this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Since I'm not sure where to ask what is probably a basic question, what's a Linux package?
It's just a fancy way of saying program. So Linux programs.
Correct, the reason they are called packages, is that the package can contain other resources besides usable programs, like libraries used by other programs.
It's a signed archive of deployable files along with meta-data. Usually a cpio archive (which is similar to a tarball) with that extra signature wrapper and meta-data (which, itself, should be a list of files and checksums).
A proper package can validate a project's installation, either from the local database or from remote resources, at any time, which gives positive assurance that what is installed is what should be installed.
As well, proper package info is exported by SNMP to be consolidated centrally and validate what is vs what should be installed at the group level.
TL;DR? Like a tarball with tracking info, signatures, checksums, and top-to-bottom validation. If it's a good package, anyway.
So it's basically like installing a program in windows but, idk how to phrase it, more through and less prone to errors during installation?