Posts Tagged ‘package’
Convert Linux deb and rpm packages into the respectively other format with alien
Sometimes you are forced to compile packages from source because they are not present in your current distribution’s package format, which can be really annoying. While this is the safer option, there is also a quicker alternative, which is converting existing packages into the one you need with alien.
sudo apt-get install alien
Before you use it, make sure to have read the alien man page!
man alien
If you’re on Ubuntu for example and need a package that is only available in the rpm format, power your terminal and convert the package (the following is available as deb, it’s just an example):
sudo alien clementine-1.0.1-1.fc16.x86_64.rpm
The package will then be converted. There are a few points that you should be aware of though:
- Dependencies of converted packages will not be resolved. If you install it anyway, your update manager may notice the missing dependencies and install them however.
- It is not recommended to use alien for critical packages. The man page gives further info on that.
Install .deb Packages Manually (Linux Debian/Ubuntu)
When you download packages for Linux Debian or Ubuntu they usually come in the .deb format and are installed automatically by your local package manager. If you download them from the internet instead of the repositorial way however you are given the .deb file and have to deal with it yourself. To install it, open a terminal, direct it to the folder where it has been downloaded to with cd and use the dpkg command:
cd /home/ctest/Downloads/
dpkg -i random_name.deb