When you need software that isn't installed on CSE system, you can install it locally.
Installing python packages may be done using a virtual environment as described here
For example
csusername@river:~% virtualenv my-venv-p3.9 -p python3.9 --system-site-packages
csusername@river:~% source my-venv-p3.9/bin/activate.csh
[my-venv-p3.9] csusername@river:~% pip install cowsay
Example of using the package:
[my-venv-p3.9] csusername@river:~% python -c "import cowsay; cowsay.tux('I installed cowsay package')"
As with pip insallation, compiling python packages is done within an active virtualenv.
In case you need a pre-copiled software you may search for local installation such as tar.gz file, open it on a directory where you have write permissions (like sub-directory on your home directory, for example) and run the executable from this directory.
For example: installing Free42, simulator of HP-42s from https://thomasokken.com/free42/:
Download:
csusername@river:~/Downloads% wgethttps://thomasokken.com/free42/download/Free42Linux.tgz
List files to see the content:
csusername@river:~/Downloads% tar tvf Free42Linux.tgz
In case the files aren't stored under a directory, create one:
csusername@river:~/Downloads% mkdir free42
Extract the files:
csusername@river:~/Downloads% tar xf Free42Linux.tgz -C free42
Run it from that location:
csusername@river:~/Downloads% ~/Downloads/free42/free42dec
In order to compile and install software using local installation you'll have to:
Make sure to read the compilation instructions, in order to find out how to set the installation location on a chosen directory instead of the default one.
For example: installing cmatrix from source code
The code can be found at: https://github.com/abishekvashok/cmatrix
The instructions tell us that we can compile and install using autoconf tools or CMake, and instruct how to choose a custom installation location
Download:
csusername@river:~/Sources% git clonehttps://github.com/abishekvashok/cmatrix
Creating configure tool using autoconf:
csusername@river:~/Sources% cd cmatrix
csusername@river:~/Sources/cmatrix% autoconf -i
configure.ac:5: error: possibly undefined macro: AM_CONFIG_HEADER
If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
See the Autoconf documentation. configure.ac:6: error: possibly undefined macro: AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
configure.ac:152: error: possibly undefined macro: AM_CONDITIONAL
Search google for this error and find out how to fix it (some libraries are missing, the below command fetches them as well. run autoreconf --help to see the parameters explanation):
csusername@river:~/Sources/cmatrix% autoreconf -fvi
Configure before compilation, choosing an installation prefix, I choose here .local under my home directory:
csusername@river:~/Sources% ./configure --prefix=`echo ~`/.local
In case that some needed libraries are missing, you can download them and run './configure --help' to find out how to configure it to search them there.
Actually compiling:
csusername@river:~/Sources% make
If no errors, install it. You do not need root privileges because you choose a writable installation location:
csusername@river:~/Sources% make install
Now you can run the executable. You'll have to use the full path (unless you set it up on your $PATH environment variable):
csusername@river:~/Sources% ~/.local/bin/cmatrix
(Use q to quit :) )
Follow the compilation instructions and make them until you get to "make install". Instead of "make install" (and assuming you want to install it under ~/.local) run it as follow:
csusername@river:~/Sources% make DESTDIR=~/.local install
The binaries and shared libraries will be installed under ~/.local/ or ~/.local/usr/ or ~/.local/usr/local/
For the system to find the executables, add your binaries path to the PATH variable, and your libraries path to LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable:
setenv PATH ${PATH}:${HOME}/.local/bin
setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH ${HOME}/.local/lib