[COMP] Installing programs in Linux

Whenever I wish to install a program in Linux, I usually use the package
manager for the particular distribution, pkgtool for slackware, dselect or
dpkg for Debian, or RPM for RedHat.  This allows me to easily add programs
to my computer and deinstall them later if I don't want them anymore.  But,
what about programs that don't come in a package format.  I've downloaded
programs usually in *.tar.gz format and I unpack them, read the readme,
compile the source and run some makefile to install the program.  This
always caused problems.  Either I don't have the right development libraries
or some other error always occurs.  If I am successful in compiling and
installing the program, there's usually no way to uninstall it.  Isn't there
an easier way to do this?  Am I missing something about the way programs are
distributed for Linux?  What's the best way to install programs that are not
distributed as packages?

Mike

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