-Most [ PackageManagementTool] s revolve around binary distributions of [Package]s. That is, they consult a repository of pre-compiled packages and install the package best suited to your system architecture. They may also offer source packages, allowing you to build the [Package] locally with whatever patches and optimization or configuration options you may have chosen. Other [ PackageManagementTool] s are source based - they may not even provide binary [Package]s at all, but at least try really hard to avoid them. These download the sources for a [Package], apply any vendor-provided patches, then compile on the local machine. This process takes considerably longer, but some people swear it gives them much better performance. It does have the advantage that you can tailor the system very closely to your desires, but is not much fun on slow machines, particularly for the desktop where such mammoths as [GNOME], [KDE], [Mozilla], and [OpenOffice] are waiting to occupy your machine for hours on end. 

-; __ rpm__ : RedHat [Package] Manager. Obviously, RedHat uses this, but [Mandrake] and a handful of others do as well. File format is [RPM].  

-; __ dpkg__ : This is [Debian]'s [Package] manager. KnoppixLinux, [Progeny] and other [ LinuxDistribution] s are "Debian-based" and thus use this as well. File format is [Deb].  

-; __ .tgz__ : [Slackware] uses nearly plain [ TarBall] s that include a description and a postinstall script.  

-; __ ports__ : This is the source based PackageManagementTool that [BSD] uses. Several [ LinuxDistribution] s use a similar idea.  

-; __ portage__ : [GentooLinux ]' version of source based PackageManagement, driven by a tool called __ emerge__ .  

-; __spells__ : Sorceror Linux has a 'spell book' approach to source based PackageManagement. 

-; __up2date __ : a front-end to rpm provided by RedHat. You get to use it on one machine per user free, and can pay for the right to use it on more machines. It's probably worth it for most users, as it makes installing new software and keeping up with upgrades really easy.  

-; __ [APT]__ : one of the best tools around. It traditionally wraps dpkg, but there is an AptForRpm variant now (and rapidly gaining popularity). It was the first front-end to nicely handle dependencies: __ apt-get install foo__ will automatically download and install not only __ foo__ , but also any unfulfilled dependencies __ foo__ may have. There are lots of supplemental utilities surrounding -- see DebianPackageTools.