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View Full Version : Why are linux versions of apps sometimes bigger in filesize than other OS's?


user1397
April 23rd, 2012, 08:40 AM
For example, looking at the chromium web browser wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_(web_browser)), you can see the the file sizes for linux 32-bit and 64-bit, mac os x, windows, and android. The linux ones are clearly bigger.

I see this all the time, is there a simple answer? Am I missing something?
Primefalcon
April 23rd, 2012, 09:20 AM
For example, looking at the chromium web browser wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_(web_browser)), you can see the the file sizes for linux 32-bit and 64-bit, mac os x, windows, and android. The linux ones are clearly bigger.

I see this all the time, is there a simple answer? Am I missing something?
I'd say the companies not optimizing for Linux..... but that'd be a guess
zombifier25
April 23rd, 2012, 09:31 AM
Actually, most apps I saw has the biggest filesize on the Mac version.
haqking
April 23rd, 2012, 09:41 AM
different code, different dependencies ad nauseum ad infinitum
forrestcupp
April 23rd, 2012, 02:57 PM
Windows versions use the winAPI, which doesn't have to be installed. Same idea for Mac. In Linux, you can't assume any GUI toolkit is already installed. Things you get from the repos don't have to include dependencies because APT works all of that out. But standalone things for Linux usually either include dependencies, or they work everything out from scratch in the code.
snowpine
April 23rd, 2012, 04:28 PM
Irrelevant unless you are running extremely low on disk space (but hard drives are cheap).
Eddie Wilson
April 23rd, 2012, 05:34 PM
Windows versions use the winAPI, which doesn't have to be installed. Same idea for Mac. In Linux, you can't assume any GUI toolkit is already installed. Things you get from the repos don't have to include dependencies because APT works all of that out. But standalone things for Linux usually either include dependencies, or they work everything out from scratch in the code.

That's exactly correct. How digga know that? ;)
Majorix
April 23rd, 2012, 06:25 PM
windows versions use the winapi, which doesn't have to be installed. Same idea for mac. In linux, you can't assume any gui toolkit is already installed. Things you get from the repos don't have to include dependencies because apt works all of that out. But standalone things for linux usually either include dependencies, or they work everything out from scratch in the code.

+1