== This is how I do it: ==

Note: Unix commands start with $, anything else will be notes, comments. 
      If you see a $ <some_command> // The part after slash slash is a comment.

1) Make a workspace:

I have several workspaces under /work

/work/osgeo
/work/geoeye
/work/drb

To build the osgeo side:

I have files that I source.  One for osgeo one for geoeye.  So I can source one or the other and then build test code.  So in my bash start up scripts I start with no ossim stuff set.  Since we're building osgeo I do:

$ cd  // cd to home

Source my osgeo setup file.  This sets OSSIM_HOME, OSSIM_PREFS_FILE and so on.  File contents at end:
$ . ossimrc-osgeo

$ cd /work/osgeo

First time through check out code.  Note I don't like to check out the whole trunk so I do pieces.

I always build libtiff, geotiff, gdal from the latest.  You don't have to, it's up to you.

// Get libtiff
cvs -d :pserver:cvsanon@cvs.maptools.org:/cvs/maptools/cvsroot co libtiff

// The geotiff source code is available via svn (subversion) server on:
http://svn.osgeo.org/metacrs/geotiff/trunk/libgeotiff

// Get geotiff:
svn co http://svn.osgeo.org/metacrs/geotiff/trunk/libgeotiff

// The gdal source code is available via svn (subversion) server on
http://svn.osgeo.org/gdal/trunk/gdal

// Get gdal:
svn co http://svn.osgeo.org/gdal/trunk/gdal gdal