Can we do like in Windows XP...

[akashyak]

In Windows, suppose, we want to install Picasa. We download the picasa.exe file from their site, and then run it. If the program Picasa somehow gets corrupted in future, we still have the picasa.exe file with us (saved somewhere), so we can reinstall it.

Can the same thing happen in Linux ? I get to download so many applications, so may I know where their executables go and save ? Can I save them onto a disk, so that I can install them on some other machine, avoiding the cumbersome downloading process ?

[Ricky]

exe are sort of pre compiled codes which just needs to copy at right place including doing some other changes..
In linux, you can do similar things using .rpm files, other also available like for debian, it is .deb files and few others too.

Though in linux program also comes in source code..ie. usually tar.gz , you need to extract them, compile and install to use them.

So all those are u need to save so that can use them any time to install the software.

Gaurav had done a nice post regarding this :
Linux  software installation guide

[akashyak]

Ya okay. It was good, but yesterday I wanted Java SE 6. So I went to a blistering-speed internet PC and downloaded the following:

jdk-6u2-linux-i586.bin

and

jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin

Now what can I do with these .bin files??

--Akash.

[gauravbajaj]

Just run these files like this:
1st method
#chmod 755 jdk-6u2-linux-i586.bin
#./jdk-6u2-linux-i586.bin
2nd method
#sh jdk-6u2-linux-i586.bin

And for jre do same i.e

1st method
#chmod 755 jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin
#./jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin

2nd method:
#sh jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin

You can use any of above methods to install it.

Thanks
Gaurav

[akashyak]

Why does it show, even after Installing Java SE 6 update 2, that the current Java version is 1.4.2 (when I test it by typing 'java -version' in Terminal ) ?

[akashyak]

That's right, man. I too don't see why it appears so.

I read somewhere that the Java we install fails to replace the one that came by default with the Linux OS.