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Package Files
The basic unit of software in a packaging system is the package file. A package file is a compressed collection of files that comprise the software package. A package may consist of numerous programs and data files that support the programs. In addition to the files to be installed, the package file also includes metadata about the package, such as a text de- scription of the package and its contents. Additionally, many packages contain pre- and post-installation scripts that perform configuration tasks before and after the package in- stallation.
Package files are created by a person known as a package maintainer, often (but not al- ways) an employee of the distribution vendor. The package maintainer gets the software in source code form from the upstream provider (the author of the program), compiles it, and creates the package metadata and any necessary installation scripts. Often, the pack- age maintainer will apply modifications to the original source code to improve the pro- gram's integration with the other parts of the Linux distribution.