Compiling [Solved]

[Kaye]

Hey everyone,

Because I have a separate /home and /data partition, I want to install the more intensive files of a game (images, audio, etc) on the /data partition. I understand this can be doe by configuring as ./configure --bindir=/usr/games --datadir=/home/jordan/data/Games --prefix=home/jordan/data/Games. However, I'm not 100% confident with compiling just yet. For example, how do I get the packages that the compilation depends on? Can I remove those packages after a successful install? I tried to compile Secret Maryo Chronicles this way, and it worked, but it tries to use ALSA instead of OSS and I don't know how to fix that either. Basically a little help/clarification with compiling would help me out.

Thanks,
Kaye

[Fred]

Kaye,

I am going to suggest another possible alternative. Is/are the game or games you are interested in, in the repos? Can you find pre-compiled .deb files for them?

If the answer to either of these questions is "yes" I would suggest you install them from the binaries and not compile, until you are more familiar with Linux and it's file structures.

The way to solve the space problem that may come from installing large games would be to use a symlink. With a symlink you could have the actual file or directory that takes up a lot of space on your /data partition and let the program access it through a symlink that is located in the system itself.

Google "Linux symlink" and learn about how it works. Then if you need some help I'll be happy to help you with your particular problem.

Fred

[Kaye]

Thanks for the suggestion, that seems to be what I need.

How would I go about making the symlink though? Don't the repos just install everything right into the home partition, or does the symlink somehow circumvent this? What I'm looking for is in the repos, so that wouldn't be a problem.

[Fred]

Kaye,

In Linux, and Debian based distros specifically, programs are installed in the /usr folder. The config files for the game would be installed in your /home directory. In the case of games, most game programs go in the /usr/local/games folder. As an example of how this would work, lets say you wanted to put all your games on your data partition. You would move your /usr/local/games folder to your data partition. Then set up a link in your /user/local folder to the /games folder on your data partition. Actual process example:

First check to see if you have a /usr/local/games folder. You may not if you haven't got any games installed. If you don't it simplifies the process somewhat. Create a games folder on your data partition. Then open a terminal and type:

sudo su

cd /usr/local

ln -sf /media/Data/games games

Close terminal. You now have a symlink in your /usr/local folder called games that will be a window, if you want to call it that, into the games folder on your data partition.

Note that I assumed your data partition was mounted in your /media folder as Data. If you already have a /usr/local/games folder you have to move it to your data partition first, before you start the above operation.

Below is the basic structure of the symlink command.

ln -sf target_file/foldername symlink_filename

Hope that helps.

Fred

[Kaye]

Fred,

Thank you! It works perfectly, this is exactly what I needed

Thanks again for your continued assistance!

[Fred]

Kaye,

You are welcome sir.

By-the-way, what are you doing up at this time of the morning? If you have classes in the morning you need to be getting some sleep, not playing with Linux.

Please put [Solved] in the original topic, if you don't mind.

Fred

[Kaye]

No classes until noon today Plenty of time for me to sleep no matter how late I stay up. Plus, once I read your solution, I had to try it before I went to bed or else I would've just been wondering if it was going to work or not all night