Competing software installers

15 Competing Standards

I have omitted some of the installation methods available for new applications on GitHub or GitLab, which are mostly the installers for less common programming languages. And I admit that I have rarely seen many of these methods as anything other than a distraction from my browsing of newer applications. However, the choice of installation methods is not made to help users. Much of the time, the choice is made for the convenience of the developers, who would understandably rather be working on the code than making provisions for users before the code's general release. However, the situation remains reminiscent of the xkcd cartoon, and those who browse the latest code development need to be aware of how the choice of installers can become an obstacle.

Infos

  1. "Standards," xkcd: https://xkcd.com/927/

The Author

Bruce Byfield is a computer journalist and a freelance writer and editor specializing in free and open source software. In addition to his writing projects, he also teaches live and e-learning courses. In his spare time, Bruce writes about Northwest coast art (http://brucebyfield.wordpress.com). He is also co-founder of Prentice Pieces, a blog about writing and fantasy at https://prenticepieces.com/.

« Previous 1 2

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subs
Digisubs
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • pip3 Primer

    As a replacement for pip, pip3 offers a complete solution for binary packages. Here's how to get started with this increasingly popular Python installer.

    more »
  • Smart Package Manager

    The package manager is one of the central components on any Linux system. If you have a system with unreliable package management – such as Suse Linux 10.1 – you may want to consider the Smart alternative.

    more »
  • apt vs. apt-get

    The apt command-line utility is a successor to the well known apt-get, offering simpler installation and maintenance for the DEB packages used with Debian, Ubuntu, Knoppix, and many other Linux distros.

    more »
  • Installing Software

    We provide an introduction to installing and managing RPM packages.

    more »
  • SmartPM

    The Smart Package Manager makes everyday tasks of handling RPM and DEB packages simple but has a full set of controls for experts.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus

Visit Our Shop

Trial Subscription

Digital Subscription

Subscribe

Direct Download

Read full article as PDF:

Price $2.95

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Linux Pro Magazine Mobile Programming Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source