news
BSDs and Package Managers
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Distro Watch ☛ DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.
[...] This week we begin with another experiment, this time focusing on the OpenBSD operating system. While OpenBSD is well known for its roles in security and running on network devices it can also be run as a desktop operating system. Jesse Smith takes OpenBSD 7.8 for a trail run this week and reports on how it performs compared to NetBSD while engaged in the same tasks. [...]
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Andrew Nesbitt ☛ What is a Package Manager?
When people think of package managers they usually picture installing a library but these days package managers and their associated registries handle dozens of distinct functions.
A package manager is a tool that automates the process of installing, updating, configuring, and removing software packages. In practice, modern language package managers have accumulated responsibilities far beyond this definition.
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Andrew Nesbitt ☛ Package Manager Design Tradeoffs
Package managers make dozens of design decisions with no right answer. Each choice has real costs and benefits, and choosing one side often forecloses other options. This is a survey of those tradeoffs.
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Andrew Nesbitt ☛ Why I’m Fascinated by Package Management
Before I had broadband, software updates came on CDs bundled with gaming magazines. Growing up in rural England, I had no idea these CDs even carried patches until I stumbled across one. Finding a new Half-Life patch or Quake map pack felt like discovering treasure. Software could get better after you bought it.
Years later, gem update gave me that same feeling. Run a command, gain new capabilities. Newer versions of Rails, Rake, RSpec. Other people were doing the work to improve this software, and I got to benefit just by running a command.