On Ubuntu, most software does come in a single file. It is a *.deb
debian package file which is downloaded, unpacked and installed from your package-manager.
Why doesn't Ubuntu install software from self-extracting executables like most Windows software does?
Because self extracting *.exe
files are a very dangerous proposition to accept.
The most critical differences between a self-extracting executables and a packaging system, like the debian/Ubuntu one, are:
- Security
- Transparency
- More granular control
In more detail:
Security
In the windows world you have to trust that single *.exe
file. How can one really be sure it can be trusted? How can you even know that it installs something? How can you be sure it doesn't do other things behind your back?
In Ubuntu, all packages are digitally signed, so by using a separate package file - the package manager (be it muon, synaptic, aptitude, or even straight apt) - you get the content verified before it is even unpacked, let alone installed. This assumes, of course, that you trust the repositories. I'd rather trust the Ubuntu repositories (a single authority) than hundreds of often unfamiliar different sources to download from.
Granular Control
With a *.exe
file, you can essentially do one thing: execute it. In Ubuntu you can inspect the contents of the package, descriptions, configs, individual files, latest changes, bug fixes, etc. from the convenience of your package manager, before deciding whether to install or not.
When you install from an *.exe
file, you also have to trust its 'uninstall' hook (and not all *.exe
files are guaranteed to have one). In Ubuntu, all files belonging to standard packages installed by the package manager, can always be uninstalled because that's a function of the package manager, not the package itself. The package manager is a separate, and trusted application, which provides both the installer and uninstaller, the package cannot take away the uninstall hook from you. Of course, a malicious package can sneak stuff via post-install actions, but that's why we have the official repository system and the same people we trust to maintain them.
Transparency
It goes further. On Ubuntu I can really trust my system, because I can verify the software on many levels. The ultimate level is being able to look at source-code. binary packages have corresponding source packages. I can actually look at the source (Example: 'apt-get source bash' will give you the full sources to the bash shell). In the world of *.exe files, usually there are only binaries, and who knows what they actually do behind the scenes?
That said, there are always exceptions to the rules, but for me security and trust mean I cannot accept executing binaries from hundreds of different sources that are hard to verify as a standard way to install components on my system.