Klaatu tries `pkgsrc` on Slackware, and you won't believe what happens next. But to sum it up: it's super easy to implement, easy to use, and pretty nifty. To get `pkgsrc` on your Linux OS: Download: $ wget ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/pkgsrc/current.pkgsrc.tar.gz Extract it to `/usr`: # su - # tar --extract --verbose --file pkgsrc.tar.gz -C /usr Bootstrap `pkgsrc`: # cd /usr/pkgsrc/ # ./bootstrap Adjust paths: # echo "PATH=$PATH:/usr/pkg/bin:/usr/pkg/sbin" >> ~/.bashrc # echo "export $PATH" >> ~/.bashrc # echo "MANPATH=$MANPATH:/usr/pkg/man" >> ~/.bashrc # echo "export $MANPATH" >> ~/.bashrc Build something: # cd /usr/pkgsrc/foo/bar # make install shasum -a256=d33c41ab7665166611763ff41ca50550fb523d79ac9326b56aae56f03e2c2a98