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"Software Repositories" are Libraries, and "Libraries" are Books (discuss.tchncs.de)
submitted 2 months ago by gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de to c/programming@programming.dev
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Today's software tools have weird names. We call a "library" some collection of functions that you can use in your program.

I think that software repositories (where apt downloads your programs from) should be the actual libraries, since that's where you go to get your information; Meanwhile individual packages of information should be called books because they are one solid object containing a bundle of information.

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[-] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago

books is a specific type. library is just a different word for collection. So calling them books would be wrong. Because library does not imply a book. In example you can have a library of videos or a library of images.

[-] hperrin@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago

You are right, but I do want to point at that “library” is based on the Latin word librarium which literally translates to “a place for books”.

this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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