installation location and paths

[Mats Hedlund]

I'm trying to install octave-2.9.7 with UFsparse and
octave-forge-2006.07.09 on a suse 10.1 machine (gcc 4.1.0). I'm using
g95 as Fortran compiler.
I'm used to putting software under /usr/local (AND getting it all to
work) but here I just struggle to sort out all sorts of library and
header paths.
Since these packages are meant to work together I assume I'm doing
something incredibly stupid in terms of where to unpack to avoid
unnecessary headaches. Hence, I've spent a fair bit of time to search
for installation tips without success.
Instead of bugging everyone with my nitty gritty detail problems of
having configure to find what it needs, I would greatly appreciate hints
of the bigger picture where a typical installation should be placed.

Thanks,
Mats