Fink (software)
| finch
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 Screenshot of Fink in the Mac OS X Terminal |
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| Basic data
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| developer | Fink development team |
| Current version | 0.45.1 (March 28, 2020) |
| operating system | Darwin ( macOS ) et al. a. |
| programming language | Pearl |
| category | Category: Installation software |
| License | GPL ( Free Software ) |
| German speaking | Yes |
| finkproject.org | |
Fink is free software for using Unix programs under Apple's “ Darwin ” operating system , on which macOS is based.
Although Darwin is a Unix, a large part of macOS consists of Apple's own developments ( Quartz , Aqua ), so that it does not fall back on the usual code sources. The Fink project therefore provides an environment that is compatible with other Unix variants, such as libraries , GNU utilities and an X Window System . If the source code of a program has to be specially adapted for the Apple platform, Fink also provides the necessary infrastructure. It builds on the Debian package management and the Advanced Packaging Tool .
The name Fink stands equally for the project, package management and software distribution, which can be confusing for beginners.
Use of finch
The current version of the package management with the basic packages is available for free download. You can choose between the binary distribution as a disk image with an installation package and the source code distribution as a Unix tarball for self- compilation . The disk image variant is not (yet) available for OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Fink and all packages are installed in the "/ sw" directory in the root directory, which means that Fink does not adhere to the standard file system hierarchy .
Package management
After the installation, the Fink package management is available. The actual programs (applications, games, etc.) are only now installed in the form of software packages. Here, too, you have the choice between source code and binary packages.
The entire Fink package management can be controlled via the command line in the terminal program.
The FinkCommander is a graphical user interface for Fink, with which you can use all functions of the package management.
Almost all commands that can be entered on the command line in the terminal are accessible in the OS X graphical environment. If the FinkCommander is started with an existing connection to the Internet, it automatically downloads the package information and displays a list of all available packages in the program window.
The FinkCommander is not part of the Fink distribution, but a separate development. Because the program has not been further developed for a long time (as of June 2006, version 0.5.4), there may be minor problems (crashes etc.) when using it. Version 0.5.5 has been available as a universal application since November 2009, which should run on Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.
The name Fink
The name Fink stands for the bird genus of finches and refers to the Darwin operating system, on which OS X is based, as Charles Darwin used the so-called Darwin's finches on the Galapagos for his research on the theory of evolution .
See also
- MacPorts (formerly DarwinPorts)
Web links
- official website (German version)
- Website of the FinkCommander
- Online documentation
- Fink Wiki
Individual evidence
- ↑ The fink Open Source Project on Open Hub: Languages Page . In: Open Hub . (accessed on July 18, 2018).