A right-hand man is colloquially used to refer to someone whom you can trust with your secrets.

More colloquial term for "confidant"
This is an issue that really limits my enjoyment of Linux. If the application isn't on a repository or if it doesn't have an installer script, then I really struggle where and how to install an application from source.

Comparatively to Windows, it's easy. You're (pretty much) required to use an installer application that does all of the work in a Wizard. With Linux... not so much.

So, do you have any tips or instructions on this or are there any websites that explicitly explain how, why and where to install Linux programs from source? 
