how do i install an application that isn't a debian standard package.

I'm new to Debian my self and trying very hard not to get too frustrated. I'm a dive right in kinda person learn most everything through trial and error with mostly error...lol. At any rate it sounds like they are giving instructions on installing their package from source code. I am running into that a lot and it is aggravating as hell, I've gotten too use to windows where installing software was a double-click on the install file with a click here and there and the occasional typing of information.

So to install from source you need the build essential package. I like to use kpackage to install Debian packages because I am GUI type person and it will normally install the dependencies that go with it if they aren't already installed. Once you go that package installed download the tar package and extract the package. Navigate to the folder that it extracts and there should be a make file there. Open a shell by right-clicking, select action then click shell. The shell will open up in the same folder you are in log in as a super user by typing su and enter your administrator password when it prompts you to. Somewhere in the unpacked folder there should be a read me or installation file that will give you more specific instructions. But usually they tell you to type make from the shell and once it is done compiling the tell you to type make install. But what they don't tell you is how to configure your system so that the make file will know how to find the source headers for your kernel. Some times they will tell you to type ./configure ore ./config but if the bloody configuration script doesn't exist nothings going to happed except that your system will tell you that it doesn't exist. Basically it is a script that sets the environment variables to point the the kernel headers so all you have to do is type make and it builds the software then you type make install. Just today though will massing with a source package the install file showed me how to tell the make file where the headers are, make KERNELPATH=/path/path etc. so you have to know were the source headers are, once you get it to build the source you then type make install KERNELPATH=/path/path etc. and it then installs.

But here is a snag I ran into with all the make and make install business. It seems that if I unpack the tar package and build the source an install it all from my home folder I am force to leave the unpacked package in my home folder and the owner of that package folder is changed to root. So apparently the package has to be unpacked in a root owned folder in super user mode. Aggravating isn't it? Clear as mud no?

Oh yeah the dependencies are not automatically installed compiling and installing from source. I wish there was a GUI app that would do all this automatically, sigh oh well.