Everything about Software Distribution totally explained
A
software distribution is a bundle of a specific
software (or a collection of multiple, even an entire
operating system), already compiled and configured. It is generally the closest thing to a
turnkey form of a usually
GPL or
open source source code for a software. It usually takes the form of either rpm, deb, tgz, msi, exe etc. installer and is downloadable from the Internet. These are also known as a Binary distributions. Examples range from whole operating system distributions to server and interpreter distributions (for example
WAMP installers).
They can be either official distributions by the makers of the software, or 3rd party distributions. Notable is the fact that one using such 3rd party distributions will have to turn to the distribution maker for support, the developers of the actual software being distributed usually don't provide support for 3rd party distributions of their software.
Vendors
Vendors of software distributions systems include:
Open Source Distribution Tools
GNU Autotools are widely used for distributions which consist of source files written in
C++ and the
C programming language, but are not limited to these.
The
Python programming language offers a distribution utility called
distutils
, which requires the creation of a
setup.py configuration file.
Distribution Tools for Mobile Devices
Distribution of software to small
mobile devices such as phones, PDAs and other hand-held terminals is a particular challenge due to their ad-hoc connectivity.
Some tools that cater to this category of devices are:
Wavelink Avalanche MC (Mobility Center)
Sybase iAnywhere Afaria
Standard Files
Open source projects typically contain a few standard files that live in the root of the distribution extraction. These files are most commonly named:
README - top level documentation overview
Changelog - list of changes spanning the life of the project
INSTALL - instructions on how to install
LICENSE or COPYING - conditions of use and redistribution
CREDITS or AUTHORS - attribution for project contributors
Some less frequently used names that you might also see:
FAQ - frequently asked questions (and answers)
TODO - list of features yet to be implemented
BUGS - list of software bugs
HACKING - development guide for new participants
NEWS - interesting project information, sometimes used in place of the ChangelogFurther Information
Get more info on 'Software Distribution'.
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