How is install different from a simple copy, cp or dd?  I just compiled a little utility and want to add it to /usr/sbin so it becomes available via my PATH variable.  Why use one vs the other?
How is install different from cp?
software installation;cp;file copy
To install a binary compiled from source the best-practice would be to put it under the directory:/usr/local/binOn some  systems that path is already in your PATH variable, if not you can add it by adapting the PATH variable in one of your profile configuration files ~/.bashrc ~/.profilePATH=${PATH}:/usr/local/bindd is a low level copy tool that is mostly used to copy exactly sized blocks of the source which could be for example a file or a device.cp is the  common command to copy files and directories also recursively with the option -r and by preserving the permissions with the option -p.install is mostly similar to cp but provides additionally the option to set the destination file properties directly without having to use chmod separately.cp your files to /usr/local/bin and adapt the PATH variable if needed. That's what I would do.