If you get the following error message when trying to compile some software application on Ubuntu (or Kubuntu or Xubuntu or similar) then you need to install the “build-essential” packages.
C++ compiler cannot create executables
This is simply a matter of opening up a command line prompt (but then you were already there if you were trying to compile something) and issue the following command:
sudo apt-get install build-essential
You’ll get some output like this, after which you should be able to continue trying to compile your software package:
Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following extra packages will be installed: dpkg-dev g++ g++-4.1 libstdc++6-4.1-dev patch Suggested packages: debian-keyring g++-multilib g++-4.1-multilib gcc-4.1-doc libstdc++6-4.1-doc diff-doc The following NEW packages will be installed: build-essential dpkg-dev g++ g++-4.1 libstdc++6-4.1-dev patch 0 upgraded, 6 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 0B/3995kB of archives. After unpacking 14.6MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y Selecting previously deselected package libstdc++6-4.1-dev. (Reading database ... 86000 files and directories currently installed.) Unpacking libstdc++6-4.1-dev (from .../libstdc++6-4.1-dev_4.1.2-16ubuntu2_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package g++-4.1. Unpacking g++-4.1 (from .../g++-4.1_4.1.2-16ubuntu2_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package g++. Unpacking g++ (from .../g++_4.1.2-9ubuntu2_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package patch. Unpacking patch (from .../p/patch/patch_2.5.9-4_i386.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package dpkg-dev. Unpacking dpkg-dev (from .../dpkg-dev_1.14.5ubuntu16_all.deb) ... Selecting previously deselected package build-essential. Unpacking build-essential (from .../build-essential_11.3ubuntu1_i386.deb) ... Setting up patch (2.5.9-4) ... Setting up dpkg-dev (1.14.5ubuntu16) ... Setting up libstdc++6-4.1-dev (4.1.2-16ubuntu2) ... Setting up g++-4.1 (4.1.2-16ubuntu2) ... Setting up g++ (4:4.1.2-9ubuntu2) ... Setting up build-essential (11.3ubuntu1) ...
