Getting Started Guide
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CHAPTER 10
Installing New Software
OpenLinux includes all the software you need to get started using your Linux
system for Internet access, text editing, and so forth. You may quickly find, how-
ever, that you want to install other Linux applications that you have obtained, or
that are included on the OpenLinux CD-ROMs but that were not installed by
default. This chapter describes how Linux software is usually packaged and how
to work with those packages.
Understanding rpm Software Packages
The concept of a software package makes it simple to manage your OpenLinux
system. Every software component that is installed on your system is part of a
package. OpenLinux includes package management tools to quickly and easily
install new software from the Caldera CD-ROM.
NOTE: Some software packages do not use the rpm software
package format. For those applications, refer to the applica-
tion’s documentation to learn about how to install it.
Software packages on the Caldera CD-ROM are stored in a format called rpm.
Each rpm file (having a file extension .rpm) contains the files that comprise the
software, plus additional information about where to install each file, how much
disk space the software requires, and how to run any initialization files that the
software provides.