vim-ale/INSTALLER-NOTES.md

Installer Notes — Package Structure Inspection

Tracking package format evolution and install structure for each inspected package.

sd

Single binary CLI tool for regex find-and-replace.

Format Evolution

Era	Versions	Linux	Darwin	Windows
Current	v1.0.0+ (2023-11)	.tar.gz	.tar.gz	.zip
Legacy	v0.6.5 and earlier	.zip	.zip	.zip

Archive Structure

v1.0.0+ (current):

sd-v1.1.0-{triplet}/
├── sd*              (binary)
├── sd.1             (man page)
├── completions/
│   ├── sd.bash
│   ├── sd.fish
│   ├── sd.elv
│   ├── _sd          (zsh)
│   └── _sd.ps1      (powershell)
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Triplets: aarch64-apple-darwin, x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, x86_64-pc-windows-gnu

v0.6.5 (legacy):

{triplet}/
└── sd*              (binary only — no completions, no man page, no docs)

Format Change

• v0.7.6 → v1.0.0: switched from zip to tar.gz (Linux/Mac), added completions + man page
• v0.6.5 and earlier: zip only, bare binary in triplet-named directory

Install Script (v1.0.0+)

# Unpack
tar xzf sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}.tar.gz

# Install binary
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/bin
mv sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}/sd ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/bin/sd

# Install completions
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/bash-completion/completions
mv sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}/completions/sd.bash ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/bash-completion/completions/sd

mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/fish/vendor_completions.d
mv sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}/completions/sd.fish ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/fish/vendor_completions.d/sd.fish

mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/zsh/site-functions
mv sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}/completions/_sd ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/zsh/site-functions/_sd

# Install man page
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/man/man1
mv sd-v${VERSION}-${TRIPLET}/sd.1 ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER}/share/man/man1/sd.1

# Symlinks
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/sd-${SORT_VER} ~/.local/opt/sd
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/sd/bin/sd ~/.local/bin/sd

ollama

LLM inference server with CLI interface.

Format Evolution

Era	Versions	Linux	Darwin	Windows
tar.zst	v0.14.0+ (2025-10)	.tar.zst	—	—
No GitHub Linux	v0.4.0–v0.13.x	—	—	—
Bare binary	v0.1.0–v0.3.6	bare binary	—	—
DMG added	v0.9.4+	—	.zip + .dmg	—
Win zip+arm64	v0.4.0+	—	—	.zip (amd64+arm64)
Win zip	v0.1.33–v0.3.6	—	—	.zip (amd64 only)
Win exe only	v0.1.25–v0.1.32	—	—	.exe only
Darwin always	v0.0.1+	—	.zip (Ollama.app)	—

Darwin zip always contains Ollama.app/ (macOS GUI app). Darwin bare binary ollama-darwin is CLI-only (dropped at v0.5.8). OllamaSetup.exe is a Windows installer (not a bare binary).

Archive Structure

Linux tar.zst (v0.14.0+):

bin/ollama*                      (CLI binary)
lib/ollama/
├── libggml-base.so*
├── libggml-cpu-{variant}.so*    (alderlake, haswell, icelake, sandybridge, skylakex, sse42, x64)
├── cuda_v12/                    (CUDA 12 GPU libs)
│   ├── libcublas.so.12*
│   ├── libcublasLt.so.12*
│   ├── libcudart.so.12*
│   └── libggml-cuda.so*
├── cuda_v13/                    (CUDA 13 GPU libs)
│   └── ...
├── mlx_cuda_v13/                (MLX+CUDA GPU libs)
│   └── ...
└── vulkan/                      (Vulkan GPU libs)
    └── ...

66 files total. ~1.7GB compressed.

Darwin zip (all versions):

Ollama.app/
├── Contents/
│   ├── MacOS/Ollama*            (GUI app binary)
│   ├── Resources/
│   │   ├── ollama*              (CLI binary — embedded)
│   │   ├── libggml-*.so         (CPU inference libs)
│   │   ├── libmlx.dylib         (Apple MLX framework)
│   │   ├── mlx.metallib         (Metal shaders, 107MB)
│   │   ├── icon.icns
│   │   └── ollama*.png          (menu bar icons)
│   ├── Library/LaunchAgents/
│   │   └── com.ollama.ollama.plist
│   ├── Frameworks/
│   │   └── Squirrel.framework/  (auto-updater)
│   └── Info.plist

48 files, 336MB uncompressed (v0.17.7). Earlier v0.0.x used Electron (275 files).

Windows arm64 zip:

ollama.exe                       (CLI binary)
vc_redist.arm64.exe             (VC++ redistributable)

Windows amd64 zip is ~1.9GB (includes CUDA libs like Linux).

Linux bare binary (v0.1.0–v0.3.6): Single ollama-linux-{amd64,arm64} file, 300-400MB. Self-contained with bundled GPU libs.

Key Observations

1. Ollama is NOT a simple single-binary install. Modern versions need lib/ollama/ for GPU acceleration.
2. Darwin .zip is a macOS .app — not suitable for ~/.local/bin install. The CLI binary lives inside at Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama.
3. The darwin bare binary (ollama-darwin) was the CLI-only option but was dropped at v0.5.8.
4. Linux switched distribution models 3 times: bare binary → no GitHub release (use install.sh) → tar.zst archive.
5. rocm and jetpack variants exist for Windows/Linux (excluded from analysis — GPU-vendor-specific).
6. Windows arm64 is tiny (22MB) vs amd64 (1.9GB) because arm64 has no CUDA/GPU libs bundled.

Install Script (Linux tar.zst, v0.14.0+)

# Unpack
tar --zstd -xf ollama-linux-amd64.tar.zst -C ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/

# Already has bin/ollama and lib/ollama/ layout
# Symlinks
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER} ~/.local/opt/ollama
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/ollama/bin/ollama ~/.local/bin/ollama

Note: ollama needs OLLAMA_LIB_DIR or LD_LIBRARY_PATH set to find lib/ollama/.

Install Script (Darwin — extract CLI from .app)

# Unpack
unzip Ollama-darwin.zip -d /tmp/ollama-extract/

# Install CLI binary
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/bin
cp /tmp/ollama-extract/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/bin/ollama
chmod +x ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/bin/ollama

# Install shared libs
mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/lib/ollama
cp /tmp/ollama-extract/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/libggml-*.so ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/lib/ollama/
cp /tmp/ollama-extract/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/libmlx*.dylib ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/lib/ollama/
cp /tmp/ollama-extract/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/mlx.metallib ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER}/lib/ollama/

# Symlinks
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/ollama-${SORT_VER} ~/.local/opt/ollama
ln -sf ~/.local/opt/ollama/bin/ollama ~/.local/bin/ollama

Install Script (Windows zip)

# Unpack
Expand-Archive ollama-windows-arm64.zip -DestinationPath $env:USERPROFILE\.local\opt\ollama-$SORT_VER\bin\

# Symlinks
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\opt\ollama" -Target "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\opt\ollama-$SORT_VER"
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\ollama.exe" -Target "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\opt\ollama\bin\ollama.exe"

---

Batch Inspection Results

Inspected latest version of every downloadable package. Categorized by archive structure pattern.

Pattern A: Bare Binary in Archive (no subdirectory)

Archive contains the binary (and maybe LICENSE/README) at the top level, no wrapper directory.

Package	Archive	Contents
awless	awless-linux-amd64.tar.gz	awless
bun	bun-macos-x64.zip	bun
caddy	caddy_2.9.1_linux_amd64.tar.gz	caddy, LICENSE, README.md
cilium	cilium-linux-amd64.tar.gz	cilium
curlie	curlie_1.8.2_linux_amd64.tar.gz	curlie, LICENSE, README.md
dashmsg	dashmsg_0.9.1_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz	dashmsg, LICENSE, README.md
dotenv	dotenv_1.0.0_linux_x86_64.tar.gz	dotenv, LICENSE, README.md
dotenv-linter	dotenv-linter-linux-x86_64.tar.gz	dotenv-linter
ffuf	ffuf_2.1.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz	ffuf, CHANGELOG.md, LICENSE, README.md
fzf	fzf-0.70.0-linux_amd64.tar.gz	fzf
gitdeploy	gitdeploy_0.9.4_linux_x86-64.tar.gz	gitdeploy, LICENSE, README.md
gprox	gprox_0.3.3_linux_amd64.tar.gz	gprox, LICENSE, README.md
grype	grype_0.99.1_linux_amd64.tar.gz	grype, CHANGELOG.md, LICENSE, README.md
hugo	hugo_0.99.1_Linux-64bit.tar.gz	hugo, LICENSE, README.md
hugo-extended	hugo_extended_0.99.1_Linux-64bit.tar.gz	hugo, LICENSE, README.md
keypairs	keypairs_0.7.0-pre.2_linux_x86-64.tar.gz	keypairs, LICENSE, README.md
koji	koji-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz	koji
lf	lf-linux-amd64.tar.gz	lf
monorel	monorel_0.6.6_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz	monorel, README.md
ots	ots-v1.1.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz	ots, LICENSE, README.md
runzip	runzip_1.0.1_linux_amd64.tar.gz	runzip, LICENSE, README.md
sclient	sclient_1.5.1_linux_amd64.tar.xz	sclient, LICENSE, README.md
sqlc	sqlc_1.9.0-beta1_linux_amd64.tar.gz	sqlc
sqlpkg	sqlpkg-cli_0.3.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz	sqlpkg, LICENSE, README.md
sttr	sttr_0.2.9_linux_amd64.tar.gz	sttr, LICENSE, README.md
uuidv7	uuidv7_v1.0.1-next_linux_amd64.tar.gz	uuidv7, LICENSE, README.md
xcaddy	xcaddy_0.4.5_linux_amd64.tar.gz	xcaddy, LICENSE, README.md
deno	denort-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip	denort
k9s	k9s_Linux_amd64.tar.gz	k9s, LICENSE, README.md
terraform	terraform_1.9.8_linux_amd64.zip	terraform, LICENSE.txt

Install pattern: extract, move binary to ~/.local/opt/{pkg}-{ver}/bin/{binary}, symlink.

Pattern B: Subdirectory with Binary Only

Archive contains a version-named directory wrapping the binary and docs.

Package	Archive	Directory	Contents
delta	tar.gz	delta-{ver}-{triplet}/	delta, LICENSE, README.md
hexyl	tar.gz	hexyl-{ver}-{triplet}/	hexyl, CHANGELOG.md, LICENSE-*, README.md
kubectx	tar.gz	flat	kubens, LICENSE
kubens	tar.gz	flat	kubens, LICENSE
pathman	tar.gz	bare name	pathman-v0.6.0-linux-amd64_v1 (bare binary, no dir)
shellcheck	tar.xz	shellcheck-{ver}/	shellcheck, LICENSE.txt, README.txt
trip	tar.gz	trippy-{ver}-{triplet}/	trip
watchexec	tar.xz	watchexec-{ver}-{triplet}/	watchexec, LICENSE, README.md, completions/, man page
xsv	tar.gz	xsv-{ver}-{triplet}/	xsv, UNLICENSE, README.md
yq	tar.gz	flat	yq_linux_amd64 (binary named with platform suffix)

Install pattern: extract, find binary in subdirectory, move to opt, symlink. Note: pathman is just a bare binary named with the full release tag. yq binary is named with platform suffix — needs rename.

Pattern C: Subdirectory with Binary + Completions/Man Pages

Archive includes shell completions and/or man pages alongside the binary.

Package	Archive	Completions	Man	Notes
bat	tar.gz	autocomplete/ (dir exists but contents vary)	bat.1
fd	tar.gz	autocomplete/{fd.fish,fd.bash,fd.ps1,_fd}	fd.1
goreleaser	tar.gz	completions/{.bash,.fish,.zsh}	manpages/goreleaser.1.gz
lsd	tar.gz	autocomplete/{_lsd,lsd.fish,_lsd.ps1,lsd.bash-completion}	lsd.1
rg/ripgrep	tar.gz	complete/{_rg.ps1,_rg,rg.fish,rg.bash}	doc/rg.1	Also has doc/{FAQ,GUIDE,CHANGELOG}.md
sd	tar.gz	completions/{sd.bash,sd.fish,sd.elv,_sd,_sd.ps1}	sd.1
watchexec	tar.xz	completions/{bash,fish,zsh,powershell,nu,elvish}	watchexec.1
zoxide	tar.gz	completions/{zoxide.bash,.fish,.elv,.nu,.ts,_zoxide,_zoxide.ps1}	man/man1/zoxide*.1	Most complete

Install pattern: extract, install binary, install completions to standard dirs, install man pages.

Pattern D: Subdirectory with Binary + Libraries

Complex packages that bundle shared libraries alongside the binary.

Package	Archive	Layout
ollama (Linux)	tar.zst	bin/ollama + lib/ollama/{cuda_v12,cuda_v13,vulkan}/ (66 files)
pg/postgres/psql	tar.gz	psql-{ver}-{triplet}/bin/psql + lib/{libpq,libz,libzstd,...}.so + include/ (75 files)
sass	tar.gz	dart-sass/sass (wrapper script) + dart-sass/src/{dart,sass.snapshot}
syncthing	tar.gz	syncthing-{triplet}-{ver}/syncthing + etc/{systemd,upstart,desktop,runit,...}/ (45 files)
xz	tar.gz	xz-{ver}-{triplet}/xz + xz-{ver}-{triplet}/unxz (two binaries)

Install pattern: extract entire directory tree into opt, symlink binary.

Pattern E: FHS-like Layout (binary in bin/)

Archive already follows bin/ + share/ layout.

Package	Archive	Layout
gh	tar.gz	gh_{ver}_{os}_{arch}/bin/gh + share/man/man1/*.1 (129 files of man pages)
ollama (Linux)	tar.zst	bin/ollama + lib/ollama/
pandoc	tar.gz	pandoc-{ver}/bin/{pandoc,pandoc-server,pandoc-lua} + share/man/man1/*.1.gz

Install pattern: extract directly into opt (already correct layout).

Pattern F: Renamed Binary

Binary in archive doesn't match expected binary name.

Package	Binary in Archive	Expected Name
pathman	pathman-v0.6.0-linux-amd64_v1	pathman
yq	yq_linux_amd64	yq

Pattern G: Full SDK/Toolchain

Archive is a self-contained toolchain with compiler, runtime, standard library, etc.

Package	Archive	Layout
cmake	tar.gz (61MB, 8748 files)	cmake-{ver}-{os}-{arch}/bin/{cmake,ctest,cpack,ccmake,cmake-gui} + share/ + man/ + doc/
tinygo	tar.gz (56MB, 2030 files)	tinygo/bin/tinygo + tinygo/src/ + tinygo/targets/ + tinygo/lib/
go	tar.gz	go/bin/{go,gofmt} + go/src/ + go/pkg/
zig	tar.xz	zig-{os}-{arch}-{ver}/zig + zig-{os}-{arch}-{ver}/lib/
flutter	tar.xz/zip	flutter/bin/flutter + full SDK
julia	tar.gz	julia-{ver}/bin/julia + full SDK
node	tar.gz/tar.xz	node-{ver}-{os}-{arch}/bin/{node,npm,npx} + lib/

Install pattern: extract entire tree into ~/.local/opt/{pkg}-{ver}/, symlink bin/*.

Pattern H: .NET Runtime Bundle

Single-directory flat archive with hundreds of DLLs.

Package	Archive	Layout
pwsh	tar.gz (74MB, 727 files)	pwsh binary + *.dll + locale dirs (cs/, de/, etc.)

Install pattern: extract entire directory into opt, symlink pwsh binary.

Pattern I: Multi-Binary Distribution

Archive contains multiple related binaries + libs.

Package	Archive	Layout
dashcore	tar.gz (58MB)	dashcore-{ver}/bin/{dashd,dash-cli,dash-qt,dash-tx,...} + lib/ + share/man/
mutagen	tar.gz (56MB)	mutagen + mutagen-agents.tar.gz (embedded agent archive)

Install pattern: extract into opt, symlink primary binary (dashd / mutagen).

Packages Not Downloaded (known structure)

Package	Reason
mariadb	Full database server — Pattern I equivalent
gpg	macOS-only .dmg (GnuPG for OS X)
iterm2	macOS-only .zip (.app bundle)
terramate	45MB, single binary (assumed Pattern A like goreleaser tools)
ffmpeg	Special: bare binaries named by OS-arch
chromedriver	Chrome-versioned zip, single binary (Pattern A)
arc, atomicparsley, comrak, fish, git, gitea, jq, kind, shfmt	Bare binaries only
crabz	Archive contains source code, not binary
vim-* plugins (14 packages)	Git clone only, no binary
aliasman, serviceman, duckdns.sh	Source-only releases

Emerging Patterns

1. Most common: Pattern A (bare binary + optional docs in archive) — ~28 packages
2. Rust tools tend to use Pattern B/C: subdirectory named {tool}-{ver}-{triplet}/ with completions
3. Go tools (goreleaser-built) tend to use Pattern A: flat archive with binary + LICENSE + README
4. Completion directory naming varies: autocomplete/, completions/, complete/ — no standard
5. Completion file naming varies: _tool (zsh), tool.bash/tool.bash-completion, tool.fish
6. Man page location varies: tool.1, doc/tool.1, manpages/tool.1.gz, man/man1/tool.1
7. pathman and yq: need binary rename during install
8. crabz: classified archive is source code, not binary — classifier bug or mismatch

---

Format Changes Over Time

Analyzed all packages for format/OS changes year by year. Most changes are just adding/removing OS support (e.g. adding linux:.deb). Below are the structurally significant changes that affect install scripts.

Packages with Structural Format Changes

Package	When	What Changed
sd	2023	zip → tar.gz, added completions + man page
ollama	2025–2026	bare binary → no GitHub release → tar.zst with lib/
caddy	2019–2020	v1 (zip) → v2 (tar.gz, different naming)
deno	2020–2021	.gz (gzipped binary) → .zip
fzf	2021–2025	darwin: tar.gz → zip → tar.gz
gh	2024	darwin: tar.gz → .pkg
hugo	2017–2018	zip → tar.gz (naming also changed)
bun	2022	restructured archive formats
sclient	2023	tar.gz → tar.xz
watchexec	2019–2020	tar.gz → tar.xz
pathman	2023	tar.gz + zip → tar.gz + tar.xz (dropped windows zip)

Packages with Stable Formats (no structural change)

These packages have maintained the same archive structure since their first release. Only the binary name or OS/arch list changed — install script stays the same.

awless, bat, chromedriver, cilium, cmake, curlie, dashmsg, delta, dotenv, dotenv-linter, fd, ffuf, gitdeploy, goreleaser, gprox, grype, hexyl, k9s, keypairs, koji, kubectx, kubens, lf, lsd, monorel, node, ots, rclone, rg/ripgrep, runzip, sass, shellcheck, sqlc, sqlpkg, sttr, syncthing, terraform, trip, uuidv7, xcaddy, xsv, xz, yq, zig, zoxide

Per-Package Format Change Notes

sd: v0.6.5 and earlier used zip with bare binary in triplet directory. v1.0.0+ uses tar.gz with binary + completions + man page. Install script needs two eras.

ollama: Three distinct eras on Linux:

1. v0.1.0–v0.3.6: bare binary (self-contained, 300-400MB)
2. v0.4.0–v0.13.x: no GitHub release (use official install script)
3. v0.14.0+: tar.zst with bin/ollama + lib/ollama/ (1.7GB) Darwin always has .zip with Ollama.app; bare CLI binary dropped at v0.5.8.

caddy: v1 used simple caddy_{os}_{arch}.tar.gz. v2 (2020+) uses caddy_{ver}_{os}_{arch}.tar.gz with same flat structure. Internal layout didn't actually change — just the naming convention.

deno: Switched from deno-{triplet}.gz (gzipped bare binary) to deno-{triplet}.zip in 2020-2021. Both contain just the binary.

gh: Darwin switched from tar.gz to .pkg in 2024. Linux tar.gz structure (FHS-like with bin/ and share/man/) stayed the same.

hugo: Early releases (2014) were bare binaries. Switched to zip (2014-2017), then tar.gz (2017+). Internal structure always been flat (hugo, LICENSE, README).

---

Install Script Audit Results

All 116+ packages audited. Changes made to install.sh scripts:

Completions + Man Pages Added (Pattern C)

Package	Completions Dir	Man Page	Commit
bat	autocomplete/{bat.bash,.fish,.zsh}	bat.1	1803c20
fd	autocomplete/{fd.bash,.fish,_fd}	fd.1	1803c20
goreleaser	completions/{.bash,.fish,.zsh}	manpages/*.1.gz	1803c20
lsd	autocomplete/{lsd.bash-completion,.fish,_lsd}	lsd.1	1803c20
rg	complete/{rg.bash,.fish,_rg}	doc/rg.1	1803c20
sd	completions/{sd.bash,.fish,_sd}	sd.1	1803c20
watchexec	completions/{bash,fish,zsh}	watchexec.1	1803c20
zoxide	completions/{zoxide.bash,.fish,_zoxide}	man/ dir	1803c20

Other Fixes

Package	Fix	Commit
ollama	Handle 3 eras: linux tar.zst, macOS .app, bare binary; fix test -f → test -d for lib/	b08e678
yq	Man page to versioned $pkg_src_dir/share/man/ instead of global	b08e678
pandoc	Install man pages from share/man/ in FHS archive	a7b3a57
gh	Man pages from share/man/ (already done in prior commit)	1803c20

Verified Correct (no changes needed)

All remaining packages were audited and found correct for their archive structure:

• Pattern A (bare binary): awless, caddy, cilium, curlie, dashmsg, deno, dotenv, dotenv-linter, ffuf, fzf, gitdeploy, gprox, grype, k9s, keypairs, koji, lf, monorel, ots, runzip, sclient, sqlc, sqlpkg, sttr, terraform, uuidv7, xcaddy
• Pattern B (subdirectory): delta, hexyl, kubectx, kubens, shellcheck, trip, xsv
• Pattern D (binary + libs): psql/pg, sass, syncthing, xz
• Pattern E (FHS): cmake, tinygo
• Pattern F (renamed binary): pathman
• Pattern G (SDK): go, node, zig, flutter, julia
• Pattern H (.NET): pwsh
• Pattern I (multi-binary): dashcore, mutagen
• WEBI_SINGLE: hugo, hugo-extended, jq, kind, shfmt, arc, atomicparsley, chromedriver, comrak, ffmpeg, gitea, bun