Emerge
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- The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is emerge.
The emerge command-line tool is the heart of the Gentoo Linux package management system known as Portage. The command is fairly complex with many options and modifiers. It is written in the Python_programming_language. emerge is the most important utility to access the features of Portage from the command line.
The program will download the source code of a specified application, as well as all other applications or libraries needed to satisfy dependencies. Once downloaded, everything is compiled from source. The compilation settings can be optimized through USE flags, based on the specifications of the individual computer, and on the individual user's need for speed. The emerge utility will compile and install the applications in a sandbox environment. This way any applications in use are protected right up to the point when the new software is (e)merged into the Gentoo Linux system.
What emerge installs as dependencies is affected by the USE flag-settings. They decide which optional features will be included when installing or upgrading an application. emerge can also be used to download and install binary files, although this is not taking full advantage of Gentoo Linux.
External links
- Portage Introduction (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=2&chap=1)