====== Packages from Other Distributions ======

===== Symptoms =====

  * There is a useful package that is not yet available in the SliTaz repositories.
  * Can I use packages from other distributions on my SliTaz installation?

===== Explanation =====

Packages in a general sense are simply a collection of files and meta-data, compiled from source code to suit a particular environment and installation. Software binaries from other distributions can sometimes run if the libraries that power it exist for SliTaz. It is an easy but not-always-accurate way of testing packages before writing SliTaz [[en:cookbook:receipt | Receipts]] for a SliTaz version of the package.

The SliTaz Package Manager, Tazpkg, can [[http://hg.slitaz.org/tazpkg/raw-file/tip/doc/tazpkg.en.html#convert | convert]] packages from the Debian, RedHat, Slackware and Arch Linux formats, by unpacking them and using the meta-data information inside to create a Tazpkg.

===== Solution =====

Simply run the following command in a Terminal:
''tazpkg convert //filename//''

The converted Tazpkg will be created after auto-detection of the original format.

<note important>There may be occasions where the generated package does not function. This could be a result of mismatching libraries or missing dependant software. Similarly, the binaries may under-perform as they may have been compiled for a different environment and have to adapt. For these reasons, it is highly advisable to compile the software from source code and create a Tazpkg proper.</note>