(relatively new to Linux distros)
What forbids me from installing a .deb package (using apt or dpkg) on Redhat/CentOS? Or a .rpm package in Debian/Ubuntu?
I understand Debian/Ubuntu based systems use apt and dpkg (.deb files) as their package manager, and RedHat based systems use .rpm. But are these just conventions/preferences or is the difference more profound?
Every page on the Internet describing how to install .deb packages on RedHat/CentOs discusses how to transform to .rpm file first.
But what fundamentally forbids someone from installing dpkg or apt in RedHat/CentOS, and then using it to install a .deb file directly?
My understanding is that both .deb and .rpm are just fancy tarballs! The underlying binary should be able to run in both RedHat/CentOs and Debian, correct? I mean if I were to manually have the same executable in both distros, then it should run in both? (If not then I would understand the incompatibility between .rpm and .deb off course)
Bonus question: When someone wants to distribute a binary into the Linux world, how many systems does he have to to support and package the binary into? (obviously as many as he wants, but you get my point)
I find it suspicious and bit frustrating that no-one seems to have had this question before. It's possible I am missing something basic, being relatively new to this.
Any documentation on the matter would also be welcomed.
alien
package allows you to install rpm in Debian and (presumably) deb into RedHat. Might muck up your system, though.