You may have heard of this project[0install.net] before-another attempted solution to a software installation problem with Linux.
what is the problem,you ask ?
How do you install new software on Linux easily,in a uniform manner that won’t scare off a shy Windows users? The are often need attention ,and we turn a blind eye to it because we are comfortable using apt or something similar.Are systems like apt really sufficient though> what if the program i want to install isn’t within a distribution archive? what if it’s too old ? what if I want a newer version than my distribution’s archive provides,without upgrading gig’s worth of my whole system to satisfy all the other niggling dependencies ? what if i simply want to do the same thing on each system?
Zero Install is the next in line to tackle this issue,where projects like Autopackage failed ,but will it tackle the fancy of the larger Linux audience?
Installation :-
Thankfully,a large nuber of bunaries are available ,and they will probably covers your system’s needs.I grabbed the Etch,deb and it worked without any hassles. if your system isn’t covered though,the site include a source tarball that contains a python script ,plus instructions on how to use it.There are not any real obscure dependencies ,so chances are that the base package will install without any issue.
Usage:-
Initial usage is more of a command line affair ,which puts zero install system in a different league from Autopackage immediately,once the zero install injector has been installed,you can install packages by just typing 0lounch and pasting the URL of the package into the shell after it ,However finding the page of available packages took me a minute-it’s available at 0install net/injector-feeds.html.Once you’ve found a package that interests you,copy the URL of the package and do follows :
$ 0launch http://insertyourURLhere
An installer windows will pop up ,displaying the package name and any dependencies ,you may require.In a few seconds ,a window may appear ,presenting you with a trust key (a G Pg-signed key),asking you whether to allow this key to run ,which is similar to when your browser asks whether to accept a site’s authentication certificate.as there are not a great deal of package available yet ,trusting these keys is fine for now.but should they become popular ,you will want bussiness is out of way ,press run and the download of the new package will start along with any other dependencies .Once the download has finished ,the new program should launch right away ,if not any error message will appear in the shell.
This is all okay for the first time , but any other attempts to run the new program to run the new program will require the same ardous steps each time .Thankfully with some clever scripting a local link is made that puts a filename into your path without the need for the root priviledges ,it will require to enter the URL once more though,coupled with the command 0alias and your chosen alias name ,as follows :0
# 0alias alias http://insertyourURLhereagain
Regards
