While developing a web application - certified for Linux only - I wanted an easy way to deploy it.
The classical RPM (good guide) and DEB (simple guide) packages were an option and, as I write this, the DEB package is actually finished but the RPM is considerable more complex and I'm still not convinced that it is worth the work for what is required, though, it may not be included in the final version.
Since I do not wish to create nor maintain lots of distribution packages, the obvious choice was to have an installation package that could be executed in any Linux distribution.
In the past, around 2003 or so, I've already had a similar problem and the solution back then was to use a self extracting archive. After some research, I found out an easy and simple way to do it.
Here's a detailed explanation on how things can be done: Bash Self-Extracting Script.
If you wish for a faster solution, you can check this Self-extracting Shell Script.
./M6