 |
del.icio.us |
 |
Digg |
 |
Furl |
 |
|
 |
Rojo |
| Add to OnlyWire |
 |
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Computing or the Computing Portal may be able to help recruit one. |
 |
This article or section seems to contain embedded lists that may require cleanup. To meet Wikipedia's style guidelines, please help improve this article by: removing items which are not notable, encyclopedic, or helpful from the list(s); incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article; and discussing this issue on the talk page. (January 2008) |
A software distribution, also referred to as a software distro, 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 may take the form of a Binary Distribution, an executable installer which can be downloaded from the Internet. Examples range from whole operating system distributions to server and interpreter distributions (for example WAMP installers). Software distribution can also refer to Careware and Donateware.
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 do not provide support for 3rd party distributions of their software.
Contents |
Vendors
Vendors of software distributions systems include:
- Altiris with Deployment Solution
- BMC Software with Marimba
- gNewSense the Completely free (as in freedom) operating system
- HP with Radia
- IBM with Tivoli Configuration Manager
- KACE with KBOX
- LANDesk with Management Suite
- M23 software distribution system: m23 is an OpenSource and GPL'd solution for installation of Debian and Ubuntu systems.
- OCS Inventory NG OCS Inventory Development Team OpenSource and GNU General Public License, version 2.0
- Microsoft ConfigMgr (System Center Configuration Manager 2007)
- Microsoft SMS (Systems Management Server)
- Microsoft SLPS(Software Licensing and Protection Services)
- Microsoft SCE (System Centered Essentials)
- Novell ZENworks
- Scalable WinINSTALL [1]
- Sybase iAnywhere Afaria
- Sybase iAnywhere RemoteWare
- Symantec with iCommand
- WPKG [2] Easy Software Deployment. WPKG is an OpenSource solution for software deployment on Windows PCs.
- opsi [3]. opsi is an OpenSource solution for remote OS installation, software deployment and hard- and software inventory.
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:
- 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 Changelog
References
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008) |
