chuckwolber)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:48am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/4 "2021-07-22T06:48:17Z")
You need to run the configure command first. It goes something like this: ./configure make make install …Ch:W… > **···** > > **"Perfection must be reached by degrees; she requires the slow hand of time." - Voltaire** ---
**Author:** ![chuckwolber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@chuckwolber](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/chuckwolber)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:53am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/5 "2021-07-22T06:53:10Z")
Whoops! Looks like you already did that. Sorry for not looking closely enough. Where did you get that particular source package? …Ch:W… > **···** > > **"Perfection must be reached by degrees; she requires the slow hand of time." - Voltaire** ---
**Author:** ![logan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@logan](https://discuss.lfnw.org/u/logan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 7:06am UTC](https://discuss.lfnw.org/t/blug-list-installing-from-source/292/6 "2021-09-03T07:06:42Z")
It is generally a bad idea to download git repos as zip files, lots of things break in unpredictable ways. If there are release snapshots, those generally work, or use `git clone $url` to fetch the project sources. It’s also worth checking the project documentation for how to build, as there are sometimes advanced options enabled via switches, environment variables, or editing config files which are not immediately obvious just looking at the file names. All that said, there is only _one_ “make-like” file in that project (no `configure`, no `CMakeLists.txt`, or any of the other telltale buildsystem files). That is `Makefile`, and is (by convention) a GNU-Make compatible file. (It also is mentioned in the project homepage that `make` is the program for building this). When I check the dash-to-dock git repo out and call `make` on the master branch, it compiles successfully. If this is still something you wish to try using, I would suggest doing a clean checkout and trying again. If that doesn’t work, please explain where you got the download, and include your terminal scrollback as a gist so we can see _exactly_ what you ran.