Most Unix-like systems have a package manager that can be used to install programs. This is typically done through:
$ sudo [command] install program_name
The command changes between operating systems, and obviously the program name
would change depending on what you are trying to install (a short list can be
found in the [table below][UNIXguide-package-manager-install.html#table].
The operating systems using apt-get use different related commands in
different contexts.
If you wanted to search available packages, these systems would use the
apt-cache base command instead.
An initial search would be accomplished through:
$ [command] search program
Table: Package managers for different systems
| Operating System | Command |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu | apt |
| Mint | apt-get |
| Debian | apt-get |
| CentOS | yum |
| Red Had | yum |
| Fedora | dnf |
| macOS X | macports (or brew) |
So, to search for and install a specific python on an Ubuntu system, you would use
$ apt-cache search python
-{}-{}-hundreds of results returned-{}-{}-
$ sudo apt-get install python3.6
However, it is strongly recommended you update the available lists before you
install something, through the following (recognizing command is the
system-specific command).
$ sudo command update
For MacOS, you’ll probably want to install macports, brew, or fink. Depending on what things you’ll be installing, you may need more than one of these.