SlackBuilds vs packages vs binaries vs AppImages, etc.
by Regnad Kcin from LinuxQuestions.org on (#58H66)
I have been using Slackware-64-current as my daily driver for a few years and it serves me very well.
I use a mix of the bundled software that is part of Slackware and various tools that I add to it. These range from modules that drive devices to complex software. I use a lot of SlackBuilds but some things like VLC and LibreOffice and Inkscape require too much for me to bear so I use the packages graciously provided by yeomen like AlienBob, Ponce, and others. I have some converted .rpm and .deb also. Some of those work better than others. Now I find myself increasingly making use of AppImages and binaries rather than the "non-portable" installed packages and SlackBuilds. Probably some of the need for that is that I am running -current which sometimes breaks the slightly older (but stable!) versions found in the packages and SlackBuilds. but I find that I am often getting by better with the AppImages and binaries than with installed packages. The upside of portable versions is that I am up and going quickly.
I am wondering what is the downside of using portable versions of tools rather than installed versions?
I use a mix of the bundled software that is part of Slackware and various tools that I add to it. These range from modules that drive devices to complex software. I use a lot of SlackBuilds but some things like VLC and LibreOffice and Inkscape require too much for me to bear so I use the packages graciously provided by yeomen like AlienBob, Ponce, and others. I have some converted .rpm and .deb also. Some of those work better than others. Now I find myself increasingly making use of AppImages and binaries rather than the "non-portable" installed packages and SlackBuilds. Probably some of the need for that is that I am running -current which sometimes breaks the slightly older (but stable!) versions found in the packages and SlackBuilds. but I find that I am often getting by better with the AppImages and binaries than with installed packages. The upside of portable versions is that I am up and going quickly.
I am wondering what is the downside of using portable versions of tools rather than installed versions?