Recent versions of Solaris, Digital UNIX and HP-UX all have
packages with equivalent functionality to Linux's RPM.
Which is exactly the problem, as each OS vendor writing
their own package manager means that it is not economical
for third-party software authors to support the multitude of
package managers, rather it is more economical for the
applications vendors to have a proprietary installation
management utility that is the same for that product across
all platforms.
Yet another example of the commercial UNIX world delivering
a fragmented product.
The only light at the end of the tunnel is that applications
developers will choose RPM as their package management
utility on all platforms, and eventually the OS vendors will
modify their products to be RPM-compliant.
As an aside, the commercial UNIX vendors are under
increasing pressure as people run Linux at home and question
why the commercial UNIX environment at work lacks the same
rich functionality. Witness the incorporation of large
amounts of freeely-distributable software into the last few
versions of Digital UNIX.
In much the same way as the BSD set the pace for commercial
UNIX implementors, Linux is increasingly setting the pace
now.
-- glen.turner@itd.adelaide.edu.au Network Support Specialist Tel: (08) 8303 3936 Information Technology Division Fax: (08) 8303 4400 University of Adelaide SA 5005