To unpack this: $ gunzip latex-example-1.2.tar.gz $ tar -xf latex-example-1.2.tar $ cd latex-example-1.2/ There is a pre-build PS (postscript) or PDF file in each directory that was generated from the source files. Typically, I use a 'Makefile' to help with the generation of the PS/PDF file. OLS example: $ make ps OR $ make pdf SCI example: $ make ps OR $ make pdf Quick example: $ make $ make ps (this is an older version of the Makefile) ----------------------------------------------------------------- The other example shows a much more stripped down set of files/examples. $ tar -xf texbase2.tar $ cd texbase2/ --tjn