At Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:51:27 -0600 CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org> wrote: > > Howdy, > > I tend to try out many open source apps/packages - games, editors to > media tools. I have a bad habit of downloading and extracting source > in the /var/tmp directory and then doing configure-make-install > process. I am not sure of best practice (good practices) to be > followed when installing any software. For example how and where to > keep the src. Any comments and/or resources would be really helpful. It does not really matter where you keep the source. *I* unload the source either somewhere under my home directory or on my '/extra/' filesystem. You should *always* do the configure & make steps as a normal (non-priviledged) user -- *never* as root! Only do the install step once you are sure everything built properly. If you are just testing it and don't plan on keeping it as a part of your production system, it is often possible to do the install as a non-priviledged user using the DESTDIR= option on the install step and install the program someplace NOT on the system places (eg under /usr or /usr/local or /opt or whatever). Whenever possible, I try to find an RPM (even a SRPM) for any 'production' software. > > - > Thanks, > CS. > _______________________________________________ > CentOS mailing list > CentOS at centos.org > http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos > > -- Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller at deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/