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Matthew: Each type of Linux, called a distribution, handles software installation and updates differently. Which distro are you running (RedHat, Debian, Mandrake, SuSe...)?
Debian is my current favorite: it uses something called apt to update software. I type "apt-get install gftp" and if the name matches, the software is installed.
Lots of Linux newbies like Mandrake, which I've never tried.
Underneath all these packaging and updating systems, most Linux software installation works like this:
1. Get the source code for whatever you want to install.
2. Uncompress the files into a directory.
3. Run a program to configure the software installation for your computer.
4. Run the program to compile the software.
5. Run the installer.
For nearly all Windows programs, you begin at step 5. With the Linux packagers/installers I was describing earlier, you begin at something similar to step 5. This process builds software from the original source code: the 'open source' in open source software.
Best of luck!
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