Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Linux, Freeware
Win-get is like apt-get for Windows, but less useful
by Brad Linder Jul 31st 2007 at 2:00PM
If you're not familiar with package management, here's how it works. You type "apt-get install <name of program>" into a terminal and your operating system will find that program online, download it, and install it. Newer versions of Linux have graphical interfaces that basically let you browse through a huge list of mostly free and open source software that you can download. No need to search the web for a good image editor. Just open your package manager and download GIMP.
Win-get aims to work pretty much like apt-get, but for free Windows software. We're not talking open source here, necessarily. Many of the programs in the win-get repository are free to download and install, but the source code may not be available. There's a huge list of software available for download.
All you have to do is:
Win-get is a work in progress, so hopefully a future release will run more smoothly. But we'd love to see a graphical, searchable interface at some point. Right now, win-get is only useful if you already know the software you want to install. And if you're already familiar with applications like AbiWord, 7-zip, and GIMPshop, you probably already know how to download and install them.
[via Digg]
- Download wget.exe and Win-get.exe from the project homepage.
- Go to your start menu and type "cmd" to get a command prompt.
- Type "win-get install <name of program>" and win-get will go online, find your program and attempt to install it.
Win-get is a work in progress, so hopefully a future release will run more smoothly. But we'd love to see a graphical, searchable interface at some point. Right now, win-get is only useful if you already know the software you want to install. And if you're already familiar with applications like AbiWord, 7-zip, and GIMPshop, you probably already know how to download and install them.
[via Digg]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steven said 2:47PM on 7-31-2007
That's how package management is done in Debian-based Linux distributions.
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fincan said 2:50PM on 7-31-2007
apt-get is not a Linux packet management tool, it's the package manager for Debian Linux, and of course other distributions which are based on Debian (i.e. Ubuntu).
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Brad Linder said 2:51PM on 7-31-2007
Thanks guys, I updated the post to make it more clear that we're talking about the package management system used by Debian-based distributions.
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James said 5:40PM on 7-31-2007
I guarantee that Vista is the problem -- probably, the programs want to write to "protected" directories (like Program Files), but are not granted any special Installer privs.
Anyway, I don't see the point. On my Linux box, apt-get is great because I almost never use the UI, let alone the web browser, so I like having a command-line application finder. On my Windows box, I almost never close my web browser, so if I want an app, I'll open a new window, Google the thing, and within three clicks it's usually downloaded to my desktop.
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khaleel said 1:45AM on 8-03-2007
well winget may have some potential for propriatory software it downloads a 'trial version' and then you pay for it if u like , or open an account at winget's site , it pays on your behalf
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manoakys said 3:09PM on 8-02-2007
And what's about updating? win-get update ? Is there such function allready? In the debian-based distributions, updating is main thing which I like form apt-get ;)
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