I want to run 'make install' so I have everything I need, but I'd like it to install the things in their own folder as opposed to the system's /usr/bin etc. is that possible? even if it references tools in the /usr/bin etc.?
It depends on the package. If the Makefile is generated by GNU autotools (./configure
) you can usually set the target location like so:
./configure --prefix=/somewhere/else/than/usr/local
If the Makefile is not generated by autotools, but distributed along with the software, simply open it up in an editor and change it. The install target directory is probably defined in a variable somewhere.
./configure --prefix=/your/path $$ make && make install
where /your/path is where you want to install your program.
It could be dependent upon what is supported by the module you are trying to compile. If your makefile is generated by using autotools, use:
--prefix=<myinstalldir>
when running the ./configure
some packages allow you to also override when running:
make prefix=<myinstalldir>
however, if your not using ./configure, only way to know for sure is to open up the makefile and check. It should be one of the first few variables at the top.