Glossary

Updated: September 12, 2023

To make best use of the QNX Software Center, we recommend that you become familiar with the following terms, which are used throughout the center's user interface and documentation.

Package
The minimal unit of software you can install. The QNX Software Center lets you work with a variety of package types, including baselines, board support packages (BSPs), patch sets, reference images, and source bundles. A package contains metadata (name, version, dependencies on other packages, etc.) and, in most cases, a payload of files.
Addon
An optional package that you can add to an installation.
Baseline
A package that serves as the basis of an installation; it must be installed before you can add any other packages (i.e. addons, updates) to the installation. A baseline has a name and a version, but has no dependencies on other packages.
Installation
Contains a baseline and any additional packages or updates that you’ve added to the baseline, all installed in a single directory tree. Your workstation can have multiple installations of the same or different baselines.
Package archive
Multiple packages packed into a single archive container such as .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, or .tar.xz. Typically used when you need to run the QNX Software Center offline.
Patch set
A package that acts like a recipe for installing packages. A patch set tells the QNX Software Center not only which packages to install, but also which version of each package to install. Patch sets enable all members of a team to standardize on the same software base; they also make it easier to reproduce issues across systems.
Repository
A database of software packages that the QNX Software Center uses to display the packages you can install or update.
Root package
A package that you've explicitly added to an installation (as opposed to a package that the QNX Software Center has installed to satisfy dependency requirements).
Status
The Status field identifies the maturity of the software at a file level, although it is usually defined at package level so that all included files have the same maturity. See Package status under Deploy licenses to users.