RSS Feeds
Convert Red Hat/Fedora Packages for Ubuntu/Debian Installation
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 2:00 AM on March 5, 2008
Many, if not most, of the newest and updated Linux applications out there are crafting Ubuntu/Debian-ready .deb packages that require just a double-click to install, but many apps are still available only in the .rpm files used by Red Hat and Fedora-based distributions. The Ubuntu Unleashed blog has a quick and simple tutorial on installing the Alien conversion tool and using it to convert packages to .deb format. Once you've got Alien installed, the command is simply:
sudo alien -k name-of-rpm-file.rpm
Tags: how to | installation | linux | linux 101 | linux tip | ubuntu
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
nikoPSK
Posted 2:53 AM 5/3/08
But, wait until trying this as this is only when the package exists only in rpm.
nikoPSK
Confuzius
Posted 4:07 AM 5/3/08
I generally use "sudo alien -i name-of-rpm-file.rpm" It just installs rather than converts the package (well, actually it converts, installs, then deletes the temporarily converted file)
Confuzius
ffm
Posted 4:07 AM 5/3/08
Very useful, but is a pain between dist-updates.
ffm
eeefresh
Posted 4:07 AM 5/3/08
Thanks, Kevin, can't wait to try this out!
eeefresh
lemur
Posted 5:48 AM 5/3/08
OP:
"Note that this won't work for programs that are designed to utilize specific Red Hat/Fedora functions, but will save you a good deal of digging for alternate files."
I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean but alien should always be used as a very last resort. It is only after you've properly ascertained that no deb exists for your distribution that you should consider using alien. So you should certainly do all the digging needed before you use alien.
lemur