How to install the .tar.bz2 file

Question

I am new to Linux and am using Ubuntu trying to install firefox-4.0b1.tar.bz2 but don’t know how to install it from the command line. How can i do this?

Answer 1

Do it:

 $ bzip2 -dc firefox-4.0b1.tar.bz2 | tar -xvf - 

You will probably unzip the installer source folder.

If it is an installer, go to run it and install firefox.

If this is the source code, you can probably compile and install it:

 $ ./configure $ make $ sudo make install 

Otherwise, follow the readme file or instructions that you will find after unpacking the BZIP2 file.

Answer 2

Do you have a good reason to install from a .tar.bz2 file? Try using the built-in package manager (possibly Synaptic) to install Firefox. This will make it easier to keep track of what you have installed, among other benefits.