Publishing the first release of the Lite Catalog application is now a reality. This application acts as an interface for searching and installing open-source applications specifically built for the Windows platform. The project has also set up a git repository with a catalog that hosts 141 applications. Some of these programs even have archived versions that are compatible with older Windows releases.
It’s important to note that the project itself does not create or distribute assemblies. It contains valuable meta-data, including links to original installation files provided by the developers of the programs featured in the catalog. The meta-data also includes descriptions, screenshots, and links to repositories and websites. To ensure the security of downloaded files, most projects undergo additional verification using the SHA1 hash stored in the metadata.
The applications are classified into 7 categories within the Lite Catalog. Users have the option to select and download a program without launching the graphical interface by locating the desired program in the relevant section of the Github repository and identifying the file to download from the ini file with metadata. The Lite Catalog application supports automatic installation of portable application assemblies – archives (zip, 7z, rar) are automatically extracted to the C:Programs directory with desktop shortcuts created by default.
