Installing from tar.gz (linux)

[Yora]

Apparently the OpenMW package to run Morrowind in Linux no longer exists in the RPM Fusion repository despite the OpenMW page's claim to the contrary.
There is of course always the option to download the tar.gz archive file, but now that I have it, what am I supposed to do with it?

The OpenMW documentation simply states to download it and "run the install package". What is an install package and how do you run it?

The tar.gz contains the follwing files. They seem to assume that it's obvious to everybody what to do with them, since this is labeled the "easy way". But it really isn't. I have no clue what this is.

-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      404 Oct 19  2021 bsatool
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   306760 Oct 19  2021 bsatool.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   199689 Oct 19  2021 CHANGELOG.txt
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    53408 Oct 19  2021 defaults.bin
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root        0 Oct 19  2021 defaults-cs.bin
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root     4816 Oct 19  2021 DejaVuFontLicense.txt
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      404 Oct 19  2021 esmtool
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   772768 Oct 19  2021 esmtool.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   165298 Oct 19  2021 gamecontrollerdb.txt
drwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    28672 Sep 17 15:15 lib
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    35145 Oct 19  2021 LICENSE.txt
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      404 Oct 19  2021 niftest
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   757464 Oct 19  2021 niftest.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      403 Oct 19  2021 openmw
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    28088 Oct 19  2021 openmw.cfg
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      518 Oct 19  2021 openmw-cs
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    65168 Oct 19  2021 openmw-cs.png
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 10193768 Oct 19  2021 openmw-cs.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      415 Oct 19  2021 openmw-essimporter
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root  1165208 Oct 19  2021 openmw-essimporter.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      415 Oct 19  2021 openmw-iniimporter
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   251880 Oct 19  2021 openmw-iniimporter.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      412 Oct 19  2021 openmw-launcher
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root  1521200 Oct 19  2021 openmw-launcher.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root    61332 Oct 19  2021 openmw.png
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      410 Oct 19  2021 openmw-wizard
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root   829360 Oct 19  2021 openmw-wizard.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 14619104 Oct 19  2021 openmw.x86_64
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      287 Oct 19  2021 org.openmw.cs.desktop
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      287 Oct 19  2021 org.openmw.launcher.desktop
drwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      472 Sep 17 15:15 plugins
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root     7648 Oct 19  2021 README.md
-rwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      762 Oct 19  2021 README.packagecontents.txt
drwxrwxrwx. 1 root root     4096 Sep 17 15:15 resources

[Manga Shoggoth]

Not a setup I'm familliar with, but from a quick look at the README.md file, it looks like you have everything you need already - you should just need to run the ./openmw file (with the appropriate parameters as required).

(This depends on the data paths being set up correctly, which I can't speak for, although according to the documentation this may be set up correctly already depending on how Morrowend was installed)

[Whoracle]

Yeah, this looks all precompiled, so just run ./openmw from a terminal in that folder.

You can also move that toa more permanent location (say ~/games/openmw or something like that) and then symlink openmw to somewhere in your $PATH.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll write up directions with explanations later or tomorrow, but IIRC you have some passing knowledge with linux and the terminal already.

[Yora]

Apparently, the solution is to try out "bash ****" for every file in the package until one of them starts something that looks like a launcher or installer.

I don't know why anyone wouldn't include a half-sentence with the instruction in the readme of every package. It's even less comprehensible that this appears to be the universal standard.
I think people who release stuff for Linux want people to adopt Linux? Not to gatekeep it so that it is only useable by those who have been initiated into the secret handshake.

[TaiLiu]

Apparently, the solution is to try out "bash ****" for every file in the package until one of them starts something that looks like a launcher or installer.

Wait, is that really the standard solution? That's a lot of files to continuously type "bash..." for. Sounds annoying.

I think people who release stuff for Linux want people to adopt Linux? Not to gatekeep it so that it is only useable by those who have been initiated into the secret handshake.

That's only cuz you didn't have the package, right? I think generally you just type "sudo pacman -S package" or whatever and it downloads.

[Whoracle]

The problem in this case seems that whoever packaged this set the executable bit on EVERY file in the archive. Usually you look a what has the x in the permissions column (and no d since those are directories) and simply run those. But here, even txt files have the executable bit set for some inane reason.

Also, mentioning stuff like that in the readme would be the thing to do usually, yes.

[Smoutwortel]

I suggest starting with launcher.
Also looking at the files I conclude you shouldn't prefix them, since they look like precompiled stuff instead of .sh scripts.

launcher is often used as a description for a starter executable/script.