Monday, July 23, 2018

apt - Can 3rd-party package repositories be trusted? (Are there criteria to test if they're trustworthy?)

(Note: no disrespect whatever to the hard work people that people who run 3rd-party repositories put in.)


I came across a package repository, a ppa, that was suggested for getting php5.5 on Ubuntu 12.04. This has to be added to the list of repositories that Ubuntu knows to download software.


In general, can such 3rd-party repositories be trusted?


In this particular case, the ppa seems to be well regarded - and I would certainly want to support this and recommend it.


Is there a checklist or criteria one can follow to arrive at a decision to trust a 3rd-party repository?


The aim here is to avoid downloading malware or anything else that may damage the computer.

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