Very Computer

Hello,

I just installed LINUX on my system, but you have got to know that I'm
still a rookie.

Problem 1 :
I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??

I know it has something to do with GUNZIP and TAR, but I just can't
find the right command line parameters ??

Problem 2 :
I also installed X Windows System (X11).
     I got it going well JUST ONES. Now, when i type X or
     startx, it switches to graphic screen and starts the BASH shell in
     a window. The background remains (sort of) gray . The first time
     it went to blue, and I could start programs like Tetris....))
     I only can exit X WIndows when I kill the X server proces in the
     window BASH shell.

P.S. I already have run the XF86Config script, again and again...
     Still won't work....

P.S. How can I exit the X WIndows System, by pressing just keys ???

Geert.
---------------------------------------------------------- KULeuven ---
 Geert Nijs                     Tel    : +32 16 32.71.56
 KULeuven                       Fax    : +32 16 32.79.83

 B-3001 Leuven
 Home-Page: http://www.fys.kuleuven.ac.be/vsm/personel/gnijs/geert.html

 Please do not short the output or severe damage will be caused to the
 fuse. (from a Sony power supply leaflet!)
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------
No problem, you will learn :-)
---------------

Quote:> Problem 1 :
> I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
> extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??

> I know it has something to do with GUNZIP and TAR, but I just can't
> find the right command line parameters ??

--------------
Use the command:

tar xvzf filename.tgz
--------------

Quote:> Problem 2 :
> I also installed X Windows System (X11).
>      I got it going well JUST ONES. Now, when i type X or
>      startx, it switches to graphic screen and starts the BASH shell in
>      a window. The background remains (sort of) gray . The first time
>      it went to blue, and I could start programs like Tetris....))
>      I only can exit X WIndows when I kill the X server proces in the
>      window BASH shell.

> P.S. I already have run the XF86Config script, again and again...
>      Still won't work....

-------------
See if one of the ready-cooked scripts on the "Linux Configuration Page" can help:

http://www.hal-pc.org/~davidl/linux/linux.config.html
------------------

Quote:> P.S. How can I exit the X WIndows System, by pressing just keys ???

------------------

Hit Cntrl-Alt-BackSpace

------------

SUGGESTION 1--POST ON: comp.os.linux.setup in future; you'll find more kindred souls
over there...

(Although the folks on this forum are helpful and very knowledgeable too...)

SUGGESTION 2-rtfm.
--

Firstly, you really should be asking these questions in more specific news
groups like: comp.os.linux.answers or comp.os.linux.x  

Quote:>Problem 1 :
>I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
>extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??

>I know it has something to do with GUNZIP and TAR, but I just can't
>find the right command line parameters ??

I'm sure there are many (other/better) ways to do this, but this should work.
zcat (or could be gzcat) unzips the file to the standard output (in this case
the screen), giving tar the 'xvf -'options means eXtract the archive, give
Verbose output and use File '-'. The file '-' indicates standard input. Note
you do not need the minus sign before the tar options xvf.

        zcat file.tgz | tar xvf -

If you just want to see what files are in the tar archive you can do this:

        zcat file.tgz | tar tvf -

Quote:>Problem 2 :
>I also installed X Windows System (X11).
>     I got it going well JUST ONES. Now, when i type X or
>     startx, it switches to graphic screen and starts the BASH shell in
>     a window. The background remains (sort of) gray . The first time
>     it went to blue, and I could start programs like Tetris....))

You should start X with the command 'startx' as this makes attempts to set up
you environment, its only a shell script (/usr/X11/bin/xstart) so I suggest
you have a look at it and do a 'man' on xinit.

Good Luck

Mark Bolton

Firstly, you really should be asking these questions in more specific news
groups like: comp.os.linux.answers or comp.os.linux.x  

Quote:>Problem 1 :
>I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
>extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??

>I know it has something to do with GUNZIP and TAR, but I just can't
>find the right command line parameters ??

I'm sure there are many (other/better) ways to do this, but this should work.
zcat (or could be gzcat) unzips the file to the standard output (in this case
the screen), giving tar the 'xvf -'options means eXtract the archive, give
Verbose output and use File '-'. The file '-' indicates standard input. Note
you do not need the minus sign before the tar options xvf.

        zcat file.tgz | tar xvf -

If you just want to see what files are in the tar archive you can do this:

        zcat file.tgz | tar tvf -

Quote:>Problem 2 :
>I also installed X Windows System (X11).
>     I got it going well JUST ONES. Now, when i type X or
>     startx, it switches to graphic screen and starts the BASH shell in
>     a window. The background remains (sort of) gray . The first time
>     it went to blue, and I could start programs like Tetris....))

You should start X with the command 'startx' as this makes attempts to set up
you environment, its only a shell script (/usr/X11/bin/xstart) so I suggest
you have a look at it and do a 'man' on xinit.

Good Luck

Mark Bolton

: Problem 1 :
: I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz

gunzip filename.tgz
tar -xf filename.tar

Cheers, Gerard

Why don't you use std out like:
# gunzip -c <  filename.tgz | tar xf -

It runs faster and there is no need to create any un-needed files.

-- Rj

--
RJ Nichols III,
Sector CIM Systems Manager
Motorla SPS.

Voice: 602.413.5784

tar -ztvf <tarfile.tgz>

: >Problem 1 :
: >I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
: >extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??

: tar -ztvf <tarfile.tgz>

That will list the contents of the archive ( a Good Idea (tm) )

tar -zxvf <tarfile.tgz>

to extract using the tar that comes with Linux. If you're not using Linux
remember; .tgz is just short for .tar.gz (use .tgz for DOS-crippled
machines). GNU tar (eg Linux) can do the uncompression on the fly (that's
what the z in the options means).

Use gunzip or gzip -d to uncompress, then use tar to extract the archive.

--

  URL: http://newton.otago.ac.nz:808/~bmcd/homepage.html   |     PGPprint=
    ``I've got a plan so cunning you could pin a tail      |  9F06A6C6CF61D90C
      on it and call it a weasel.'' - Edmund Blackadder    |  A3169D13127A44D6

My tar doesn't have a -z option (AIX 3.2.5 or HP-UX 9.0).  My Linux is at home,
so I can't validate it's flags list.

In any case, the 'gz' suffix indicates that the file has been compressed using
the (GNU) gzip utility.  'tgz' indicates that it was a 'tar' file, subsequently
compressed.  To uncompress it, simply 'gunzip <tarfile.tgz>'.  You should be
left with a '.tar' file, which you can then expand with any tar-compliant
utility program.
Mark A. Scarton, ABD
CompUtah!, Park City, Utah USA
Home: 801.565.9835
Office: 801.265-4612

: >>Problem 1 :
: >>I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
: >>extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??
: >tar -ztvf <tarfile.tgz>
:
: My tar doesn't have a -z option (AIX 3.2.5 or HP-UX 9.0).  My Linux is at home,
: so I can't validate it's flags list.
:

        If that is the case.. I don't know if it's third party or if it comes
with the distribution of AIX or HP-UX, but you could also check for a program
called gtar. I've seen it come on some dists of Digital Unix (OSF/1), and it
includes the -z flag for gunzip, and the -Z flag for uncompress. if it's
there, what I did was alias tar to gtar, and it's all kudos for me. if it's
there, give that a shot.

                                                        BL.

Or you could use winzip under PC windows which is pretty smart about
these things.

Bromley Kent          :
BR1 5BL               :
UK                    :

: : >>Problem 1 :
: : >>I got a program from a friend, but it's compressed into a *.tgz
: : >>extension. How do I uncompress it to normal files ??
: : >tar -ztvf <tarfile.tgz>
: :
: : My tar doesn't have a -z option (AIX 3.2.5 or HP-UX 9.0).  My Linux is at home,
: : so I can't validate it's flags list.
: :

:         If that is the case.. I don't know if it's third party or if it comes
: with the distribution of AIX or HP-UX, but you could also check for a program
: called gtar. I've seen it come on some dists of Digital Unix (OSF/1), and it
: includes the -z flag for gunzip, and the -Z flag for uncompress. if it's
: there, what I did was alias tar to gtar, and it's all kudos for me. if it's
: there, give that a shot.

:                                                         BL.

You probably either have to decompress it with 'decompress', or with
'gunzip' (the gnu zip utility). Gzip also can decompress files compressed
with 'compress', so that is probably your best choice. (if you don't have
gzip already, i can advice you to get it, it gives much better compression
rates, and is available under the GPL, at any gnu archive

michel

--

| http://cal022011.student.utwente.nl/~kirth/ - Monolith BBS: 130.89.228.117 |

what about 'gzip -c -d tarfile.tgz | tar tvf -' ?

--
Bye,

Emile

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Disclaimer: the opinions in this messages are *mine*, and
have *no* bearing whatsoever on the opinions of the company.
So there.