CHAPTER 9Installing Software
In the old days of Linux, installing software could be a painful experience. Fortunately, the Linux developers have made life a little easier for us by bundling software into prebuilt packages that are much easier to install. However, there's still a little work on our part to get the software packages installed, especially if you want to do so from the command line. This chapter takes a look at the various package management systems available in Linux and the command-line tools used for software installation, management, and removal.
Exploring Package Management
Before diving into the world of Linux software package management, this chapter goes through a few of the basics. Each of the major Linux distributions utilizes some form of package management system to control installing software applications and libraries. A package management system uses a database that keeps track of the following:
- What software packages are installed on the Linux system
- What files have been installed for each package
- Versions of each of the software packages installed
Software packages are stored on servers, called repositories, and are accessed across the Internet via package management system utilities running on your local Linux system. You can use these utilities to search for new software packages or even updates ...
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