Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Windows does not have a repository and I've never seen the need for one. I can manage the software on my system no problem. Why is if that Linux needs a repository when it doesn't work all that well? Can't Linux users manage software themselves? Going to the official websites to download is the way to do it.
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Do you ask because you want to know? If so:
Linux is a kernel, not an OS.
Windows and OSX are OSes.
Linux distros are OSes too.
Programs, like calibre, use libraries that are available for the 3 OSes
The only solution in both Windows and OSX is to package the libraries with the program. Unless you're using a
very limited subset of libraries bundled with the OS, like WinApi or Cocoa.
In Linux distros you can a) package libraries with the program (like official calibre is doing) or b) package your program as part of a linux distro (like distro maintainers are doing).
a) has the benefit of non relying on distro libs (which can be incompatible, obsolete, whatever)
b) has the benefit of repurposing a single library for all packages/apps that can use it.
So, In windows, installing Sigil, Calibre and VLC will give you 3 different Qt libraries. In linux it really depends. You can pretty much do whatever you want.
In debian/arch/whatever (linux based OSes) you install Sigil, Calibre and VLC from
distro's own repos and you'll get the three packages with a single
Qt library.
Are the packages obsolete for you (which is probably the case in Debian/Ubuntu)?. No problem: use upstream packages, get an appImage, a snap, build from source, swith to a rolling release distro.
Regarding calibre. I'm very fan of how it is handled on Slackware. Calibre is not part of the OS, but a community contributed package. Users of slackware can choose between getting an old version that uses system wide libraries or using the last version (which does repackage upstream binaries to use the same package management as the rest of the OS). See it for yourself:
https://slackbuilds.org/result/?search=calibre&sv=14.2
Of course, slackware users can also install upstream/Kovid binaries directly, or build from source if they're motivated enough, or run the program in a container or ...
The same applies to all linux based OSes, possibilities are endless. Choose your own adventure, including not playing the game.
But, I'm afraid you're not interested in answers and yet again you ask random questions about software you don't need, you don't understand, you don't need to understand and you'll never use. In that case, please stop.