Re: Why the .deb format?
On Wed, 13 Mar 1996, Billy Chow wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> This is the question I always wanted to ask. Are there advantages to
> the use of .deb format for debian packages? Why is .tgz
> inappropriate?
>
Well Billy, the .deb files are more than tar gzipped files. They contain
control files that let Debian's package management tools, dpkg and
dselect, manage and record just what has been installed, as well as
managing the interdependancies of the various packages.
You can certainly install software packages from .tgz files, but dpkg and
dselect will have no knowledge of their existance and may clobber vital
pieces during other package installation. As a result, it is always
advisable to install such packages in /usr/local.
Hope this helps,
Dwarf
------------ --------------
aka Dale Scheetz Phone: 1 (904) 877-0257
Flexible Software Fax: NONE
Black Creek Critters e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net
------------ If you don't see what you want, just ask --------------
Reply to: