| Criterion
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Package manager
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Installer
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| Shipped with
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Usually, the operating system
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Each computer program
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| Location of installation information
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One central installation database
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It is entirely at the discretion of the installer. It could be a file within the app's folder, or among the operating system's files and folders. At best, they may register themselves with an uninstallers list without exposing installation information.
|
| Scope of maintenance
|
Potentially all packages on the system
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Only the product with which it was bundled
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| Developed by
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One package manager vendor
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Multiple installer vendors
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| Package format
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A handful of well-known formats
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There could be as many formats as the number of apps
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| Package format compatibility
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Can be consumed as long as the package manager supports it. Either newer versions of the package manager keep supporting it or the user does not upgrade the package manager.
|
The installer is always compatible with its archive format, if it uses any. However, installers, like all computer programs, may be affected by software rot.
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Template documentation