If you use Linux in any depth, you’re eventually have to install a program from source code. Normally the process is pretty quick and painless, but it still has some drawbacks. To help resolve this, we’ve got checkinstall.

Sometimes, a utility or an application that you want to install is impossible to find in the format of your distribution. Alien is a utility that can convert one package type into another. It can get you out of a fix when you can't find a package for your distribution, and it is also useful for package maintainers who want to distribute packages for distributions that they don't run.

Checkinstall is a beautiful program which lets you create your own debs or rpms. This program is available in the Ubuntu universe repository. Using it you can quickly build your own ubuntu packages from source code. You can install it on Ubuntu 9.04 as below.

The installation instructions in most free software reviews aren't enough. If you decide a package sucks, how do you get rid of it? If a package rocks, how do you upgrade it? GNU Stow, a package manager for packages you compile and install yourself, provides an easy answer to both questions.

No Linux distribution can bundle every package that users might want, so most distros host software repositories from which users can download and install additional applications. Sbopkg is a new ncurses-based utility that helps users build packages from SlackBuilds.org and seamlessly integrates the repository with the operating system.

Lot of users want to make deb files from source code. It is not a difficult job. Try the following steps to make deb from source files.
First You have to install checkinstall
$ sudo apt-get install checkinstall
Download the source file, such as example.tar.gz and extract it.
$ wget http://www.example.com/downloads/example.tar.gz

Last week, in Part One of this Debian Package Primer, I gave you an introduction to the super cow powers of apt-get, Debian’s package management system. This week, in Part Two, you’ll check out aptitude, which is an easy to use front-end for apt-get. It has menus, shortcuts and a package status dashboard that keeps you aware of your installed packages and how many you have yet to install.

If you are using an OS based on the Synaptic Package Manager, you must have noticed by now that when trying to install a new package through Synaptic, it draws in miscellaneous packages that are needed for the program to work. These packages are called dependencies.

Kongoni GNU/Linux is a Slackware-based, desktop-oriented GNU/Linux distribution and live CD. Its main features include a graphical installer, a Kongoni Integrated Setup System (KISS), and an easy-to-use Ports Installation GUI (PIG).