GNU Stow gets first update since 2002

GNU Stow, the GNU utility for managing the installation of software packages, gets its first official release since 2002 after a complete refresh of the code. Stow allows users to manage multiple software packages, keeping their files in separate directories while at the same time presenting the user with a single run-time directory, created using symlinks into those separate directories. Stow is a simpler, database-less version of its inspiration, the Carnegie Mellon Depot application.

Version 2.1.0 has been released following the work done by Kahlil (Kal) Hodgson on a rewrite of the software to create version 2.0.1. That version added the ability to defer Stow operations until any potential conflicts between packages could be assessed. Since that version was created, Stow has had a major refactoring with support for ignore list files and CPAN-style installation and distribution added. There have also been a large number of code and documentation fixes, debugging output has been improved, and documentation is now available in PDF and HTML versions.

Further details of the changes are available in the NEWS file associated with the application. The GPLv3 licensed Stow 2.1.0 is available to download from gnu.org and from mirrors, as is its documentation.

(djwm)