What is the real meaning of installing software ? In Linux perspective and Windows perspective what is the meaning of installing software ? Can somebody explain what happens internally when we install software ?
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Installing software in my opinion is the process of adding additional programs or features to a computer, irrespective of operating system - e.g. the process may be different, but it is the same outcome in Linux, Mac, Windows or other. Typically an Operating System out of the box is usually very capable but for the most part, lacks "Advanced" software, e.g. photographers may want Photoshop, Students may want a word processor etc. Companies come out with software or applications, whilst for some more basic titles, they can be contained in just a single (or a few) files, more complex software can be made from hundreds or thousands of individual files - many requiring certain components to be located in special places. The process of "Installing" software usually means that someone has combined an entire application along with all of its required files and made a script that puts them all in the correct place along with additional tasks (installing/starting services, copying icons to start menu etc.), so that the application can be installed easily with the smallest user interaction required. Many people will have different answers as it can mean different things to different people, I have tried giving you (in my opinion) the end goal and the processes of installation. Edit because of comment- Internally when you install software, anything can happen - the most usual activities are files being copied to various locations, registry entries made and desktop/start menu icons are created. This however is different for every application. | |||||||||
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Once upon time, installing software simply consisted of copying the files to your computer. Today it is much more complicated. Software requires certain other software to already be installed, if it is not then it must also be installed. Finally the software must be registered, so that the operating system will allow it access to various system resources. In the various flavors of Windows this is done through the "registry" which most programmers have a less then favorable opinion. | ||||
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This is a very general question so I'll give a very general answer... What happens when you "install software" depends a lot on the software and the system to which it's being installed. In general, you are adding binary executable files to a location on the hard drive and possibly changing the configuration of the machine (for example configuring it to run a program at startup or associating a file extension with a program.) | ||||
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