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This article shows you 5 reasons to use the Linux package manager. The content is concise and easy to understand. It will definitely catch your eyes. I hope you can get something through the details of this article.

In 2021, people have more reasons to like Linux than ever before. In this series, I'll share 21 different reasons for using Linux. Today, I will talk about software repositories.

Before I used Linux, I took the applications installed on my computer for granted. I will install applications as needed, and if I end up not using them, I will forget about them and let them take up my hard drive space. Finally, one day, my hard disk space will become scarce, and I will frantically delete applications to make room for more important data. But inevitably, applications can only free up limited space, so I turned my attention to all the other bits and pieces of content installed with these apps, whether it's media content or configuration files and documents. This is not a good way to manage computers. I know this, but I don't think there are other options, because, as people say, you don't know what you don't know.

When I switched to Linux, I found that the way I installed the application was a little different. On Linux, you are advised not to go to the website to find the installer of the application. Instead, run a command and the application is installed on the system and each individual file, library, configuration file, document, and media asset is recorded.

What is a software repository?

The default way to install applications on Linux is to install them from the distribution repository. This may sound like an app store, because modern app stores borrow a lot of the concept of software repositories. Linux also has an app store, but the software repository is unique. You get an application from the software repository through a package manager that enables your Linux system to record and track every component you install.

Here are five reasons to know exactly what's on your system, which is very useful.

1. Remove old application

When your computer knows every file installed by the application, it's really easy to uninstall files that you no longer need. On Linux, it's okay to install 31 different text editors and then uninstall 30 text editors that you don't like. When you uninstall on Linux, you actually uninstall it.

two。 Reinstall as you wish

Not only should it be unloaded thoroughly, but it also makes sense to reinstall it. On many platforms, if something goes wrong with an application, it is sometimes recommended that you reinstall it. Usually, no one can tell why an app should be reinstalled. However, people often vaguely suspect that a file somewhere has been corrupted (in other words, data writing errors), so it is hoped that reinstallation can overwrite the bad file to make the software work again. This is good advice, but it is frustrating for any technician to know what went wrong. To make matters worse, if you do not track carefully, there is no guarantee that all files will be refreshed during reinstallation, because there is usually no way to know that all files installed with the application were deleted in the first place. With the package manager, you can force the complete deletion of old files to ensure a new installation of new files. Just as important, you can study each file and possibly find the file that is causing the problem, but this is a feature of open source and Linux, not package management.

3. Keep your application up to date

Don't listen to others tell you that Linux is "more secure" than other operating systems. Computers are made up of code, and we humans find ways to use that code in new and interesting ways every day. Because the vast majority of applications on Linux are open source, many vulnerabilities are exposed in the form of "common vulnerabilities and exposing Common Vulnerability and Exposures" (CVE). Reports of a massive influx of security vulnerabilities may seem like a bad thing, but this is definitely a case where knowing is far better than not knowing. After all, just because no one tells you there's a problem doesn't mean there's no problem. The vulnerability report is good. They are good for everyone. And when developers fix security vulnerabilities, it's important for you to get these fixes in time, and it's best not to remember to fix them yourself.

The package manager is designed to achieve this. When an application receives an update, your package manager application will remind you of available updates, whether it's fixing potential security issues or introducing exciting new features.

4. Keep it light

Suppose you have application An and application B, both of which require library C. On some operating systems, by getting An and B, you get two copies of C. This is obviously superfluous, so imagine how many times each application happens. Redundant libraries will increase quickly, and since there is no single "correct" source for a given library, it is almost impossible to ensure that you are using the latest or even consistent version.

I admit I don't sit here all day thinking about software libraries, but I do remember the days when I thought about it, even though I didn't know that was what bothered me. Before I switched to Linux, it was not unusual for me to encounter errors in working media files, or malfunction while playing different games, or strange things when reading PDF, and so on. I spent a lot of time investigating these mistakes at that time. I still remember that there were two main applications on my system that were bundled with the same (but different) graphics back-end technology. This mismatch can cause errors when the output of one program is imported into another program. It would have worked, but due to an error in the old version of the same collection of library files, one application's hotfix did not benefit another application.

The package manager knows which backends (called dependencies) are needed for each application and avoids reinstalling software that is already on your system.

5. Keep it simple.

As a Linux user, I want to thank the package manager because it helps make my life easier. I don't have to think about the software I installed, I need to update something, and I don't have to think about whether I actually uninstall it when I'm done. I try the software without hesitation. When I'm installing a new computer, I run a simple Ansible script to automatically install the latest version of all the software I rely on. This is very simple, very intelligent, but also a unique liberation.

Better package management

Linux looks at applications and operating systems as a whole. After all, open source is based on other open source work, so distribution maintainers understand the concept of dependency stacks. The package management on Linux understands your entire system, the libraries and supporting files on the system, and the applications you install. These different parts work together to provide you with a set of efficient, optimized and powerful applications.

What are the five reasons for using the Linux package manager? have you learned any knowledge or skills? If you want to learn more skills or enrich your knowledge reserve, you are welcome to follow the industry information channel.

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