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A package, for package managers, denotes a specific set of files bundled with the appropriate metadata for use by a package manager. This can be confusing, as some programming languages often use the word "package" as a specific form of software library. Furthermore, that software library can be distributed in a package of files bundled for a package manager.
Package management systems are charged with the task of organizing all of the packages installed on a system and maintaining their usability. Typical functions of a package management system include:
* Verifying file checksums to ensure correct and complete packages.
* Verifying digital signatures to authenticate the origin of packages.
* Applying file archivers to manage encapsulated files.
* Upgrading software with latest versions, typically from a software repository.
* Grouping of packages by function to help eliminate user confusion.
* Managing dependencies to ensure a package is installed with all packages it requires.
Some additional challenges are met by only a few package management systems.
So.. as far as i understand, even .rar and .zip are package formats, right?
No. (maybe) (it depends)
Packages are nothing more than collections of files bundled in some way. The format is typically tailored to a specific package manager---eg .rpm, .deb, etc.
.rar and .zip are archiving/compression formats. For example a .zip file might contain some .rpm packages, but it could just as well contain the complete works of William Shakespeare.
To cloud the issue a bit, the Slackware package format is "tgz". I think these are actually just tar.gz archives----by using the suffix ".tgz", the Slackware package tools know what to do.
(You could of course write a package manager to automatically use ANY file/archive format)
Packages are nothing more than collections of files bundled in some way. The format is typically tailored to a specific package manager---eg .rpm, .deb, etc.
.rar and .zip are archiving/compression formats. For example a .zip file might contain some .rpm packages, but it could just as well contain the complete works of William Shakespeare.
To cloud the issue a bit, the Slackware package format is "tgz". I think these are actually just tar.gz archives----by using the suffix ".tgz", the Slackware package tools know what to do.
(You could of course write a package manager to automatically use ANY file/archive format)
exactly my thoughts.. It's just that there is no packgage manager that takes .zip or .rar as it's format
ok.. so.. maybe for me to get a better understanding of all this package system and how it works..
Can you help me to install Opera (i just downloaded opera 9.6 and it was in .deb) without using a package manager? I already unarchived .deb to a folder and now i got 3 files..
IMHO, you are chasing your tail. You are not going to understand package management by taking apart a .deb package and attempting to install the thing manually. Much better to find the developer's site for .deb packages and read up on how it works.
To install something without using a package manager, get it in a generic format (in some cases, this will mean source code which must be compiled)
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you should enlighten me i'm a newbie ..
