18 Dec 2015, 5:36 pm
ELF = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_and_Linkable_Format
One of the things that bugs me about the Linux operating system is that unlike windows, there is no standard file format for executable code. Programs files(compiled code) are usually stored in the /bin folder but the point is that when you download and install software packages for Linux, you must compile them before they can be used. This is a big hassle sometimes because often they won't compile without downloading more packages and there is one software program that I need for class that flat out REFUSES to compile. 
I have Linux Mint 17.2 and I say it's really time for the makers of Linux to change this by modifying the ELF format and making the .elf a standard for executable code so that users can download software and install it without the hassle of compiling it and debugging compiler errors.
18 Dec 2015, 6:07 pm
19 Dec 2015, 1:37 pm
The distro team have done all the compilation work for you and if there's any necessary dependencies then those will be downloaded and installed as required by the package manager.
If you check your menu's when you load into X then there should be a package manager somewhere, or there will be something called SYNAPTIC perhaps?
If all else fails then there will be a package manager on the prompt. Not sure what it's called on Mint.
Can't be very specific because I don't use Windoze, Linux or Mint so I've been out of the loop for a while now.
Quite often there are supplied binaries of programs on project websites. Check what Mint is "based on", is it based on Debian, Redhat, or Ubuntu? Fedora? Sometimes binaries pre-compiled for those founding distributions may also execute on a distro based upon them.
The beauty of compiling code is that we don't have to run wild binaries on our machines that could have trojan's and the like hidden within them. Furthermore, as advances are made in creating binaries then an ability to compile directly for the OS means there is no need for the OS to carry all the baggage necessary to enable backward compatibility with old, flawed, obsolete and insecure executables.
Windoze is essentially a cesspit built up out of shoddy flawed code right from it's very foundations. That's just one reason out of a million why it's just a train crash waiting to happen, every minute of the day.
I understand the *beauty* of compiling code but I had some issues earlier this year with repositories that were no longer active or updated and could not get the necessary packages and more recently, had a software package that I needed for class that would not compile on my machine. Sometimes you don't have the time to debug all the errors when you compile code yourself.
I daresay future Linux distro's should have package managers that scan for viral code/trojan horses and other security risks. Linux already has added network security features(like the Netfilter firewall) and perhaps I can do the hard work of coming up with a package manager that can install precompiled binaries and scan them for security threats.
