Unpacking source files, & cet.

A few, simple, newbie questions: in what directory should I unpack gcc,
make & other source distributions such that they are in the right place
relative to everything else?

Are there established conventions for VSTa's directory tree (as in unix)?

Lastly, what needs to be done to set up gcc? A mail-archive message from
9feb98 says:

"...gcc should already be configured, and was and is built under VSTa. It
should continue to build, delta any accidental damage I've done to it."

..and I see a file 'gcc' (52k) in /vsta/bin that suggests that the compiler
may just run as installed, provided it is installed in the right place. Is
this so, or does it need to be 'built'? I am (clearly) not a programmer,
but I can turn cranks...

There are many other files in /vsta/bin (make, gmake, gzip, yacc, etc.)
that seem to relate to the other software distributions available from the
VSTa website. How do I make use of these files? Someone has already
invested a lot of work here; I would like to take advantage of that, with
gratitude.

And muchas thanks for bearing with these "entry level" questions.

              Scott W. Lucas, from the time-warp of Gray's Harbor,
                               Washington, USA
Received on Wed May 20 06:01:56 1998