.run
The extension. run for a file name under Linux indicates a Linux installer file. It is sometimes .bin used as an alternative filename extension.
There is currently no uniform specification for these installers, but they are usually structured as follows:
- The entire file is usually a packed archive with associated shell script , more rarely, a script in a high level language like Python , Perl .
- The first part is kept in readable form and controls or determines the behavior of the setup script.
- The last part of the file consists of the program that should be installed - in a packed form in the form of a large Heredoc string or something similar.
- The front part can, if necessary - with the exception of the part responsible for the compression algorithm - be adapted to your own needs. So you have full flexibility in the setup routine despite the unchanged program.
A .run file can be installed from any directory within the home directory. If a directory outside the home directory is to be used, administrator rights are required for execution.
With the script makeself.sh it is possible to create self-extractable gzip archives for Unix derivatives. It is used by Id Software for the Linux versions of well-known game titles such as Quake III Arena or Return to Castle Wolfenstein , the Linux ports from Loki Software , Nvidia drivers for Linux or the Linux version of Google Earth .