Table of Contents

Packages from Other Distributions

Symptoms

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 Receipts for a SliTaz version of the package.

The SliTaz Package Manager, Tazpkg, can 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.

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.