CDE: Run Any Linux Application On-Demand Without Installation

There is a huge ecosystem of free software for Linux, but since each Linux distribution (distro) contains a different set of pre-installed shared libraries, filesystem layout conventions, and other environmental state, it is difficult to create and distribute software that works without hassle across all distros. Online forums and mailing lists are filled with discussions of users’ troubles with compiling, installing, and configuring Linux software and their myriad of dependencies. To address this ubiquitous problem, we have created an open-source tool called CDE that automatically packages up the Code, Data, and Environment required to run a set of x86-Linux programs on other x86-Linux machines. Creating a CDE package is as simple as running the target application under CDE’s monitoring, and executing a CDE package requires no installation, configuration, or root permissions. CDE enables Linux users to instantly run any application on-demand without encountering “dependency hell”.