Difference between 64 bit.rpm and 64 bit.deb packages

Question

What is the difference between software installation files called 64 bit.deb and 64 bit.rpm?

I want to understand which one is best for my computer so that I am downloading and installing the correct one.

Answer 1

Summary:

If you use Ubuntu, always go for .deb packages!

They can be installed with the terminal command below:

sudo dpkg -i /PATH/TO/PACKAGE-FILE.deb

Or by simply double-clicking on them in your Files Manager, which opens them in the Software Center application.

Explanation:

There is a set of "basic Linux distributions" on which most others are based on. Two of the most important ones are probably Debian and Red Hat.
Ubuntu and all of its derivates are based on Debian.

Now those two Linux distributions have different software packaging systems:

• Debian uses .deb packages (simply derived from the first 3 letters of "Debian")
• Red Hat uses .rpm packages (Red Hat Package Manager)

Those two packaging systems have some differences and are not compatible, that means you can't natively install RPM packages on a Debian-based system like Ubuntu.

However, in some cases you will be able to convert packages from one systems into another using the command-line tool alien.