< jargon > ( Usenet , possibly from DEC ) Slang for a full software distribution, as opposed to a patch or upgrade. A source software distribution that has been packaged in such a way that it can (theoretically) be unpacked and installed according to a series of steps using only standard Unix tools, and entirely documented by some reasonable chain of references from the top-level README file . The more general term distribution may imply that special tools or more stringent conditions on the host environment are required.
[ Jargon File ]
(1994-11-18)