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LinuxPapers.org: The RPM System

[ Thanks to newsmaster for this link.
]

“Installing and removing programs on your computer can be a
little complicated. The software package manager RPM allows you to
install, remove and keep tabs on your software in a simple
way”

“RPM (RedHat Package Manager) is a program for installing
programs. It was developed by RedHat with the aim of simplifying
the distribution of pre-compiled software: in other words, software
that you do not need to compile before you install it. RPM is
especially useful for software companies that distribute GNU/Linux
(DISTRIB) and have to deal with thousands of files. RedHat, SuSE
and Caldera all distribute their products in RPM format. GNU/Linux
users have the advantages of being able to not only install their
programs more easily, but also install and keep tabs on their
installed programs.”

“This is a summary of the important features of the RPM
system:

  • RPM makes installing, updating and removing software
    simple.
  • RPM analyses what “dependencies” the program to install has on
    other programs or libraries, in order to work correctly. For
    example, the software A needs the software or library B to be in
    the system, in order to work properly.
  • RPM keeps information about installed packages in a database.
    This means that you can know exactly what is installed on your
    system.”

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