iEntry 10th Anniversary
LinuxHaxor
WH
MHInstalling Linux applications on OS X with Fink
Even though OS X is a Unix based operating system, you can not just take a Unix/Linux application and run it on OS X, you have to port it on OS X in order for you to use it. Since most of these applications are open source – this can be achieved fairly easily. Fink is a project that recompiles existing open source software and ports it on OS X and makes them available through a package manager called “Fink”, which is similar to Synaptic Package Manager for Ubuntu. Fink has a huge collection of some 2500+ packages.
Configuring and installing packages with Fink:
- Download and install Fink.
- Copy FinkCommander.app from FinkCommander folder to Application folder.
- Now you will have to update sources and binaries. Update sources by going to Source –> Scanpackages from Fink, Index the source list with Source –> Utilities –> Index. Update binaries by going to Binary –> Update descriptions.
- Finally to install application select the application you want to install and go to Binary –> Install.
Fink works by downloading the original source, patch – configure and build the packages automatically and the dependency system makes sure that the required libraries are present during the installation.
Loading ...
“Installing Linux applications on OS X with Fink”
Terrible, terrible title.
Also, MacPorts > Fink.
http://www.macports.org/
“…Synaptic Package Manager for Ubuntu…” –> Synaptic Package Manager for Debian . Ubuntu is Debian based.
poorly worded title.
Linux applications ?
Alot of the application you find on a Linux OS, are older than the Linux kernel.
Well, *I* appreciated the article. I’ll try this out on my GF’s mac. Always wanted to have anagramarama on there for her…
“Since most of these applications are open source – this can be achieved fairly easily.” I’m assuming that was a joke, or maybe sarcasm, because you can’t be serious.
Let’s get it straight here. Mac OS X “is” UNIX…not UNIX based. In fact, Linux is a UNIX-like operating system, while OS X “is” UNIX.
read:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/08/01/mac-os-x-leopard-receives-unix-03-certification
Most open source applications compile without modification on Mac OS X and require absolutely no changes to source code at all. You just need to make sure you have the correct dependencies installed.
Being BSD based means there are some differences under the hood but OS X is more Unix than Linux is.