BcalcOS uses the standard Debian/Devuan package management system to install and manage software.
For users who want a simple way to get started, the BcalcOS Welcome Center provides a curated selection of software that can be installed directly from the desktop. This gives new users an easy way to discover and install commonly useful applications without having to know package names or use the terminal.
The BcalcOS Welcome Center
The Welcome Center can help you install a selection of software that we have chosen to make readily available to BcalcOS users.
The goal is to make getting started easier. Rather than searching the internet for software, determining which package to download, and installing it manually, users can select software from the Welcome Center and let BcalcOS handle the installation.
Using apt
BcalcOS also provides the normal apt package management tools familiar to Debian and Devuan users.
From a terminal, software can be installed with:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install package-name
Replace package-name with the name of the software you want to install.
The package manager determines which configured repository provides the package and installs any additional packages required for it to work.
Where Does Software Come From?
BcalcOS uses several primary software sources:
- Devuan: provides the underlying operating system & security updates
- XLibre: provides the X11 display server and related components
- Brave Origin: provides the default web browser.
- BcalcOS: provides software specific to BcalcOS, along with selected third-party applications that are not available through the standard Devuan repositories.
Keeping Software Up to Date
The same package management system is used to keep installed software updated. When updates are available, apt can retrieve newer packages from the appropriate repositories.
A Note About Downloading Software
Linux software can often be downloaded directly from a project’s website as a .deb file. While this can sometimes be useful, it is generally preferable to use a package from a configured BcalcOS or upstream repository when one is available.
Using the package repositories allows software to be managed together with the rest of the system and makes future updates and removal easier.
TL;DR
New to Linux? Start with the BcalcOS Welcome Center.
Want more control? Use apt.