Zero Install
| Zero Install
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 Installation with Zeroinstall |
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| Basic data
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| developer | Thomas Leonard |
| Current version | 2.16 (April 2, 2020) |
| operating system | Linux , Unix , macOS , Windows |
| programming language | OCaml |
| category | Installation system ( package manager ) |
| License | LGPL ( Free Software ) |
| http://0install.net/ | |
Tools that do not need to be installed are summarized under Zero Install (also 0install ). Related concepts are on the one hand portable software as well as application virtualization or sandboxing , which mostly share the characteristics of installation freedom (in the sense of system integration). For other reasons, emulators also provide an environment in which programs can be installed without affecting the system.
background
Zero install is also a decentralized, cross-platform software installation system originally written in Python for Linux , which is available under the LGPL . Zero Install does not define a new package format; unchanged tar or zip archives are used. Instead, it defines an XML - metadata format for these packages and the dependencies to describe between them. A single metadata file can be used on multiple platforms including Ubuntu , Debian , Fedora , openSUSE , Mac OS X, and Windows , as long as binary or source archives are available that will work on those systems.
In contrast to other package managers , for example, libraries can be used together whenever possible, but if there are conflicting requirements, several versions of a package can be installed in parallel.
The XML file describing the requirements of the program can be included in a source code repository . For example, a user can clone a Git repository and build and test the program by automatically downloading newer versions of libraries as needed, without affecting the versions of the libraries installed by their distribution that are still used by other software.
Use cases are according to the manufacturer u. a. the decentralized distribution of software directly by the manufacturer as well as the root rights-free installation of software by the user. A Windows version of the software has also been available since October 2010.
Since 2013, Zero Install is no longer written in Python, but in OCaml . The reason given by developer Thomas Leonard was that Python was too slow, something that was especially noticeable when the software was started. In addition to OCaml, Haskell was also shortlisted, but he chose the former because the language would have been easier for him to learn
See also
- Portable software
- autopackage , one of the approaches to creating a distro-agnostic installation system
- AppImage
- Docker (software)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Jörg Geiger: Zero install: "Never install again!" Chip, August 4, 2010, accessed May 3, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Python to OCaml: Retrospective. June 6, 2014, accessed May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ About 0install. Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Thomas Leonard: Decentralized Installation Systems. osnews.com, January 16, 2007, accessed May 3, 2012 .
- ^ Thomas Leonard: Zero Install: Comparison with other systems. 0install.net/, January 1, 2010, accessed May 3, 2012 (English).