Compiling on Linux?

Question

I've been experimenting with Linux side of the Arduino Yún and to get some of the components to work I've had to install a few development tools like gcc and make.

When running the configure option of packages such as OpenSSL they don't seem to like to run from a location such as /mnt/sda1/openssl-1.0.1m/

Is there a specific location builds should be run from? None of the packages mention that this is needed but I was wondering if there was some kind of standard practice that is expected.

shabaz · Answer

Hi Andy, It's been a while since I've compiled it, but it shouldn't matter where you place the source files. Typically I create a folder called "development" for all my work, and that folder can be located anywhere convenient. Under that folder I'll create a sub-folder for the library or application I wish to compile, and in there once the source has been extracted (untar'd etc), usually the INSTALL file will provide all the detail. The 'make install' will put the binaries and anything else in specific absolute path folders (e.g. sometimes, but not necessarily /usr/bin), but that can be overridden using switches on the command line at the ./configure stage (and the INSTALL file usually will contain that detail). The above is a very general rule - some source compilation is very different, and (say) uses specific files that set up the desired target architecture and desired OS, i.e. a file needs to be configured with the correct environment vars so that the build goes correctly. I don't recall openssl being like that, but usually the INSTALL file has all this detail.

Compiling on Linux?

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