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Comment by lisnake | Hacker News Reader

Slightly tangential: I keep seeing Linuxbrew references on various tool installation instructions. Is Linuxbrew really gaining popularity? Why would you use it instead of your distro package management?

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> Why would you use it instead of your distro package management?

Linuxbrew can[1]:

* Install software to your home directory and so does not require sudo.

* Install software not packaged by your host distribution.

* Install up-to-date versions of software when your host distribution is old.

[1]: https://docs.brew.sh/Homebrew-on-Linux

Admittedly a Mac-to-Linux convert here, but what I like about linux/homebrew is the ability to build the very latest version of the requested package on the day of the release. Distro package managers make living on the bleeding edge more difficult.

I use Arch Linux, whose motto could be "living on the bleeding edge" (maybe combined with "annoying install process"). This even with the included package manager. But with Debian derivatives, you can add Debian testing to your apt configuration to get newer packages.

Aside: I think "old" packages (~1year) actually protect you from a few bugs and make some sense on servers, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Debian testing on a desktop.

Maybe among Mac-to-Linux converts or simply because it’s easier to get your package into than multiple Linux distros. There’s more control for the packager that way.

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